How To Become A Museum Educator

Job Prospects Employment Outlook And Career Development

Museum directors and teachers will usually start off coordinating events and scheduling programs for student field trips and other museum visitors. From there, they can branch off on their own to create events or run programs of their own through various museums. Some will work as teachers for several different museums if they are knowledgeable on various subjects.

After a museum director and teacher has worked and helped coordinate several programs, they can advance to creating entire exhibits that focus on specific time periods, art styles, archaeological dig findings, or historical time periods.

Outlook for jobs as museum directors or teachers is not expected to increase or decrease over the next several years. Many jobs are opening as more teachers reach retirement, as many of them are part of the baby boomer generation. More jobs may open up as they begin to retire and look to hand their role on to another director.

How To Become A Museum Educator

To become a museum educator, you must have a bachelors degree, either in a field specific to the type of museum, or a specific degree in museum studies, such as museum education or curation. Many larger museums prefer candidates with advanced qualifications, such as a masters degree or Ph.D. A broad understanding of pedagogy and curriculum design is important. You should also have numerous skills, such as excellent written and verbal communication, comfort with public speaking, and the willingness to perform visitor outreach and networking with other museum professionals and community members.

Childrens Museum Educator Job Description

Childrens museum educators work in various roles to ensure museum exhibits successfully inspire children to learn and expand their horizons. They may lead the planning or design of the exhibits, develop community outreach programs to aid in promoting museum offerings, or guide children through museum visits and related educational activities.

Childrens museum educators should stay current on trends and ideas in science, art, and education. By incorporating innovative elements into their work, they increase the likelihood that visitors have an engrossing experience.

Work schedules vary for childrens museum educators. Some childrens museums hire only on a part-time or temporary basis. Others offer full-time, permanent positions because the job has more expansive responsibilities.

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Get A Master’s Degree Or Higher

It’s a good idea to seek a master’s degree or higher if you want to work in museum administration. A Master of Fine Arts will give you a practical education with lots of real-world experience in curating art shows for galleriesâexperience that will be invaluable if you decide to work in a museum. Oftentimes, people getting a Master in Fine Arts are responsible for getting their own art shown in galleries, booking art shows and more.

If your desire is to work in a museum of natural sciences or history, or some other kind of museum outside of art, a master’s in business administration could help.

Museum Educator Job Description Example

Museums are places of learning, and our museum educators are central to our mission of providing educational opportunities for all. Were looking for an experienced museum educator to join our team and help us develop and deliver high-quality educational programs for a wide range of audiences. The ideal candidate will have experience developing and delivering educational programs in a museum setting, as well as experience working with a variety of age groups. He or she will be passionate about education and have a strong commitment to providing educational opportunities for all.

Duties & Responsibilities

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in education, museum studies, or related field
• Minimum 2 years teaching experience in a formal or informal setting
• Experience developing and leading educational programs for diverse audiences
• Excellent public speaking and presentation skills
• Strong organizational and time-management skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team

Preferred Skills and Qualifications

• Masters degree in education, museum studies, or related field
• 4+ years teaching experience in a formal or informal setting
• Experience developing and leading educational programs for children and families
• Familiarity with current trends and best practices in museum education

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Get Your Bachelor’s Degree

To become a museum curator, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree. If you plan to work in an art setting, a Bachelor of Fine Arts offers a good educational foundation in practical art skills and art history. If you’re planning to work in a history museum or science museum, then a degree in a field related to one of those would be a good choice.

During your bachelor’s degree program, you can begin to gain experience with internships and externships. This will also help you expand your network, which can assist you in getting a job when you graduate.

Education And Certification Requirements

Educational and certification requirements vary depending on your employers needs. Having a bachelors or masters degree in education and/or management will give you a better chance at a secure, high-paying position. Some institutions may hire you if you have at least a high school diploma and experience working in a museum, but the job may have lower pay and status.

Nearly all institutions require you to pass a background check and be fingerprinted.

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Curator Vs Museum Educator: Whats The Difference

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Museums procure, study, and display art and other objects of lasting interest. For instance, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., showcases paintings of former American presidents, while the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History delves into Earths history, exhibiting ancient fossils and life-sized animal replicas. Museums offer engaging ways to learn about history, science, art, and more. An estimated 14 million Americans visit museums every year, many of them children. Children in particular can benefit from museum visits, which give them a chance to explore and connect with new subjects in person rather than through a screen.

