Careers in Museum

By Willy Franzen

Looking for an entry level job or internship in museum? Here's an overview of how to approach the search and a list of companies that might have entry level and internship opportunities that will interest you.

See companies with museum careers or search the latest museum jobs and internships.

Photo Credit: Flickr user zoetnet

There’s a museum for almost everything: art, science, math, history, people. If you love the history and culture of a particular subject and want to preserve it so other people can enjoy as much as you can, consider working in a museum.

You could work in museum administration and operations, including the communications, fundraising, and finance departments. Outside of museum administration, jobs include:

Archivist, Historian, or Librarian: Identify and catalogue records
Curator: Choose the items displayed in the museum
Museum Educator: Educate the public on the museum’s holdings
Conservator: Restore original documents and objects

A bachelor’s degree is required for almost all positions in a museum, along with strong communication skills and a love of the museum’s subject. A master’s degree in museum studies or a related field is required for some positions.

Companies with Entry Level Jobs and Internships in Museum

MOCA - MOCA is the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and they are the only museum in L.A. that is entirely dedicated to contemporary art.

See the complete MOCA profile

Job Title	Location
Human Resources Assistant III	United States
Human Resources Administrative Assistant	United States
Human Resources Administrative Assistant	United States
Human Resources Assistant	United States
Human Resources Assistant, GS-0203-07	United States

See all 215 job postings

Textile Society of America - Textile Society of America is a Berkeley, CA non-profit that “provides an international forum for the exchange and dissemination of information about textiles worldwide."

See the complete Textile Society of America profile

Job Title	Location
Patent Examiner (Mechanical Engineering)	Alexandria, VA
Patent Examiner (Electrical Engineering)	Alexandria, VA
Patent Examiner (Computer Engineering)	Alexandria, VA
Activewear Account Manager - North America	Wilmington, DE
WAREHOUSE TECHNICIAN	New Augusta, MS

See all 5 job postings

Old Sturbridge Village - Old Sturbridge Village is the “largest outdoor history museum in the Northeast” and it “depicts a rural New England town of the 1830s.”

See the complete Old Sturbridge Village profile

Job Title	Location
Overnight Security Officer / Engineer	Westborough, MA
FRONT DESK CLERK - DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston - Westborough Job	Westborough, MA
Founding Principal	Sturbridge, MA
Director, Education	Sturbridge, MA
Founding Principal, Charter School	Sturbridge, MA

See all 6 job postings

Bay Area Discovery Museum - The Bay Area Discovery Museum is a Sausalito, CA based museum that “is designed to ignite creative thinking in children.”

See the complete Bay Area Discovery Museum profile

Job Title	Location
Barista/Cashiers wanted at fun, healthy café in Bay Area Discovery Museum	Sausalito, CA
Assistant Manager at Healthy Cafe in Bay Area Discovery Museum, Sausalito	Sausalito, CA
Education Facilitator	Sausalito, CA
Graphic Design Volunteer	Sausalito, CA
Operations Assistant (part-time)	Sausalito, CA

See all 16 job postings

Museum Hack - Museum Hack is a New York, NY based upstart that developed a “tour to turn one of New York’s most spectacular cultural institutions into a totally unique experience.”

See the complete Museum Hack profile

Job Title	Location
Maintenance Mechanic Job	Marietta, PA

See all 1 job postings

Brooklyn Museum - At over half a million square feet, Brooklyn Museum is “one of the oldest and largest art museums in the country.”

See the complete Brooklyn Museum profile

Job Title	Location
Emergency Medicine Physician - Permanent: Urgent Care Physician - Live and Work in Brooklyn, NY	New York
Intern Educators	Brooklyn, NY
Senior Museum Educator, Intern Coordinator	Brooklyn, NY
Research Intern	Brooklyn, NY
Early Childhood Programs Intern	Brooklyn, NY

See all 40 job postings

Poetry Foundation - The Poetry Foundation is a Chicago, IL based “independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture.”

