Museology/Museum Studies graduates earn $36,787 four years out. The middle 50% of earners fall between $29,731 and $50,482. Where you land depends on specialization, employer, and how far you advance in the field.
This page covers Museology/Museum Studies as a course of study: what it costs, where it is taught, and what graduates go on to earn. It sits inside the wider field of Interdisciplinary Studies and how it pays overall, which is the better comparison if you are still choosing between subjects.
Museology/Museum Studies is a focused area of study within Interdisciplinary Studies. Pick this and you can expect to earn around $36,787 four years out, a modest return for a focused credential. You will not have trouble finding it: 95 colleges offer this program, from community colleges to research universities. About 892 students complete it each year, most walking away with a master's. The focus is on writing, analysis, and communication that transfer across industries.
Median Earnings · 4yr
$36,787
Colleges Offering
95
Graduates / Year
892
Avg Net Price / yr
$23,878
How Much Do Museology/Museum Studies Graduates Earn?
Four years after finishing Museology/Museum Studies, a typical graduate earns $36,787, significantly below average for bachelor's degree holders. Half of earners land somewhere between $29,731 and $50,482, so where you end up depends on the job and the employer. Source: College Scorecard.
Significantly below average. Graduate credentials or high-demand roles can raise this considerably.
Earnings Range
Not every Museology/Museum Studies graduate ends up in the same place. Earnings spread out a moderate amount, so know what pushes people to one end or the other. Career path divergence explains most of the range. Law, consulting, and tech-adjacent roles pull the top end up; writing, education, and nonprofit roles tend to sit near the bottom.
$29,73125th pct.
$36,787Median
$50,48275th pct.
Is the Cost Worth It?
At median 4-year earnings of $36,787 and an estimated $95,512 four-year net cost, earnings breakeven against a baseline wage takes approximately 14.1 years. Compare specific programs before committing to a high-cost option.
Based on outcomes from 21 schools.
Colleges with fewer than 30 graduates are excluded from national averages.
Who Studies This? Credential Breakdown
Of the 892 students who complete Museology/Museum Studies programs each year, the majority (68%) earn a master's degree.
The breakdown below shows the full credential distribution.
23%68%
Master's68%
Post-Bacc Cert.23%
Bachelor's4%
What Can You Do With a Museology/Museum Studies Degree?
This degree does not lock you into one job. Museology/Museum Studies graduates show up in 3 different occupations, and Archivists pay the most at $64,550/yr median. Expand any card below to see daily responsibilities, in-demand skills, and 10-year growth projections.
Appraise, edit, and direct safekeeping of permanent records and historically valuable documents. Participate in research activities based on archival materials.
Organize archival records and develop classification systems to facilitate access to archival materials.
Provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials.
Prepare archival records, such as document descriptions, to allow easy access to information.
Administer collections, such as artwork, collectibles, historic items, or scientific specimens of museums or other institutions. May conduct instructional, research, or public service activities of institution.
Plan and organize the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of collections and related materials, including the selection of exhibition themes and designs, and develop or install exhibit materials.
Develop and maintain an institution's registration, cataloging, and basic record-keeping systems, using computer databases.
Plan and conduct special research projects in area of interest or expertise.
Active ListeningReading ComprehensionSpeakingCritical ThinkingWriting
Day-to-day responsibilities
Restore, maintain, or prepare objects in museum collections for storage, research, or exhibit. May work with specimens such as fossils, skeletal parts, or botanicals; or artifacts, textiles, or art. May identify and record objects or install and arrange them in exhibits. Includes book or document conservators.
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.
Repair, restore, and reassemble artifacts, designing and fabricating missing or broken parts, to restore them to their original appearance and prevent deterioration.
Clean objects, such as paper, textiles, wood, metal, glass, rock, pottery, and furniture, using cleansers, solvents, soap solutions, and polishes.
Top Colleges for Museology/Museum Studies
Not sure where to study Museology/Museum Studies? These 20 colleges graduate the most students in it each year. Scroll right to compare acceptance rate, net price, and median earnings side by side.
Ranked by Museology/Museum Studies graduate volume. Scroll right to compare key stats.
Read our methodology →
Related Interdisciplinary Studies Programs
Museology/Museum Studies is not the only path through Interdisciplinary Studies: 38 other specializations sit alongside it. The comparison below ranks them by 4-year median earnings so you can see where this one lands.
Decide with data, not guesswork. These tools turn the numbers on this page
into a personal plan. Estimate the real cost of a Museology/Museum Studies program, compare colleges side-by-side, weigh the long-term payoff, and find
schools that match your profile.
Museology/Museum Studies carries financial trade-offs prospective students should weigh carefully. The 0 strengths and 3 concerns below are drawn from College Scorecard earnings, BLS job growth data, and IPEDS completion counts.
CONS
Below-average earningsFour-year median of $36,787 falls below the national median for bachelor's degree holders.
Advanced degree often expectedTop roles in this field typically expect a master's degree or higher. A bachelor's may be a starting point rather than a terminal credential for the most competitive positions.
Long earnings breakevenAt median salary and average net price, recovering education costs versus a baseline wage takes roughly 14.1 years.
How much do Museology/Museum Studies graduates earn?
$36,787 four years after finishing the program. Half of graduates land between $29,731 and $50,482, so employer, role, and location move that number more than the degree itself. Source: College Scorecard.
What jobs can you get with a Museology/Museum Studies degree?
Archivists are one path, and it pays a median of $64,550 a year. It is not the only one: the Career Paths section below lists every occupation graduates actually go into, with wages and 10-year growth for each.
How long does a Museology/Museum Studies program take?
Four years for the bachelor's, plus one to two more if you continue on to a master's, which many Museology/Museum Studies students do. Some schools shorten that with an accelerated 5-year combined program.
How many colleges offer Museology/Museum Studies?
95 colleges and universities, so you are not short on options. That range runs from community colleges granting certificates and associate degrees to research universities with full doctoral tracks. Source: IPEDS.
Is a Museology/Museum Studies degree worth it?
$36,787 median earnings four years out against $23,878 a year in average net price. That is a slow payback, so cost matters more than usual here: a cheaper school changes the answer. Use the Top Colleges section below to compare specific schools before deciding. Source: College Scorecard.
What is the difference between Museology/Museum Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies?
Museology/Museum Studies is the narrower of the two: Interdisciplinary Studies covers the full discipline, while this program limits the curriculum to Museology/Museum Studies-specific courses, skills, and career tracks. Pick the specialization once you already know this is the direction you want; it gets you a more targeted credential, not a broader one.
What skills do employers look for in Museology/Museum Studies graduates?
Coursework alone will not get you hired. Employers hiring Museology/Museum Studies graduates consistently look for writing, critical analysis, and cross-cultural communication. Employers value the ability to synthesize complex information clearly, skills that transfer into communications, law, consulting, and content roles. Build those into your coursework and internships now, and the job search later gets easier.
What is the job outlook for Museology/Museum Studies graduates?
Outlook is moderate overall: related occupations average +4.0% projected job growth over the next 10 years. Curators are among the strongest-growth roles at +4.9%. That average hides real differences by role and location, so check the Career Paths section below for the projection on each specific occupation before you count on any single number.
Related Interdisciplinary Studies Programs
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