Its clear that museums dont just serve to display objects, they also aim to spread knowledge. By exposing visitors to new concepts and ideas, they encourage curiosity and open-mindedness. Museums play a valuable role in society. To operate, they need a variety of workers to support their day-to-day operations, including curators and museum educators. Both positions are integral to a museums success, but the job duties of each are distinct. This article looks at curators vs. museum educators, and reveals how a Bachelor of Arts in History can pave the path for individuals interested in either.

What Does a Museum Curator Do?

To perform their duties, museum curators need the following skills:

What Does a Museum Educator Do?

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How To Become An Archivist Curator Or Museum Worker About This Section

Archivists, curators, and conservators typically need a masters degree museum technicians typically need a bachelors degree. Fields of degree may include fine and performing arts, history, or social science. Experience gained through an internship or by volunteering in archives or museums is helpful.

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Duties & Tasks Of A Museum Curator

Museum curators:

• Acquire items for the collections in their care
• Examine items to determine condition and authenticity
• Identify and classify specimens, and arrange conservation and restoration work
• Maintain records about all items in the collection
• Organise and participate in display teams, which may involve travelling or arranging for loan exhibitions, or overseeing the organisation of in-house temporary exhibitions or displays
• Initiate and maintain research and publication programs
• Establish networks and assist other professionals on request
• Lecture and write about collections and answer public enquiries
• Supervise support staff and organise administrative duties associated with the use and care of collections.

What Is A Museum Educator

Overview

Museum educators develop teaching programs to help the public connect with the museum’s collections. They can work with all kinds of people, from school groups to senior citizens, anyone who is interested in learning more about the museum’s collection. They develop innovative programmings such as school visits and special educational tours. They organize events, interact with visitors, and handle the logistics of educational programs, such as the budget.Museum educators need to know a lot about their museum’s collections to explain objects to visitors. They also need to know a lot about educational programming for various ages and learning needs to make museum education accessible to all. Most museum educators have a bachelor’s or even a master’s degree in museum studies, art, or a related field. In order to get hired, they usually need some practical experience working at a museum, for example, through an internship. Museum educators earn an average annual salary of $33,982. However, most are not in this field for the money but for the satisfaction of spending their day teaching others about wonderful art.

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Tips For Pursuing A Top Position At A National Institution

Opportunities for advancement at small museums can be somewhat limited for museum curators. When youre ready to pursue a higher-level position, you might consider applying to a job at a national institution. However, in order to be considered for these senior positions, youll generally be expected to have at least five years of full-time field experience, plus a PhD.

Senior curators are also expected to have publishing credentials. Look for opportunities to publish your work in academic journals. For instance, you might publish excerpts of your PhD dissertation in these publications, in addition to the research you perform during the course of your job duties.

How To Become A Museum Curator

Museums are important institutions because they preserve societys shared past, celebrate culture and educate people of all ages. They are also economic powerhouses, contributing $50 billion annually to the U.S. economy.1 As you might expect, museums rely on a talented team of dedicated professionals to run smoothly and to continue serving the public.

If youre passionate about history, you might consider pursuing a career in the museum field, such as the role of museum curator. This career guide explains how to become a museum curator, from high school through graduate school.

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Licenses Certifications And Registrations

Although most employers do not require certification, some archivists may choose to earn voluntary certification because it allows them to demonstrate expertise in a particular area.

The Academy of Certified Archivists offers the Certified Archivist credential. To earn certification, candidates usually must have a masters degree, have professional archival experience, and pass an exam. They must renew their certification periodically by retaking the exam or fulfilling continuing education credits.

Work Environment About This Section

Archivists, curators, and museum workers held about 33,600 jobs in 2021. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up archivists, curators, and museum workers was distributed as follows:

Depending on the size of the institution and the position archivists, curators, and museum workers hold, these workers may spend time either at a desk or with the public, providing reference assistance and educational services. Museum workers who restore and set up exhibits or work with bulky, heavy record containers may have to lift objects, climb ladders and scaffolding, and stretch to reach items.

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Master Of Museum Education

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The next intake of the MMED will commence September 2024, with applications being accepted from October 2023.

The Master of Museum Education is a unique graduate degree program focusing on the study of education and learning that occurs in museums and other informal learning contexts. This programs draws together Museum professionals, educators and those with an interest in using the community to support teaching and learning to further their thinking and scholarship around museums as sites of education and learning.

