Educational Instruction and Library Occupations·SOC 25-4013

Best degree programs for Museum Technicians and Conservators, ranked by enrollment

Q: What degree do you need to become a Museum Technician?

Bachelor'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, 64.2% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Q: Which college majors lead to becoming a Museum Technician?

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Fine and Studio Arts, History, Museology/Museum Studies. Together they graduate about 4,976 people a year.

Q: How much do museum technicians and conservators earn?

The median is $51,440 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $33,780 at the 10th percentile to $87,530 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.

Q: Is demand for museum technicians and conservators growing?

BLS projects a +5.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 1,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

Q: How many schools offer programs for this career?

413 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 3 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.

Q: What other job titles do museum technicians and conservators work under?

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Preparator, Conservator, Objects Conservator, Paintings Conservator among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-4013.

3 college programs and 413 schools train Museum Technicians and Conservators. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $51,440 median wage, 12,310 U.S. jobs. Federal data.

3 college programs at 413 schools train museum technicians and conservators, graduating 4,976 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Art History, Criticism and Conservation. The job pays a median of $51,440 (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Graduates / yr

4,976

from every feeder program

Median annual wage

$51,440

BLS OEWS May 2025

Projected growth

+5.4%

Faster than average

Openings / yr

1,900

new plus replacement

Schools

413

with a feeder program

States with jobs

BLS reports wages

About museum technicians and conservators

Restore, maintain, or prepare objects in museum collections for storage, research, or exhibit. May work with specimens such as fossils, skeletal parts, or botanicals; or artifacts, textiles, or art. May identify and record objects or install and arrange them in exhibits. Includes book or document conservators.

Also calledPreparatorConservatorObjects ConservatorPaintings ConservatorArt HandlerArt PreparatorArt ConservatorCeramic RestorerFine Arts PackerMuseum RegistrarDocument RestorerMuseum Preparator

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 · 64.2% of pipeline

Grad earnings $24,447

51 schools · 1 specialization · 17.9% of pipeline

Grad earnings $31,217

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies

CIP 30.14

Museology/Museum Studies

889graduates / yr

77 schools · 1 specialization · 17.9% of pipeline

Grad earnings —

3 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	64.2%	356	$24,447	$25,294
2	Public/Applied History CIP 54.0105	892	17.9%	51	$31,217	$24,000
3	Museology/Museum Studiesmain feeder CIP 30.1401	889	17.9%	77	—	$21,295