See the complete Poetry Foundation profile

Job Title	Location
Partnerships and Business Development Intern (NYC)	New York, NY
Administrative Assistant, Poetry Center	Tucson, AZ
Assistant Professor	Tampa, FL
Part-time, Experienced Grant Writer in Bay Area	San Francisco, CA
Office Manager, Children's Choir	San Jose, CA

See all 11 job postings

21c Museum Hotels - 21c Museum Hotels is a company based in Louisville, KY that operates hotels “born out of a desire to integrate contemporary art into everyday life.”

See the complete 21c Museum Hotels profile

Job Title	Location
Executive Chef- Proof on Main	Kentucky

See all 1 job postings

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco - Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco is a non-profit that runs two separate museums: the de Young in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park.

See the complete Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco profile

Job Title	Location
2015 Joseph F. McCrindle Curatorial Internship – European Paintings	San Francisco, CA
Summer 2015 Education Internship - Museum Ambassador Program (Unpaid)	San Francisco, CA
Assistant Curator, Costume & Textile Arts	San Francisco, CA
Assistant or Associate Professor, Physics Education	Chico, CA
Specialist – Impressionist & Modern Art (NY)	New York, NY

See all 113 job postings

Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum - The NYC based Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum promotes “the awareness and understanding of history, science and service" through collections and exhibitions.

See the complete Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum profile

Job Title	Location
VTS and Training Manager	Denali, AK
Assistant Maintainer / Engineering Shop	New York, NY
Environmental Coordinator	Denali, AK
Building Operator	Denver, CO
Outdoor Science Instructor - Hancock Field Station	Fossil, OR

See all 192 job postings

The Tech Museum of Innovation - The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, CA is a "hands-on technology and science museum for people of all ages and backgrounds."

See the complete The Tech Museum of Innovation profile

Job Title	Location
Assistant Professor in Manufacturing Engineering	El Paso, TX
College Student Tech (Intern)	Baltimore, MD
Hospitalist	Amarillo, TX
Guest Services Specialist	San Jose, CA
Gallery Operations Event Facilitator	San Jose, CA

See all 18 job postings

Museum of the City of New York - The Museum of the City of New York is a private, not-for-profit, educational institution founded in 1923 for the purpose of presenting the history of New York City.

See the complete Museum of the City of New York profile

Job Title	Location
Sales Engineer for Digital Signage and Interactive Displays	New York, NY
Domestic Couple, Live-In / Live-Out	New York, NY
Practice Cognitive Neurology in New York City	New York
Weekend Housekeeper / Nanny, Live-In	New York, NY
Neurology Physician Needed in Metro Upstate New York City. H1BVisa welcome!	New York

See all 462 job postings

Rubin Museum of Art - The Rubin Museum of Art in New York, NY "promotes understanding, and inspires personal connections to the ideas, cultures, and art of Himalayan Asia.”

See the complete Rubin Museum of Art profile

Job Title	Location
Chair of Foreign Languages	New York, NY
Curator, Exhibitions	New York, NY
Curator, Exhibitions	New York, NY
Head of Marketing and Communications	New York, NY
Public Relations & Marketing Manager	New York, NY

See all 7 job postings

South Street Seaport Museum - The South Street Seaport Museum “is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of New York as a port city," and they're hiring.

See the complete South Street Seaport Museum profile

Job Title	Location
Volunteer Coordinator	New York, NY

See all 1 job postings

Children’s Creativity Museum - The Children’s Creativity Museum is a San Francisco, CA based “interactive art and technology museum for kids" that is all about creativity.

See the complete Children’s Creativity Museum profile

Job Title	Location
Research Fellow	Corona, NY
Heart Guide - Halle Heart Children's Museum	Tempe, AZ
President & COO	Providence, RI
Exec. Director	Chicago, IL
Marketing Intern (unpaid volunteer)	Sausalito, CA

See all 12 job postings

$The Museum of Mathematics Logo$

The Museum of Mathematics - The Museum of Mathematics in New York, NY is opening in 4 months to be the only math museum in the United States.

