Educational Instruction and Library Occupations·SOC 25-4012

Best degree programs for Curators, ranked by enrollment

5 college programs and 416 schools train Curators. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $63,420 median wage, 12,150 U.S. jobs. Federal data.

5 college programs at 416 schools train curators, graduating 5,119 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Art History, Criticism and Conservation. The job pays a median of $63,420 (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Graduates / yr

5,119

from every feeder program

Median annual wage

$63,420

BLS OEWS May 2025

Projected growth

+7.0%

Faster than average

Openings / yr

1,800

new plus replacement

Schools

416

with a feeder program

States with jobs

BLS reports wages

About curators

Administer collections, such as artwork, collectibles, historic items, or scientific specimens of museums or other institutions. May conduct instructional, research, or public service activities of institution.

Also calledCuratorMuseum CuratorCollections CuratorCollections ManagerPreparatorArt CuratorArt HandlerNumismatistPhilatelistData CuratorCoin CollectorMuseum Manager

Background

A curator is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular institution and its mission. The term "curator" may designate the head of any given division, not limited to museums. Curator roles include "community curators", "literary curators", "digital curators", and "biocurators".

Fields of study that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.

Visual And Performing Arts

CIP 50.07

Fine and Studio Arts

3,195graduates / yr

356 schools · 1 specialization · 62.4% of pipeline

Grad earnings $24,447

51 schools · 1 specialization · 17.4% of pipeline

Grad earnings $31,217

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies

CIP 30.14

Museology/Museum Studies

889graduates / yr

77 schools · 1 specialization · 17.4% of pipeline

Grad earnings —

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies

CIP 30.52

Digital Humanities and Textual Studies

143graduates / yr

12 schools · 2 specializations · 2.8% of pipeline

Grad earnings —

5 degree programs that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#	Program	Graduates / yr	Share of pipeline	Schools	Grad earnings (1 yr)	Median debt
1	Art History, Criticism and Conservation CIP 50.0703	3,195	62.4%	356	$24,447	$25,294
2	Public/Applied History CIP 54.0105	892	17.4%	51	$31,217	$24,000
3	Museology/Museum Studies CIP 30.1401	889	17.4%	77	—	$21,295
4	Digital Humanitiesmain feeder CIP 30.5202	133	2.6%	12	—	—
5	Digital Humanities and Textual Studies, Generalmain feeder CIP 30.5201	10	0.2%	2	—	—

Top 50 schools by graduates into this job

Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#	School	Graduates / yr	Top feeder program	Grad rate	Net price	Acceptance
1	Brigham Young University - Idaho Rexburg, ID Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	663	Public/Applied History	55%	$6,760	96%
2	New York University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	122	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	88%	$29,023	9%
3	Harvard University Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	102	Museology/Museum Studies	98%	$15,013	4%
4	Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	90	Museology/Museum Studies	94%	$11,888	6%
5	Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	82	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	96%	$15,315	4%
6	University of Oklahoma - Norman Campus Norman, OK Public · 2 feeder programs	79	Museology/Museum Studies	75%	—	77%
7	Boise State University Boise, ID Public · 2 feeder programs	75	Digital Humanities	60%	—	87%
8	Sotheby's Institute of Art - NY New York, NY Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs	70	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	—	—	—
9	George Washington University Washington, DC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	69	Museology/Museum Studies	84%	$29,789	47%
10	CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College New York, NY Public · 1 feeder programs	66	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	25%	—	—
11	Lindenwood University Saint Charles, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	63	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	49%	$17,436	57%
12	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	63	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	89%	—	27%
13	University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA Public · 2 feeder programs	60	Museology/Museum Studies	85%	—	39%
14	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC Public · 2 feeder programs	56	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	85%	—	42%
15	University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	56	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	93%	—	9%
16	University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	47	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	93%	—	11%
17	CUNY Graduate School and University Center New York, NY Public · 2 feeder programs	46	Museology/Museum Studies	—	—	68%
18	University of Iowa Iowa City, IA Public · 2 feeder programs	45	Museology/Museum Studies	75%	—	84%
19	Bard College Annandale-On-Hudson, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	42	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	68%	$24,278	52%
20	University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI Public · 1 feeder programs	42	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	90%	—	45%
21	University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	41	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	83%	—	33%
22	University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA Public · 2 feeder programs	41	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	85%	—	58%
23	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	37	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	97%	$22,055	5%
24	The New School New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	36	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	69%	$54,185	63%
25	CUNY Hunter College New York, NY Public · 2 feeder programs	35	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	57%	—	54%
26	Princeton University Princeton, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	34	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	98%	$13,729	5%
27	Tufts University Medford, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	34	Museology/Museum Studies	94%	$23,570	11%
28	University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	34	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	75%	—	66%
29	Syracuse University Syracuse, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	32	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	84%	$28,851	46%
30	University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	32	Museology/Museum Studies	70%	$37,121	62%
31	Boston University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	31	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	89%	$21,956	11%
32	Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 1 feeder programs	30	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	86%	—	61%
33	University of Georgia Athens, GA Public · 2 feeder programs	29	Museology/Museum Studies	90%	—	38%
34	Brigham Young University Provo, UT Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	28	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	81%	$13,712	68%
35	Indiana University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN Public · 2 feeder programs	28	Museology/Museum Studies	54%	—	76%
36	University of Oregon Eugene, OR Public · 2 feeder programs	28	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	72%	—	88%
37	Pratt Institute - Main Brooklyn, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	27	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	74%	$49,088	73%
38	Georgetown University Washington, DC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	26	Museology/Museum Studies	95%	$22,242	13%
39	University of North Texas Denton, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	26	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	61%	—	72%
40	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	25	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	86%	—	24%
41	San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA Public · 2 feeder programs	25	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	50%	—	96%
42	University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI Public · 3 feeder programs	25	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	49%	—	91%
43	Yale University New Haven, CT Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	25	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	96%	$27,025	4%
44	American University Washington, DC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	24	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	75%	$30,225	62%
45	Barnard College New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	24	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	93%	$24,675	9%
46	Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	24	Digital Humanities	70%	$28,133	67%
47	University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	24	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	86%	—	42%
48	University of Kansas Lawrence, KS Public · 2 feeder programs	24	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	69%	—	93%
49	School of the Art Institute of Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	23	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	67%	$48,998	77%
50	University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	23	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	76%	—	76%