As museums contemplate new roles within society it will be incumbent upon museum professionals, and particularly museum educators, to become catalysts for different ways of thinking about the educational roles and potentials of museums and other informal learning sites, teaching and learning in museum settings as well as exploring new relationships between museums and the broader community.

Upon completing the MMEd degree, students will be able to:

a copy of the Master of Museum Education Programs information brochure.

Types Of Museum Educator Jobs

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Museums contain large numbers of artifacts, documents and artwork that visitors can browse to learn information about various cultures and eras of history. Museum educators help the public access and interpret information in museums so that they can appreciate their visit and expand their knowledge. If you’re interested in facilitating museum visits as a career, learning about museum education jobs can help you compare possible job paths. In this article, we explain the basics of jobs in museum education, review qualifications for museum educators and explore tips for getting museum education jobs.

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Trends In Museum Education

Weve gonethrough the typical job duties and responsibilities, but what does the futurehold for museum educators? One of the dominant trends is the development ofmuseum schools. Unlike a one-time field trip, these schools provide a morein-depth way for students to explore and study certain works of art or otherexhibits. In some cases, students spend this time at a museum, but some museumeducators visit schools to educate instead.

Museumeducation trends also include a strong focus on being more inclusive andadopting an increased use of technology. Becoming more inclusive can helpensure that museum educators are able to share their knowledge with diverseaudiences. Focusing on technology, such as artificial intelligence, providesmuseum educators additional ways to connect with visitors and provide a moreinteractive learning experience.

Sounds enticing? If youre interested in museum education, check out our School of Art Education to learn what it takes to be an educator. Request information to speak with an admissions representative or apply now if youre ready to join!

Qualifications And Training Required

This is a competitive field so, although a degree isnât technically essential, graduates tend to be more successful in finding jobs in museum education work. Relevant degree subjects include archaeology, museum studies, education studies, history of art and history. Relevant work experience â paid or voluntary â is essential and some employers, particularly large national museums, prefer applicants to have teaching qualifications and experience too.

There are postgraduate courses for those without specialist undergraduate degrees or those who want to explore museum work more deeply.

Browse our CV and covering letter templates to see how you could present your skills and experience on your CV and to see an example email asking for work experience ‘on the off chance’.

• An understanding of how children and adults learn, and the ability to apply this.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Interpersonal skills and the ability to work with people from a range of backgrounds.

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Career Crush: What Does It Take To Be A Museum Curator

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here.

I love museums. But the last thing Im thinking about when Im walking through one is the person who hung the frame up on the wall or the person who wrote the description next to the masterpiece. And thats a good thing! At least, thats what I learned when I talked to Natalie Bell about what its like to be a museum curator.

In this episode, Natalie, the curator at the MIT List Visual Arts Center, explains that curation is all about helping artists bring their ideas to life but its not all rainbows. She explains that the museum world is very competitive, a fair salary can be hard to find, and theres a lot of work to be done to improve what can be a tough industry. But despite it all, her passion for art is what makes it worth it.

If youre interested in this career path, Natalie shares some concrete tips on how to move forward, including: Avoid unpaid internships if you can, look for similar jobs outside of the museum world, and dont be afraid to start small and curate your own show.

Read the full interview below for more insights from Natalie.

Kelsey Alpaio: So what exactly is a museum curator?

What does the day-to-day look like for a museum curator?

What do you love about your job?

So, its an important role and something that that Ive always both enjoyed and taken seriously to help people understand what theyre looking at, what theyre encountering, and what theyre experiencing.

Education For Museum Educator Careers

Museum educators typically need a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, although many have a master’s degree or even a Ph.D. Aspiring museum educators with a bachelor’s degree can often qualify for entry-level positions as volunteer coordinators or tour guides. If you have a master’s degree, you may search for management positions in museum education. Museum education professionals with Ph.D.s in their field may work in museum education management, consulting or as education department directors in museums.

To work in museum education, it’s important to get a degree that focuses on history, art history or education. Studying a combination of these topics can help you develop the interdisciplinary knowledge you need to teach others about art, history, artifacts, cultures, music and countless other topics museums address. Your formal education develops your critical thinking skills, teaches you how to use them in a museum environment and builds your ability to interact with visitors of all ages. Many museum educators study history or art history during their undergraduate degree then get a master’s in museum education.

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