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	Sotheby's Institute of Art - NY New York, NY Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs	70	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	—	—	—
8	George Washington University Washington, DC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	69	Museology/Museum Studies	84%	$29,789	47%
9	CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College New York, NY Public · 1 feeder programs	66	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	25%	—	—
10	Lindenwood University Saint Charles, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	63	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	49%	$17,436	57%
11	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	63	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	89%	—	27%
12	University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA Public · 2 feeder programs	60	Museology/Museum Studies	85%	—	39%
13	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC Public · 2 feeder programs	56	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	85%	—	42%
14	University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	56	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	93%	—	9%
15	University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	47	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	93%	—	11%
16	CUNY Graduate School and University Center New York, NY Public · 2 feeder programs	46	Museology/Museum Studies	—	—	68%
17	University of Iowa Iowa City, IA Public · 2 feeder programs	45	Museology/Museum Studies	75%	—	84%
18	Bard College Annandale-On-Hudson, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	42	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	68%	$24,278	52%
19	University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI Public · 1 feeder programs	42	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	90%	—	45%
20	University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	41	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	83%	—	33%
21	University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA Public · 2 feeder programs	41	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	85%	—	58%
22	The New School New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	36	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	69%	$54,185	63%
23	CUNY Hunter College New York, NY Public · 2 feeder programs	35	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	57%	—	54%
24	Princeton University Princeton, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	34	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	98%	$13,729	5%
25	Tufts University Medford, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	34	Museology/Museum Studies	94%	$23,570	11%
26	University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	34	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	75%	—	66%
27	Syracuse University Syracuse, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	32	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	84%	$28,851	46%
28	University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	32	Museology/Museum Studies	70%	$37,121	62%
29	Boston University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	31	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	89%	$21,956	11%
30	Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 1 feeder programs	30	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	86%	—	61%
31	University of Georgia Athens, GA Public · 2 feeder programs	29	Museology/Museum Studies	90%	—	38%
32	Brigham Young University Provo, UT Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	28	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	81%	$13,712	68%
33	Indiana University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN Public · 2 feeder programs	28	Museology/Museum Studies	54%	—	76%
34	University of Oregon Eugene, OR Public · 2 feeder programs	28	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	72%	—	88%
35	Pratt Institute - Main Brooklyn, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	27	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	74%	$49,088	73%
36	Georgetown University Washington, DC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	26	Museology/Museum Studies	95%	$22,242	13%
37	University of North Texas Denton, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	26	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	61%	—	72%
38	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	25	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	86%	—	24%
39	San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA Public · 2 feeder programs	25	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	50%	—	96%
40	Yale University New Haven, CT Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	25	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	96%	$27,025	4%
41	American University Washington, DC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	24	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	75%	$30,225	62%
42	Barnard College New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	24	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	93%	$24,675	9%
43	University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	24	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	86%	—	42%
44	University of Kansas Lawrence, KS Public · 2 feeder programs	24	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	69%	—	93%
45	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%
46	University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	23	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	76%	—	76%
47	University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI Public · 2 feeder programs	23	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	49%	—	91%
48	Ohio University - Main Campus Athens, OH Public · 2 feeder programs	22	Museology/Museum Studies	65%	—	85%
49	Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs	22	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	84%	—	58%
50	University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	22	Art History, Criticism and Conservation	91%	—	24%

What museum technicians and conservators earn

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

Median annual wage

$51,440

Mean annual

$57,410

Median hourly

$24.73/hr

People employed

12,310

What the range looks like

10th pct$33,780Median$51,44090th pct$87,530

Top-paying states

Top-paying metro areas

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

$79,230median

970 jobs

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

$77,030median

820 jobs

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

$75,020median

420 jobs

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

$66,620median

70 jobs

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

$75,100median

30 jobs

Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY

$65,310median

40 jobs

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

$61,040median

80 jobs

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

$68,960median

30 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34

+5.4%

Faster than average

Openings per year

1,900

new jobs plus replacements

Employment change

800

15,700 → 16,500

Typical entry education

Bachelor'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	$74,550	1,050	1.37×	52	858
Idaholimited	$43,520	40	0.65×	2	666
California	$61,550	1,610	1.12×	33	470
Massachusetts	$58,530	440	1.54×	19	275
Texas	$45,880	670	0.60×	18	216
Pennsylvania	$47,150	310	0.66×	31	205
Ohio	$47,570	350	0.79×	21	177
Illinois	$56,720	400	0.83×	14	124
Maryland	$76,900	450	2.05×	5	122
District of Columbiamoderate	$76,110	520	9.35×	4	120
Florida	$53,460	250	0.32×	10	113
North Carolina	$39,290	450	1.14×	9	111
Virginia	$52,190	310	0.94×	13	107
Missouri	$49,170	850	3.68×	9	103
Washington	$59,610	280	1.01×	9	89
Oklahomamoderate	$48,090	190	1.37×	4	88
Georgia	$49,270	150	0.38×	12	84
Michigan	$39,000	340	0.98×	13	77
New Jersey	$43,780	110	0.31×	7	74
Wisconsinmoderate	$38,840	160	0.68×	4	72
Minnesota	$50,140	170	0.72×	11	65
Utah	$35,430	100	0.73×	5	64
Oregon	$45,820	170	1.10×	5	62
Indiana	$46,490	290	1.15×	9	60
Iowa	$51,740	100	0.78×	6	59
Connecticut	$62,030	280	2.10×	9	55
Colorado	$51,990	290	1.27×	11	51
South Carolina	$38,290	90	0.50×	6	43
Tennessee	$44,710	210	0.80×	9	43
Kansasmoderate	$46,320	130	1.19×	4	30
New Mexicomoderate	$56,670	100	1.45×	3	28
Kentucky	$49,940	80	0.48×	6	26
Louisianamoderate	$32,350	200	1.30×	4	26
Alabamamoderate	$38,350	130	0.75×	3	25
Rhode Island	$55,470	70	1.73×	5	21
Arizonalimited	$46,650	90	0.35×	2	15
Delawarelimited	$38,080	60	1.69×	1	13
Arkansaslimited	$41,280	110	1.06×	1	11
Montanalimited	$42,390	120	3.01×	1	10
Nebraskamoderate	$41,960	60	0.80×	3	10
Mainemoderate	$48,460	60	1.15×	3	9
Nevadalimited	$56,470	70	0.60×	2	3
Wyominglimited	$56,420	60	2.84×	1	2
Hawaiilimited	$40,170	140	2.84×	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

