Education · 1 of 5

The path

Long, academic, and the bottleneck is experience rather than grades.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 11 and 12

   History, art, biology, chemistry, a foreign language and strong writing. Volunteer at any local museum that will take you.

2. 2

   Bachelor's degree

   4 years

   In the subject you want to curate: art history, history, anthropology, biology, geology. Take museum studies courses if the school offers them.

3. 3

   Internships and entry jobs

   1 to 3 years

   Collections assistant, gallery attendant, education assistant, registrar. This is where you learn to actually handle objects and databases.

4. 4

   Master's degree

   2 years

   Museum studies, museology, art history or a science. The University of Washington runs a well known Master of Arts in Museology; many other public universities run similar programs.

5. 5

   Curator

   2 to 5 more years

   Assistant curator first, then associate, then curator. A doctorate is normal for art and science curators at large institutions.