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Conservator vs curatorial specialist

The differences between conservators and curatorial specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a conservator and a curatorial specialist. Additionally, a conservator has an average salary of $46,396, which is higher than the $43,840 average annual salary of a curatorial specialist.

The top three skills for a conservator include social security, condition reports and photographic documentation. The most important skills for a curatorial specialist are cataloging, , and .

Conservator vs curatorial specialist overview

ConservatorCuratorial Specialist
Yearly salary$46,396$43,840
Hourly rate$22.31$21.08
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs7923,992
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

Conservator vs curatorial specialist salary

Conservators and curatorial specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

ConservatorCuratorial Specialist
Average salary$46,396$43,840
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $86,000Between $28,000 And $68,000
Highest paying CityAnchorage, AK-
Highest paying stateConnecticut-
Best paying companyThe Mariners' Museum and Park-
Best paying industryNon Profits-

Differences between conservator and curatorial specialist education

There are a few differences between a conservator and a curatorial specialist in terms of educational background:

ConservatorCuratorial Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorFine ArtsAnthropology
Most common collegeUniversity of Maryland - College ParkUniversity of Maryland - College Park

Conservator vs curatorial specialist demographics

Here are the differences between conservators' and curatorial specialists' demographics:

ConservatorCuratorial Specialist
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 35.1% Female, 64.9%Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.0% Asian, 4.9% White, 77.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 5.2% Asian, 3.5% White, 81.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between conservator and curatorial specialist duties and responsibilities

Conservator example responsibilities.

  • Create initial inventory of finances and physical items own by estate and submit to probate court.
  • Analyze prehistoric and historic cultural artifacts, including data entry for cataloging.
  • Design costumes and usher for mainstage productions.
  • Perform archeological field excavations and laboratory analysis.

Curatorial specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage user securities, roles, database backups, restore, fail-over management for SQL cluster.
  • Assist in cataloging incoming items for the collection.
  • Supervise student employees responsible for processing and cataloging collections.
  • Conduct research using online federal regulations, review Medicare and Medicaid policy and guidelines to complete an accurate and well-support decision.
  • Facilitate multi-year project digitizing and cataloguing decoration in manuscripts (approx.

Conservator vs curatorial specialist skills

Common conservator skills
  • Social Security, 17%
  • Condition Reports, 14%
  • Photographic Documentation, 12%
  • Condition Assessment, 12%
  • Conservation Lab, 11%
  • Conservation Treatments, 10%
Common curatorial specialist skills
  • Cataloging, 100%

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