See the complete The Museum of Mathematics profile

Job Title	Location
Software Engineering Internship	Colorado Springs, CO
Winter/Spring Exhibit Interpretation Intern	Boston, MA
Winter/Spring Engineering Education Research/Advocacy Intern (NCTL®)	Boston, MA
Part-time Instructor or Part-time Assistant/Associate/Professor of Mathematics	Kennesaw, GA
Assistant/Associate Professor of Educational Leadership (Two Faculty Positions)	Kennesaw, GA

See all 55 job postings

Historic New England - Historic New England is a non-profit that works to preserve and promote the appreciation of New England's history.

See the complete Historic New England profile

Job Title	Location
Pediatric Intensive Care - PICU Nurse - (PICU RN)	Worcester, MA
Telemetry Nurse - (Tele RN)	Worcester, MA
Telemetry Nurse - (Tele RN)	Worcester, MA
Pediatric Intensive Care - PICU Nurse - (PICU RN)	Worcester, MA
Perioperative Nurse - Operating Room Nurse - (OR RN)	Worcester, MA

See all 226 job postings

Exploratorium - The Exploratorium is a San Francisco, CA museum that focuses on art, science, and human perception, and they have some great job opportunities.

See the complete Exploratorium profile

Job Title	Location
Research Associate, Marine Environment	San Francisco, CA
SVP Sales & Marketing	San Francisco, CA
top ten reasons to work at Red Tricycle	United States
Special Events Technician: Operations (on-call)	San Francisco, CA
Development Officer - Major Gifts	San Francisco, CA

See all 10 job postings

Martha’s Vineyard Museum - The Martha's Vineyard Museum "is "dedicated to furthering an interest in the history and culture of the Island" and they're hiring.

See the complete Martha’s Vineyard Museum profile

Job Title	Location
Nurse Manager Mother Baby	Nashua, NH
Nurse Manager Labor and Delivery	Nashua, NH

See all 1 job postings

Museum of Latin American Art - If you’re a big fan of Latin American art, you’ll probably want to take a look at MOLAA’s excellent job opportunities.

See the complete Museum of Latin American Art profile

Job Title	Location
Postdoctoral Fellowship in History of Photography	Northampton, MA
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Architectural History	Northampton, MA
Assistant Professor in Art History	Gainesville, FL
Museum Educator	West Hartford, CT
Director of Development, NYC Based Art Museum	New York

See all 7 job postings

New York Transit Museum - New York City's transit system is the best in the United States and its long history is on display at the New York Transit Museum, which is hiring.

See the complete New York Transit Museum profile

Job Title	Location
College Student Tech (Intern)	Baltimore, MD
Museum Registrar (Library)	New York, NY
Maintainer – Engineering	New York, NY
Contingent Curator	Brooklyn, NY
Cardiac Care Nurse Practitioner	Greenwich, CT

See all 14 job postings

Chemical Heritage Foundation - The Chemical Heritage Foundation is all about fostering "an understanding of chemistry’s impact on society," and they offer some exciting job opportunities.

See the complete Chemical Heritage Foundation profile

Job Title	Location
Director Manufacturing Development	Milwaukee, WI
Associate Scientist/Engineer II - Global Biscuit Product Development	East Hanover, NJ
Landscape Maintenance Worker	Phoenix, AZ
Maintenance Technician	Hopkinsville, KY
Bottle/Keg Line Production Specialist	Golden, CO

See all 24 job postings

Center for Puppetry Arts - Do you love puppets? If so, you might want to consider a career at the Center for Puppetry Arts.

See the complete Center for Puppetry Arts profile

Job Title	Location
Recreation Specialist	New York, NY
Exec. Director	Chicago, IL
Orthopaedic Surgery Physician	Selma, AL
Occupational Therapist - Skilled - (OT)	New London, CT
Occupational Therapist - Skilled - (OT)	New London, CT

See all 6 job postings

Chicago History Museum - If you find that Chicago history speaks to you, then you’ll want to take a look at the Chicago History Museum’s Jobs page.

