Museum docent vs art conservator

The differences between museum docents and art conservators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a museum docent and an art conservator. Additionally, an art conservator has an average salary of $60,547, which is higher than the $40,630 average annual salary of a museum docent.

The top three skills for a museum docent include natural history, museum gift shop and museum exhibits. The most important skills for an art conservator are conservation practices, , and .

Museum docent vs art conservator overview

	Museum Docent	Art Conservator
Yearly salary	$40,630	$60,547
Hourly rate	$19.53	$29.11
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	77	2,737
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 81%	Bachelor's Degree, 85%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Museum docent vs art conservator salary

Museum docents and art conservators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Museum Docent	Art Conservator
Average salary	$40,630	$60,547
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $67,000	Between $29,000 And $125,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between museum docent and art conservator education

There are a few differences between a museum docent and an art conservator in terms of educational background:

	Museum Docent	Art Conservator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 81%	Bachelor's Degree, 85%
Most common major	History	Fine Arts
Most common college	Harvard University	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Museum docent vs art conservator demographics

Here are the differences between museum docents' and art conservators' demographics:

	Museum Docent	Art Conservator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 37.1% Female, 62.9%	Male, 57.1% Female, 42.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.1% Asian, 4.9% White, 77.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	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 Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between museum docent and art conservator duties and responsibilities

Museum docent example responsibilities.

Conduct tours of the anthropology and paleontology museums * Write/edit exhibit- and art show-relate materials
Create and present educational PowerPoint oral presentations.

Art conservator example responsibilities.

Manage graphic arts department and camera and typesetting departments.
Work on set design and advance photo editing including color swapping and color correcting for commercial photography studio.
Generate quotes for custom screen print and embroidery projects that require art time and or outside service bureau charges.

Museum docent vs art conservator skills

Common museum docent skills

Natural History, 39%
Museum Gift Shop, 9%
Museum Exhibits, 8%
Front Desk, 7%
Public Speaking, 7%
Educational Programs, 6%

Common art conservator skills

Conservation Practices, 100%

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Museum Docent vs Art Conservator

Updated January 8, 2025

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