How To Become A Collections Curator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a collections curator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Haitham Eid Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a collections curator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $23.44 an hour? That's $48,745 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 12% and produce 4,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a collections curator?

Dr. Haitham Eid Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Director, Southern University at New Orleans

Starting a career in the museum field can be exciting and rewarding. My general advice to museum studies graduates is to always continue expanding their knowledge and skills through professional workshops and conferences. Attending museum events, conferences, and workshops will expand your professional network which can open up opportunities for job placement, collaboration, and career advancement. It is important that you stay up to date with current trends, technologies, and issues in the museum field by reading museum publications, following relevant blogs, and participating in professional development opportunities. I would also encourage new graduates to consider specializing in a particular area of museum work, such as collections management, exhibition design, or education. Developing expertise in a specific area can help you stand out in the field. With this being said, the museum field can be competitive, so be open to different opportunities and be willing to take on new challenges to grow in your career.

ScoreCollections CuratorUS Average

Salary

3.8

Avg. Salary $48,745

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.3

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.20%

Asian 5.17%

Black or African American 5.30%

Hispanic or Latino 7.38%

Unknown 4.17%

White 76.79%

Gender

female 59.88%

male 40.12%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

6.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a collections curator

Explore collections curator education requirements

Most common collections curator degrees

Bachelor's

68.2 %

Master's

24.5 %

Associate

6.6 %

Start to develop specific collections curator skills

Skills	Percentages
Collections Management	18.00%
Museum Collection	17.82%
Condition Reports	11.68%
Newsletter Articles	11.14%
Donor Relations	8.81%

Complete relevant collections curator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New collections curators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a collections curator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real collections curator resumes.

Research collections curator duties and responsibilities

Manage and update museum's social media presence on Facebook.
Review and edit listing photography and source photographers in various markets to capture unique accommodations and cover special assignments worldwide.
Handle all acquisitions and surplus placement with other AZA accredit institutions.

Prepare your collections curator resume

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