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Museum Studies

Types of Degrees Museum Studies Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Museum Studies may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	18
Associate’s Degree	2
Bachelor’s Degree	56
Master’s Degree	762

What Museum Studies Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Museum Studies emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Museum Studies graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Museum Studies emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• History and Archeology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Museum Studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Museum Studies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Museum Studies graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Museum Studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	—
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Museum Studies graduates include:

• Preparator
• Art Handler
• Museum Registrar
• Exhibits Curator
• Educational Institution Curator
• Exhibitions Curator
• Photography Curator
• Digital Curator
• Collections Manager
• Educational Resource Coordinator
• Numismatist
• Curator
• Data Curator
• Natural Science Curator
• Preservation Specialist

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Museum Studies graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	57.5%
Doctoral degree	15.6%
Bachelor’s degree	9.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.8%
Postsecondary certificate	4.0%
Post-master’s certificate	3.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.1%
Some college courses	1.5%
Post-doctoral training	1.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Museum Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 82% of Museum Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	687	82.0%
Men	151	18.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Museum Studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	581	69.3%
Asian	28	3.3%
Hispanic or Latino	86	10.3%
Black or African American	47	5.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	9	1.1%
Two or More Races	35	4.2%
Race Unknown	20	2.4%
International Students	32	3.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Museum Studies Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Museum Studies graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$37,423
4 years	$48,087
5 years	$52,441

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $52,441 — roughly 40% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Museum Studies Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Museum Studies. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	4	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Museum Studies Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Museum Studies graduates earn a median of $48,087 four years after completion — roughly 27% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Multi Interdisciplinary Studies	30
Accounting and Computer Science	30.16
Anthrozoology	30.34
Behavioral Sciences	30.17
Biological and Physical Sciences	30.01
Biopsychology	30.10
Classical and Ancient Studies	30.22
Climate Science	30.35
Cognitive Science	30.25
Computational Science	30.30
Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature	30.36
Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis	30.26

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.