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Museum educator vs museum technician

The differences between museum educators and museum technicians 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 educator and a museum technician. Additionally, a museum technician has an average salary of $40,953, 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 technician are collections database, museum collection, and artifact.

Museum educator vs museum technician overview

Museum EducatorMuseum Technician
Yearly salary$40,399$40,953
Hourly rate$19.42$19.69
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs18,4815,697
Job satisfaction-3
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

Museum educator vs museum technician salary

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

Museum EducatorMuseum Technician
Average salary$40,399$40,953
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $61,000Between $24,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-Delaware
Best paying company-Smithsonian Institution
Best paying industry--

Differences between museum educator and museum technician education

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

Museum EducatorMuseum Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common majorFine ArtsHistory
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityHarvard University

Museum educator vs museum technician demographics

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

Museum EducatorMuseum Technician
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 30.6% Female, 69.4%Male, 39.0% Female, 61.0%
Race ratioBlack 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, 5.2% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between museum educator and museum technician 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 technician example responsibilities.

  • Assist with planning, designing, and prototyping new exhibits.
  • Prepare daily animal diets and perform cleaning duties to USDA and AZA standards.
  • Perform an array of prototyping, fabrication, assembly, integration, and installation of exhibits.
  • Organize and catalog anthropology, mineral science and paleobiology collections.
  • Create and run excel macros on ceramic artifacts providing statistical analysis data.
  • Create and run excel macros on ceramic artifacts providing statistical analysis data.

Museum educator vs museum technician 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 technician skills
  • Collections Database, 11%
  • Museum Collection, 11%
  • Artifact, 11%
  • NPS, 9%
  • Pest Management, 8%
  • Cataloging, 8%

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