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The differences between museum curators and directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a museum curator and a director. Additionally, a director has an average salary of $113,489, which is higher than the $44,309 average annual salary of a museum curator.
The top three skills for a museum curator include collections management, art collections and museum exhibits. The most important skills for a director are healthcare, customer service, and oversight.
| Museum Curator | Director | |
| Yearly salary | $44,309 | $113,489 |
| Hourly rate | $21.30 | $54.56 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 413 | 230,711 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A museum curator looks after and manages exhibitions within a museum. Responsibilities of this position include building collections, developing interpretations for the museum contents, organizing events and exhibitions, designing and arranging installations, and carrying out administrative tasks in the museum. They also need to liaise with administrators, artists, and museum visitors to ensure they have great experience with the museum.
Directors work in show business, whether in a film, a television show, or a theatre production. They are responsible for bringing the material to life. They work with the writers to get a clear vision of how the production should look. They lead the production team in planning for the production, identifying filming or rehearsing schedules, casting for roles, and other aspects that need to be decided upon. Directors provide direction to the actors to ensure that the actors understand their role and will be able to effectively convey emotions to the audience. They also manage all other crew members and communicate their expectations clearly so that everyone on the set is working towards one vision.
Museum curators and directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Museum Curator | Director | |
| Average salary | $44,309 | $113,489 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $77,000 | Between $66,000 And $192,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New York |
| Best paying company | Smithsonian Institution | Mayo Clinic |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a museum curator and a director in terms of educational background:
| Museum Curator | Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | History | Business |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between museum curators' and directors' demographics:
| Museum Curator | Director | |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1% | Male, 53.2% Female, 46.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 76.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 14% |