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Museum curator education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a museum curator. Museum curators usually study history, fine arts, or anthropology. 68% of museum curators hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 225 real museum curator resumes to see exactly what museum curator education sections show.
The most common colleges for museum curators are the Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia Commonwealth University.
There are also many online museum curator courses to help get the education required to be a museum curator.
What education do you need to become a museum curator?
What degree do you need to be a museum curator?
- Bachelor's, 68%
- Master's, 16%
- Associate, 9%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a museum curator?
- History, 21%
- Fine Arts, 18%
- Anthropology, 10%
- Psychology, 7%
- Other Majors, 44%
Most common colleges for museum curators
| Museum curator common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Virginia Commonwealth University | 6.98% |
| University of California, Berkeley | 6.98% |
| Southern University at New Orleans | 6.98% |
| University of Connecticut | 4.65% |
| Heritage University | 4.65% |
Best majors for museum curators
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | History | 20.8% |
| 2 | Fine Arts | 17.6% |
| 3 | Anthropology | 10.4% |
| 4 | Psychology | 7.2% |
| 5 | Biology | 6.4% |
Best colleges for museum curators
The best colleges for museum curators are Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and Brown University.
A museum curator with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for museum curators. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become museum curators.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
2. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
3. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
4. Brown University
Providence, RI • Private
In-state tuition
$55,466
Enrollment
6,752
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
6. Tufts University
Medford, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,382
Enrollment
5,597
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
8. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
9. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
10. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
20 best online courses for museum curators
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Top 10 most affordable universities for museum curators
The most affordable schools for museum curators are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for museum curators are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for museum curators.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
6. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
7. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
10. USF St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,821
Cost of attendance
19,849
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for museum curators
The hardest universities for museum curators to get into are Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and Brown University.
Some great schools for museum curators are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for museum curators based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
2. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. Brown University
Providence, RI • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
6. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
7. Tufts University
Medford, MA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,461
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
9. Amherst College
Amherst, MA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,449
10. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for museum curators
The easiest schools for museum curators to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, william paterson university of new jersey, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a museum curator without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for museum curators.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
5. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
6. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
7. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
8. Linfield College
McMinnville, OR • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
1,117
9. California University of Pennsylvania
California, PA • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,007
10. Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, CA • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,072
Average museum curator salary by education level
| Museum curator education level | Museum curator salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $49,948 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $43,101 |
Museum curator education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025