Museum Technician and Conservator

Career Overview

Museum technicians and conservators restore, maintain, or prepare objects in museum collections for storage, research, or exhibit. They may work with specimens such as fossils, skeletal parts, artifacts, textiles, or art.

Education

Archivists, curators, and conservators typically need a master’s degree in a field related to their position. Museum technicians typically have a bachelor’s degree. Experience gained through an internship or by volunteering in archives or museums is helpful.

Future Outlook

Overall employment of archivists, curators, museum technicians, and conservators is projected to grow 11 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations.

Work Environment

Archivists, curators, museum technicians, and conservators work in museums, historical sites, governments, colleges and universities, corporations, and other institutions. Most work full time.

Recommended High School Courses

Art
Communication
History
Archeology and Culture
English
Mathematics
Fundraising

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Visual Color Discrimination - The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Construct exhibits or parts of exhibits.
Prepare materials for preservation, storage, or display.
Classify materials according to standard systems.
Direct department activities.
Evaluate characteristics of archival or historical objects.
Inspect materials or equipment to determine need for repair or replacement.
Maintain operational records.
Enter information into databases or software programs.
Record research or operational data.
Advise educators on curricula, instructional methods, or policies.
Develop policies or procedures for archives, museums or libraries.
Direct activities of subordinates.
Discuss problems or issues with supervisors.
Research topics in area of expertise.
Plan community programs or activities for the general public.

Schools

Alabama State University

Albion College

Albright College

Allegheny College

Alvernia University

American International Co...

American University

Amherst College

Antioch College

Appalachian State Univers...

Arcadia University

Arizona State University

Arkansas Tech University

Asbury University

Assumption College

Auburn University

Augustana University

Austin College

Ave Maria University

Azusa Pacific University

Ball State University

Baptist College Of Florid...

Barnard College

Baruch College (cuny)

Bates College

Bellevue University

Belmont University

Beloit College

Bemidji State University

Bentley University

Berea College

Bethel University

Biola University

Birmingham Southern Colle...

Bluefield College

Bob Jones University

Boise State University

Boston College

Boston University

Bowdoin College

Bowling Green State Unive...

Bradley University

Brandeis University

Brescia University

Brigham Young University-...

Bucknell University

Cal Poly Pomona

Cal Poly- San Luis Obispo...

California State Universi...

Campellsville University

Central Methodist Univers...

Claremont Mckenna College

Cleveland State Universit...

Colgate University

College Of St. Benedict A...

College Of The Holy Cross

Davidson College

Depauw University

Drexel University

Fresno Pacific University...

Georgia Southern Universi...

Gettysburg College

Goucher College

Gustavus Adolphus College

Hampden-sydney College

Hartwick College

Haverford College

High Point University

Hillsdale College

Hobart And William Smith...

Hollins University

Kalamazoo College

Kennesaw State University

Kentucky State University

Kentucky Wesleyan College

Kenyon College

King University

Lake Forest College

Lasalle University

Lawrence University

Linfield College

Loyola University- New Or...

Mansfield University Of P...

Marist College

Marlboro College

Mcpherson College

Millsaps College

Minot State University

Missouri Southern State U...

Missouri State University

Monmouth University

Morehouse College

Morningside College

Mount Aloysius College

Mount Holyoke College

New College Of Florida

New York University

Nicholls State University

North Carolina Central Un...

North Dakota State Univer...

North Greenville Universi...

Northern Arizona Universi...

Northern Kentucky Univers...

Northwest University

Oakland City University

Oberlin College

Occidental College

Oglethorpe University

Ohio Christian University

Ohio Northern University

Ohio State University- Li...

Ohio State University- Ma...

Oklahoma Christian Univer...

Pennsylvania State Univer...

Pfeiffer University

Pratt Institute

Providence College

Purdue University- Northw...

Randolph College

Randolph-macon College

Reed College

Rhodes College

Ripon College

Rogers State University

Rollins College

Rowan University

Saint Anselm College

Saint Cloud State Univers...

Saint Joseph's College -...

Saint Mary's College Of C...

Saint Mary's University O...

Saint Michael's College

Salisbury University

Sarah Lawrence College

Seton Hall University

Shorter University

Siena College

Simmons University

Skidmore College

Slippery Rock University...

Sonoma State University

Southeast Missouri State...

Southern Adventist Univer...

Southern Utah University

Southwestern Assemblies O...

Southwestern Christian Un...

Southwestern College- Mai...

Southwestern Oklahoma Sta...

Southwestern University

Spelman College

St. Mary's College Of Mar...

Stanford University

Sul Ross State University

Suny At Brockport

Suny At Cortland

Suny At Oneonta

Suny Buffalo State Colleg...

Suny School Of Industrial...

Swarthmore College

Sweet Briar College

Tabor College

Tarleton State University

Taylor University

Texas A & M University- C...

Texas Tech University

Thomas Jefferson Universi...

Toccoa Falls College

Trinity College- Hartford...

Trinity University- San A...

Truett Mcconnell Universi...

United States Air Force A...

United States Naval Acade...

University Of Alabama- Hu...

University Of Alabama- Tu...

University Of California-...

University Of Central Ark...

University Of Colorado- C...

University Of Hawaii- Hil...

University Of Houston- Cl...

University Of Houston- Do...

University Of Kentucky

University Of Maine- Oron...

University Of Mary Washin...

University Of Maryland- B...

University Of Miami

University Of Minnesota-...

University Of Nebraska- K...

University Of New Hampshi...

University Of New Orleans

University Of North Alaba...

University Of North Carol...

University Of North Flori...

University Of North Texas

University Of Northern Io...

University Of Oregon

University Of Redlands

University Of Richmond

University Of South Flori...

University Of St. Thomas

University Of Texas- Tyle...

University Of The Arts

University Of The Southwe...

University Of Tulsa

University Of Vermont

University Of West Florid...

University Of West Georgi...

University Of Wisconsin-...

Ursuline College

Valdosta State University

Vanderbilt University

Virginia Wesleyan Univers...

Wake Forest University

Waldorf University

Washington And Lee Univer...

Wayland Baptist Universit...

Wesleyan College

West Texas A & M Universi...

Western Carolina Universi...

Western Illinois Universi...

Western Washington Univer...

Wheaton College- Massachu...

Whitman College

Williams College

Winthrop University

Wittenberg University

Wofford College

Wright State University

Xavier University

Algoma University- Sau...

Ambrose University

Athabasca University

Brock University

Campion College

Fleming College- Suthe...

Huron University Colle...

King's University

Kwantlen Polytechnic U...

Memorial University

Mount Allison Universi...

Mount Royal University...

Mount St. Vincent Univ...

Nipissing University

Providence College And...

Redeemer University Co...

Saint Mary's Universit...

Simon Fraser Universit...

St. Jerome's Universit...

St. Thomas University

Tyndale University

Université Sainte-anne

University Of Alberta-...

University Of Lethbrid...

University Of Moncton

University Of Northern...

University Of Prince E...

University Of Quebec-...

University Of Toronto-...

Wilfred Laurier Univer...

Concordia University Of...

York University- Glendon...

Potential Scholarships

5 Strong Scholarship

Agnes M. Lindsay Scholars...

Approx Salary Expectation

Currency:

Low End:

$28,330.00 /yr

Avg/Med:

$49,850.00 /yr

High End:

$87,760.00 /yr

Related Careers

CTE Teachers ( Career & Technical education )

Librarian

Training & Development Specialist

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.