What curators earn

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual wage

$63,420

Mean annual

$71,560

Median hourly

$30.49/hr

People employed

12,150

What the range looks like

10th pct$40,470Median$63,42090th pct$107,140

Top-paying states

Top-paying metro areas

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

$83,110median

970 jobs

New Haven, CT

$102,110median

70 jobs

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

$90,800median

240 jobs

Ann Arbor, MI

$82,150median

60 jobs

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

$87,400median

270 jobs

Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH

$94,740median

40 jobs

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

$75,800median

170 jobs

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

$77,160median

390 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34

+7.0%

Faster than average

Openings per year

1,800

new jobs plus replacements

Employment change

1,100

15,100 → 16,200

Typical entry education

Master's degree

Where the jobs are, state by state

Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.

This occupation state by state: pay, jobs, and schools
State	Median pay	Jobs	Concentration	Schools	Graduates / yr
New York	$79,120	1,330	1.76×	52	876
Idaholimited	$62,190	50	0.81×	2	738
California	$78,740	1,140	0.80×	33	470
Massachusetts	$77,790	370	1.32×	19	275
Pennsylvania	$62,100	520	1.10×	31	227
Texas	$59,990	690	0.63×	18	216
Ohio	$63,640	370	0.84×	21	177
Illinois	$63,060	410	0.86×	14	124
Florida	$59,500	420	0.54×	11	122
Maryland	$63,750	170	0.77×	5	122
District of Columbiamoderate	$93,310	140	2.62×	4	120
North Carolina	$49,470	600	1.56×	9	111
Virginia	$58,200	450	1.41×	13	107
Missouri	$59,960	260	1.12×	9	103
Georgia	$57,810	230	0.61×	12	89
Washington	$74,030	260	0.93×	9	89
Oklahomamoderate	$60,560	150	1.10×	4	88
Michigan	$63,190	360	1.03×	14	78
New Jersey	$77,800	120	0.36×	7	75
Wisconsinmoderate	$64,370	300	1.30×	4	74
Indiana	$53,910	220	0.89×	9	67
Minnesota	$53,920	220	0.95×	11	65
Utah	$59,910	50	0.38×	5	64
Oregon	$62,790	260	1.69×	5	62
Iowa	$53,830	230	1.90×	6	59
Connecticut	$76,510	190	1.41×	9	55
Colorado	$73,630	300	1.32×	11	51
Tennessee	$57,580	190	0.75×	9	44
South Carolina	$47,200	120	0.67×	6	43
Kansasmoderate	$56,630	120	1.03×	4	30
Vermontmoderate	$56,520	60	2.66×	4	29
New Mexicomoderate	$63,690	140	2.12×	3	28
Kentucky	$55,460	130	0.80×	6	26
Louisianamoderate	$60,080	160	1.04×	4	26
Alabamamoderate	$61,120	150	0.92×	3	25
South Dakotalimited	$74,990	50	1.34×	2	24
Rhode Island	$77,930	70	1.87×	5	21
Arizonamoderate	$63,510	150	0.58×	3	20
Delawarelimited	$56,800	60	1.60×	1	13
Arkansaslimited	$53,870	80	0.81×	1	11
New Hampshirelimited	$82,490	60	1.10×	1	11
Montanalimited	$54,460	100	2.45×	1	10
Nebraskamoderate	$58,600	120	1.52×	3	10
Mainemoderate	$56,470	110	2.10×	3	9
Mississippilimited	$40,600	30	0.34×	2	4
Nevadalimited	$69,900	100	0.80×	2	3
Wyominglimited	$61,910	90	4.03×	1	2
Hawaiilimited	$50,720	140	2.86×	1	1

