Museum educator vs museum director

The differences between museum educators and museum directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a museum educator, becoming a museum director takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a museum director has an average salary of $73,554, which is higher than the $40,399 average annual salary of a museum educator.

The top three skills for a museum educator include educational programs, art history and K-12. The most important skills for a museum director are museum operations, museum exhibits, and community outreach.

Museum educator vs museum director overview

	Museum Educator	Museum Director
Yearly salary	$40,399	$73,554
Hourly rate	$19.42	$35.36
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	18,481	7,882
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	6

Museum educator vs museum director salary

Museum educators and museum directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Museum Educator	Museum Director
Average salary	$40,399	$73,554
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $61,000	Between $40,000 And $134,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	University of Southern California
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between museum educator and museum director education

There are a few differences between a museum educator and a museum director in terms of educational background:

	Museum Educator	Museum Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Fine Arts	History
Most common college	Harvard University	Harvard University

Museum educator vs museum director demographics

Here are the differences between museum educators' and museum directors' demographics:

	Museum Educator	Museum Director
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4%	Male, 40.8% Female, 59.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 76.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 5.0% White, 77.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between museum educator and museum director duties and responsibilities

Museum educator example responsibilities.

Manage revolving caseload of students with IEP team including initials, transfer placements, manifestation determinations.
Train and supervise employees and volunteers in collections protocols, cataloging, preparation, housekeeping, lab and field work.
Analyze prehistoric and historic cultural artifacts, including data entry for cataloging.
Develop digital materials, documents, PowerPoint presentations, lectures, and laboratory activities daily.
Design PowerPoint presentations enhancing educational environment.
Design PowerPoint presentations enhancing educational environment.

Museum director example responsibilities.

Manage FoxPro database of historical and archaeological collections locate at state parks throughout Florida.
Lead the facility in implementing person-centered care/hospitality philosophy, electronic medical records, maximization of Medicare reimbursement, and alternative therapies.
Lead the facility in implementing person-centered care/hospitality philosophy, electronic medical records, maximization of Medicare reimbursement, and alternative therapies.
Assist in launching an initiative to lobby the Kansas legislators and other elect officials to increase Medicaid reimbursement for assist living.

Museum educator vs museum director skills

Common museum educator skills

Educational Programs, 15%
Art History, 11%
K-12, 9%
Public Programs, 8%
Outreach Program, 6%
Public Speaking, 6%

Common museum director skills

Museum Operations, 22%
Museum Exhibits, 18%
Community Outreach, 11%
Local Community, 11%
Collections Management, 10%
Museum Store, 8%

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Museum Educator
Museum Educator vs Museum Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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