Career Counselors

Help your students—of any age—discover different careers within a museum

What if you could help your students--of any age—discover different career opportunities within distinct kinds of museums? You can do that now. Find out more about different museum careers. Check out the following video!

On the Resources page of the website, learn about employment opportunities at distinct kinds of museums.

The Toy Exhibit, a book “by kids for kids”

This book was created in partnership with students from the Maplewood Richmond Heights School District and the American Alliance of Museums. Elementary-aged students utilizes the curriculum of “School as Museum”, in which students are exposed to museum practices throughout the school year. Students assume various museum roles to create a quality, engaging exhibit each year. The book focuses on exhibit research, development, design and installation.

Free eBook offer

For students who are interested in a potential career in museums, direct them to the Resources page. There’s a list of local institutions and links to their programs, internships, and employment pages.

SALARY RANGES FOR SOME MUSEUM CAREERS

When considering this, these figures reflect salary ranges for people working in several different museum careers. For more information, check out the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) website

Director/CEO/President - salary ranges from $59,009 to $110,500. The person in this position provides institutional leadership.

Vice President and Assistant Director - salary ranges from $76,800 to $97,828. The person in this position assumes responsibility for several areas of administration.

Director of Information Services & Technology - salary ranges from $62,500 to $94,350. The person in this position oversees general administrative responsibility for information, technology and network management.

Facilities Director - salary ranges from $48,000 to $70,000. The person in this position handles the operation and maintenance of the institution’s buildings and facilities.

Archivist - salary ranges from $41,500 to $45,614. The person in this position oversees physical and intellectual archival collections.

Chief Curator - salary ranges from $50,000 to $62,000. The person in this position handles general administration for curatorial affairs.

Senior Curator - salary ranges from $51,686 to $73,201. The person in this position provides curatorial administrative duties for important collections.

Registrar/Collections Manager - salary ranges from $42,551 to $51,006. The person in this position handles registration of collections; development and maintenance of record systems; and administration of loan transactions, including moving, storage, shipping and maintenance of insurance records.

Head Librarian - salary ranges from $43,532 to $64,300. The person in this position develops and carries out library practices, policies and procedures.

Director of Education - salary ranges from $47,118 to $57,000. The person in this position supervises the overall educational function for the museum.

Exhibition Designer/Chief of Exhibitions - salary ranges from $51,028 to $73,252. The person in this position plans, designs, and manages the production of exhibits.

American Alliance of Museums and New Knowledge Organization Ltd. 2014 National Comparative Museum Salary Survey. Washington, DC: American Alliance of Museums, 2014.