Skills and tools

From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.

What they do day to day

Plan and organize the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of collections and related materials, including the selection of exhibition themes and designs, and develop or install exhibit materials.
Develop and maintain an institution's registration, cataloging, and basic record-keeping systems, using computer databases.
Plan and conduct special research projects in area of interest or expertise.
Provide information from the institution's holdings to other curators and to the public.
Negotiate and authorize purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections.
Study, examine, and test acquisitions to authenticate their origin, composition, history, and to assess their current value.
Inspect premises to assess the need for repairs and to ensure that climate and pest control issues are addressed.
Write and review grant proposals, journal articles, institutional reports, and publicity materials.

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.0
Speaking4.0
Active Listening3.9
Writing3.9
Critical Thinking3.8
Active Learning3.5
Monitoring3.4
Learning Strategies3.3

Knowledge areas

English Language4.6
History and Archeology4.5
Fine Arts3.8
Administration and Management3.3
Sociology and Anthropology3.3
Communications and Media3.2

Abilities

Oral Comprehension4.0
Written Comprehension4.0
Oral Expression4.0
Deductive Reasoning3.9
Near Vision3.9
Written Expression3.9

Core activities

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.5
Documenting/Recording Information4.5
Getting Information4.4
Thinking Creatively4.3
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work4.2
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.1

Tools and technology

hotmarks an O*NET hot technology

Adobe AcrobathotAdobe Creative Cloud softwarehotAdobe IllustratorhotAdobe InDesignhotAdobe PhotoshophotApple macOShotAutodesk AutoCADhotExtensible markup language XMLhotFacebookhotLinuxhot

How to get in

How to become a Curator

Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above

Typical entry education: Master's degree

Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 6 majors mapped to Curators5 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+

30.1401Museology/Museum Studies
30.5201Digital Humanities and Textual Studies, General
30.5202Digital Humanities
30.5203Textual Studies(no graduates reported)
50.0703Art History, Criticism and Conservation
54.0105Public/Applied History

Related careers

Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.

25-4011

Archivists

$64,5507,970 jobs+3.8%

19-3093

Historians

$76,7503,450 jobs+2.2%

25-4013

Museum Technicians and Conservators

$51,44012,310 jobs+5.4%

25-4022

Librarians and Media Collections Specialists

$68,270133,790 jobs+1.7%

25-1061

Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary

$99,6505,240 jobs+2.7%

27-1027

Set and Exhibit Designers

$75,24010,630 jobs+2.3%

Common questions

What degree do you need to become a Curator?+

Master's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Art History, Criticism and Conservation, which awarded 3,195 degrees in 2024-25, 62.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Curator?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Fine and Studio Arts, History, Museology/Museum Studies, Digital Humanities and Textual Studies. Together they graduate about 5,119 people a year.

How much do curators earn?+

The median is $63,420 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $40,470 at the 10th percentile to $107,140 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for curators growing?+

BLS projects a +7.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 1,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career?+

416 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 5 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do curators work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Curator, Museum Curator, Collections Curator, Collections Manager among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-4012.

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025
Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
Official source →
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34
Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
Official source →
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)
Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
Official source →
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohorts
Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Official source →
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest available
Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
Official source →
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018
Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
Official source →
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3
Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

All Clema data sources and release dates →

Explore every U.S. college in one conversation

Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.

Try for free Book a demo

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card