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Museum tour guide education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a museum tour guide. Museum tour guides usually study history, graphic design, or psychology. 72% of museum tour guides hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 146 real museum tour guide resumes to see exactly what museum tour guide education sections show.
The most common colleges for museum tour guides are the Virginia Wesleyan University and the Virginia Wesleyan University.
There are also many online museum tour guide courses to help get the education required to be a museum tour guide.
What education do you need to become a museum tour guide?
What degree do you need to be a museum tour guide?
- Bachelor's, 72%
- Associate, 12%
- Master's, 9%
- Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a museum tour guide?
- History, 21%
- Graphic Design, 9%
- Psychology, 9%
- English, 6%
- Other Majors, 55%
Most common colleges for museum tour guides
| Museum tour guide common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Virginia Wesleyan University | 8.33% |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 8.33% |
| Kent State University | 8.33% |
| University of North Texas | 8.33% |
| Louisiana State University and A&M College | 4.17% |
Best majors for museum tour guides
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | History | 20.9% |
| 2 | Graphic Design | 9.0% |
| 3 | Psychology | 9.0% |
| 4 | English | 6.0% |
| 5 | Business | 4.5% |
Best colleges for museum tour guides
The best colleges for museum tour guides are Stanford University, Harvard University, and Yale University.
A museum tour guide 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 tour guides. 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 tour guides.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
4. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$53,430
Enrollment
5,963
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
6. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
7. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$53,399
Enrollment
7,356
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
9. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
10. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
20 best online courses for museum tour guides
Advertising disclosure
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Top 10 most affordable universities for museum tour guides
The most affordable schools for museum tour guides are Hunter College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for museum tour guides 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 tour guides.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
6. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. USF St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,821
Cost of attendance
19,849
10. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for museum tour guides
The hardest universities for museum tour guides to get into are Stanford University, Harvard University, and Yale University.
Some great schools for museum tour guides 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 tour guides 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
3. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
9. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
10. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for museum tour guides
The easiest schools for museum tour guides to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, mount saint mary's university, and wayland baptist university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a museum tour guide 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 tour guides.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
6. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
7. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
8. Clarke University
Dubuque, IA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
1,058
9. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
10. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
Average museum tour guide salary by education level
| Museum tour guide education level | Museum tour guide salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $31,898 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $35,932 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $36,795 |
Museum tour guide education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025