The Salary of a Museum Collections Manager
Curators are managers who oversee museum collections and direct activities like storage, acquisition and exhibition. The museum collections manager participates in fundraising activities, such as writing grant proposals and materials to publicize the museum and its collections. Large museums may hire multiple curators who specialize in different collections in the facility.
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Education
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, curators usually have a minimum of a master’s degree. Individuals may complete a degree program in art, archaeology or history, but some curators complete a degree program in a specialized area as well as a degree in museum studies. Some museums require a doctorate degree for a position as a curator. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports competition is high for curator positions.
National Salary
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the national median salary for a curator in May 2010 was $48,450. The top 10 percent of museum curators during the same period earned a salary of $86,450 and those in the lower 10 percent earned salaries of $27,640. In May 2008, the annual median salary for curators was $47,220, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Industry
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Private museums, colleges and government agencies hire museum curators to maintain and manage the facility’s collections. The highest paying industry for museum curators in 2010 was the federal executive branch of the government, with a mean annual salary of $79,440, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Museums and historical sites paid an annual mean salary of $50,380 during the same period.
Geographic Location
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The geographic location of the museum curator can affect his salary. Factors such as cost of living and demand for professionals in the field can contribute to the differences in salaries in geographic areas. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the highest paying metropolitan area for museum curators in 2010 was the Bethesda-Frederick-Gaithersburg, Maryland area with a mean annual salary of $98,280. The state with the highest salary during 2010 was California with a mean salary of $62,400 per year.
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