How to Be a Museum Curator

Curators collect items for museum holdings.

What people view when they visit museum exhibits has largely to do with a curator. A curator's primary responsibilities are to guide the collection of items for the museum and to develop exhibits for the general public. A curator uses his academic training and experience to discern what donations of objects the museum should accept or reject and what items should be purchased. In small museums, curators also perform a variety of other jobs, including public relations and administrative tasks. Employment as a curator usually requires a graduate degree and the right work experience.

Things You'll Need

• Graduate degree
• Work experience

Instructions

1. Get a Ph.D. in the relevant academic field, such as art history or anthropology, if you want to be a curator of a specialized collection at a large museum, according to San Francisco State University's Museum Studies Program. A large natural history museum might hire separate curators who are experts for its collections of birds, fishes, insects and mammals, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes. Many large museums also want curators to be at the midpoint of their careers and to have research and publishing credits.

2. Work in a position at a larger museum that can help you move up the ladder, if you have a master's degree. In large museums, there are usually several curatorial positions, such as "assistant curator," that can help those with master's degrees gain practical experience and an understanding of various dimensions of curating. Small and medium-sized museums often hire people with master's degrees in museum studies because the work requires the curator to be generalists and practical problem-solvers.

3. Learn the right skills. Take courses in business administration, marketing and fund-raising to be an attractive candidate for a curating job at a smaller museum. Curators at museums of all sizes are responsible for posting collections online and must have knowledge of digital imaging, scanning technology and copyright law, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

4. Get internships and part-time work experience while you're getting your degree to make your resume more competitive. The following are some valued areas of knowledge, according to San Francisco State University's Museum Studies Program, which you might learn on-the-job: knowledge of private collectors and their collections, knowledge of other museums' collections, knowledge of the general market and time-management skills for long-range exhibit planning.

5. Develop personal characteristics that add to your value as a curator. In her article for the American Association of Museums, "Day in the Life -- Curator," Valarie Kincaide, who is a consulting curator, says that one attribute that cannot be learned in school is to have "a good ethical compass." Other characteristics include the ability or instinct to know what others will find pleasing about an object or topic and having a passion for what you are caring for, she says.

Tips & Warnings

• At large museums, there is a very low curator turnover rate and curators usually remain on the job for many years; therefore, competition for these jobs is intense. There are far more openings, as well as opportunities for career growth, at small and medium-sized museums.

• Median annual wages of curators in May 2008 was $47,220, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

References

• San Francisco State University's Museum Studies Program: How to Be a 'Curator'
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010 --11 Edition; Archivists, Curators and Museum Technicians
• University of Puget Sound; Career and Employment Services Blogs; Career Options -- Museum Curator; James Willette; May 2010
• American Association of Museums; Day in the Life -- Curator; Valarie Kinkade

Resources

• Smithsonian: Museum Studies