How to become a museum curator

Museum curators are in charge of artefacts, which usually have a significant artistic, cultural, historic or scientific value.

You’ll build collections by acquiring, cataloguing, restoring, preserving and displaying objects of interest to your audience. To obtain these artefacts, you’ll need to research items that are for sale or might be loaned or gifted to your collections. Your role might also include fundraising, public relations and running educational activities.

To become a museum curator, you’re likely to need a degree related to the type of museum or collections you’re interested in.

Alternatively, your studies might centre on the skills of a curator.

Undergraduate degrees – a Bachelor of Arts degree in subjects such as history would be an obvious choice, but curators can come from a range of backgrounds including English literature, fine art and sciences.

Postgraduate studies – if your undergraduate degree is in the specialised field that you’re interested in, then taking a MA in museum studies, museums and heritage practice, or curating and collections management, would be ideal to give you the complete package of subject knowledge and role-specific skills.

What does a museum curator do?

From acquisition to display, you’ll have the fascinating and important role of preserving items of social and scientific interest which might otherwise be lost or left to decay.

Displaying collections in a way which engages people who are not experts in the field is a valuable opportunity for you to champion the cause of museums and what they represent.

Determining the types of artefacts and collections worth preserving is an important element of museum curation, so you'll be involved in discussions about what is or will be important in respect to social or scientific history. These conversations will lead to identifying new collections that need to be built, and existing collections that need to be maintained and developed.

Some of the pieces in your collection may need restoration, so you’ll need to decide what level of restoration is required and work with experts to ensure that it’s carried out correctly. You’ll need to document and catalogue each artefact and keep records of when, how and where they have been displayed.

You’ll plan and organise exhibits for display with consideration of the targeted audience in mind. For example, school groups, you’ll want exhibits to be displayed in an engaging, exciting and memorable way. You might also provide in person or recorded tours of the exhibits to maximise the educational benefit.

The role of museum curator is wide-ranging. Day-to-day tasks might include:

• Researching artefacts which may be of interest and negotiating purchases or loans
• Cataloguing and documenting artefacts and keeping records of locations
• Planning and organising exhibits which target the audience appropriately
• Writing articles for publication, website content and educational materials
• Negotiating funding and prioritising available budgets
• Handling enquiries from the public, students and interested subject matter experts

What are the typical working hours for a museum curator?

You’ll probably have core hours of 9-5 Monday-Friday, but some evening work for fundraising and marketing, plus some weekend work for special events is likely.

Opportunities for part-time and job-share roles may be available in some cases.

Some travel might also be required for purchasing and educational activities.