Career
Museum technicians and conservators
Prepare, preserve and restore museum objects.
$51,440
Median pay
+3.6%
Job growth, 2025–35
1,600
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Determine whether objects need repair and choose the safest and most effective method of repair.
- Specialize in particular materials or types of object, such as documents and books, paintings, decorative arts, textiles, metals, or architectural materials.
- Recommend preservation procedures, such as control of temperature and humidity, to curatorial and building staff.
- Install, arrange, assemble, and prepare artifacts for exhibition, ensuring the artifacts' safety, reporting their status and condition, and identifying and correcting any problems with the set up.
- Study object documentation or conduct standard chemical and physical tests to ascertain the object's age, composition, original appearance, need for treatment or restoration, and appropriate preservation method.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Determine whether objects need repair and choose the safest and most effective method of repair.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Writing.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $51,440 a year and 1,600 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- HistorySee the degree →
- Fine and Studio ArtsSee the degree →
- Museology/Museum StudiesCIP 30.1401
- Art History, Criticism and ConservationCIP 50.0703
- Public/Applied HistoryCIP 54.0105
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Curators$63,420 · +4.9%
- Set and Exhibit Designers$75,240 · +1.4%
- Archivists$64,550 · +3.4%
- Historians$76,750 · +3.0%
- Craft Artists$46,080 · +2.0%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.