Museum Directors and Curators

Job opportunities for curators who are employed by museums, historical sites, and similar institutions are expected to increase by 14.4 percent, much faster than the average for all careers, from 2023 through 2028, according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook. The best opportunities are in art and history museums. Despite this prediction, there are few openings for directors and curators and competition for them is high. Turnover is very low in museum work, so museum workers may have to stay in a lower-level position for some years before advancing to a director or curator position. New graduates may have to start as interns, volunteers, assistants, or research associates before finding full-time curator or director positions.

Curators must be able to develop revenue-generating public programs based on the collections and integrate themselves firmly into programs of joint research with area institutions (other museums or universities) or national institutions, ideally programs of some duration and supported by external funding. Museums are affected by economic conditions and the availability of grants and other charitable funding. Museum directors and curators with highly specialized training, a master's degree, and prior experience will have the best job prospects.