Install, arrange, assemble, and prepare artifacts for exhibition, ensuring the artifacts' safety, reporting their status and condition, and identifying and correcting any problems with the set up.
Repair, restore, and reassemble artifacts, designing and fabricating missing or broken parts, to restore them to their original appearance and prevent deterioration.
Clean objects, such as paper, textiles, wood, metal, glass, rock, pottery, and furniture, using cleansers, solvents, soap solutions, and polishes.
Photograph objects for documentation.
Determine whether objects need repair and choose the safest and most effective method of repair.
Prepare artifacts for storage and shipping.
Enter information about museum collections into computer databases.
Recommend preservation procedures, such as control of temperature and humidity, to curatorial and building staff.

Skills

Active Listening3.9
Reading Comprehension3.6
Speaking3.6
Critical Thinking3.3
Writing3.3
Monitoring3.1
Active Learning3.0
Learning Strategies2.9

Knowledge areas

Fine Arts3.5
English Language3.4
Public Safety and Security3.3
History and Archeology3.2
Administration and Management3.1
Chemistry3.1

Abilities

Oral Expression3.8
Near Vision3.8
Information Ordering3.6
Oral Comprehension3.6
Speech Clarity3.5
Speech Recognition3.5

Core activities

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.3
Getting Information4.2
Handling and Moving Objects4.0
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings3.9
Making Decisions and Solving Problems3.9
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates3.8

Tools and technology

hotmarks an O*NET hot technology

Adobe AcrobathotAdobe Creative Cloud softwarehotAdobe IllustratorhotAdobe InDesignhotAdobe PhotoshophotAutodesk AutoCADhotMicrosoft Active Server Pages ASPhotMicrosoft ExcelhotMicrosoft Office softwarehotMicrosoft Outlookhot

How to get in

How to become a Museum Technician

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0

Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 3 majors mapped to Museum Technicians and Conservators3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+

30.1401Museology/Museum Studies
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.

25-4012

Curators

$63,42012,150 jobs+7.0%

27-1027

Set and Exhibit Designers

$75,24010,630 jobs+2.3%

25-4011

Archivists

$64,5507,970 jobs+3.8%

19-3093

Historians

$76,7503,450 jobs+2.2%

27-1012

Craft Artists

$46,0804,580 jobs+2.1%

27-1013

Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators

$55,49011,220 jobs-1.2%

Common questions

What degree do you need to become a Museum Technician?+

Bachelor'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, 64.2% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Museum Technician?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Fine and Studio Arts, History, Museology/Museum Studies. Together they graduate about 4,976 people a year.

How much do museum technicians and conservators earn?+

The median is $51,440 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $33,780 at the 10th percentile to $87,530 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 museum technicians and conservators growing?+

BLS projects a +5.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 1,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career?+

413 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 3 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 museum technicians and conservators work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Preparator, Conservator, Objects Conservator, Paintings Conservator among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-4013.

↑ Zoom outAll occupations Educational Instruction and Library Occupations

Museum Technicians and Conservators by stateNew York Idaho California Massachusetts Texas Pennsylvania Ohio Illinois Maryland District of Columbia Florida North Carolina

Programs that lead hereFine and Studio Arts History Museology/Museum Studies

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

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