Curator job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

12

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 5 of 5

extensive preparation

Typical entry education

Master's degree

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$63,420

BLS May 2025

1. 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. importance 4.3 of 5
2. Develop and maintain an institution's registration, cataloging, and basic record-keeping systems, using computer databases. importance 4.2 of 5
3. Plan and conduct special research projects in area of interest or expertise. importance 4.0 of 5
4. Provide information from the institution's holdings to other curators and to the public. importance 3.9 of 5
5. Negotiate and authorize purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections. importance 3.8 of 5
6. Study, examine, and test acquisitions to authenticate their origin, composition, history, and to assess their current value. importance 3.8 of 5
7. Inspect premises to assess the need for repairs and to ensure that climate and pest control issues are addressed. importance 3.8 of 5
8. Write and review grant proposals, journal articles, institutional reports, and publicity materials. importance 3.8 of 5
9. Design, organize, or conduct tours, workshops, and instructional or educational sessions to acquaint individuals with an institution's facilities and materials. importance 3.8 of 5
10. Attend meetings, conventions, and civic events to promote use of institution's services, to seek financing, and to maintain community alliances. importance 3.6 of 5
11. Train and supervise curatorial, fiscal, technical, research, and clerical staff, as well as volunteers or interns. importance 3.6 of 5
12. Confer with the board of directors to formulate and interpret policies, to determine budget requirements, and to plan overall operations. importance 3.5 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Documenting/Recording Information, Getting Information, Thinking Creatively and Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Arrange insurance coverage for objects on loan or for special exhibits and recommend changes in coverage for the entire collection.
• Schedule events and organize details, including refreshment, entertainment, decorations, and the collection of any fees.
• Establish specifications for reproductions and oversee their manufacture or select items from commercially available replica sources.

Knowledge areas: English Language, History and Archeology, Fine Arts, Administration and Management and Sociology and Anthropology.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a master's degree as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists no typical on-the-job training once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 5 of 5 (extensive preparation). Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board and see how to become a curator.

The most common answer among curators surveyed by O*NET is a master's degree (44%).

Job title: Curator
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Curator to administer collections, such as artwork, collectibles, historic items, or scientific specimens of museums or other institutions.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- 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.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a master's degree as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in reading comprehension, speaking and active listening
- Working knowledge of English Language and History and Archeology
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $63,420 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $30.49. BLS estimates about 12,150 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of curators to grow 4.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,600 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full curator salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real curator posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Plan and organize the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only curator work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (reading comprehension and speaking).