See the complete Chicago History Museum profile

Job Title	Location
Internship: Performance Programs - Summer 2015	Chicago, IL
Internship: Marketing - Summer 2015	Chicago, IL
Student Trainee (Park Guide) GS-0099-04 INDU	Porter, IN
Logan Center Exhibitions Curator	Chicago, IL
Director of School of Art and Design (Position #6131)	DeKalb, IL

See all 80 job postings

Whitney Museum of American Art - If contemporary American art speaks to you, then you have to check out jobs at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

See the complete Whitney Museum of American Art profile

Job Title	Location
Graphic Designer	New York, NY
Director and Chief Curator	Amherst, MA
Accounting Manager	New York, NY
Registration Assistant	New York, NY
Assistant Manager of Visitor Services	New York, NY

See all 12 job postings

Nantucket Historical Association - If you love Nantucket's history, then a career with the Nantucket Historical Association might be exactly what you're looking for.

See the complete Nantucket Historical Association profile

No current job openings.

Lower East Side Tenement Museum - If you want to be part of sharing the history of the immigrants who built this country, then take a look at Jobs at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum.

See the complete Lower East Side Tenement Museum profile

Job Title	Location
Collections Manager	New York, NY

See all 1 job postings

Museum of Food and Drink - If you love the culture of food, a job with the Museum of Food and Drink would be a dream come true.

See the complete Museum of Food and Drink profile

Job Title	Location
Waiter-Waitress	United States
Banquet Waiter-Waitress	United States
Guest Services Representative	Dallas, TX
Food Service Worker	Colorado Springs, CO
Barista (Food Service Worker)	Mancos, CO

See all 77 job postings

Thomas Jefferson Foundation - If you don’t get lost in the excitement of reading up on Thomas Jefferson’s place in history, then a job at Monticello probably isn’t for you.

See the complete Thomas Jefferson Foundation profile

Job Title	Location
Administrative Assistant - Office of Alumni Relations	Philadelphia, PA
Mechanical Engineer	Newport News, VA
Administrative Associate - Emergency Medicine	Philadelphia, PA
Assistant VP for Development - Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center	Philadelphia, PA
Development Director	Natural Bridge, VA

See all 17 job postings

International Coalition of Sites of Conscience - If you're interested in the history of human rights and social justice, then you should check out Jobs at International Coalition of Sites of Conscience.

See the complete International Coalition of Sites of Conscience profile

Job Title	Location
Global Village Training and Evaluation Manager	Village, VA

See all 1 job postings

National September 11 Memorial & Museum - If you were greatly affected by 9/11, then you should browse through the open positions at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

See the complete National September 11 Memorial & Museum profile

Job Title	Location
Exhibition Media internship	New York, NY
MFT Intern	Los Angeles, CA
Collections Management System Administrator	New York, NY
Accounting Associate	New York, NY
Admissions Associate	New York, NY

See all 9 job postings

Hockey Hall of Fame - We’re not getting a lot done here today in Chicago with a parade going on, so I’m going to leave it to you to see if a job at the Hockey Hall of Fame is for you

See the complete Hockey Hall of Fame profile

Job Title	Location
Marketing Activation Coordinator	Boston, MA
Director of Digital and Creative Services	Boston, MA
Digital Marketing Designer	Boston, MA
Strategic Marketing Manager	Boston, MA
Surgeon	Springfield, MA

See all 8 job postings

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation - If you’d like to have a job giving money away (not Ed McMahon style though), then you should check out The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Jobs page on Idealist.

See the complete The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation profile

Job Title	Location
Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art (Mellon Curatorial Fellow)	United States
Museum Fellow (Conservation)	Atlanta, GA
American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Public Fellows Program	Washington, DC
American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Public Fellows Program	New York, NY
Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellows in Experimental Humanities	Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

See all 18 job postings

New York Hall of Science - If you’d like to work at the New York Hall of Science, then check out their Jobs page. Right now they're looking for a Visitor Services Assistant.

See the complete New York Hall of Science profile

Job Title	Location
Sr. Software Engineer	New York, NY
Pathology	United States
Pathophysiology	United States
2015 Program Support Staff Positions (Spring & Summer)	United States
Surgical Consultant Houston TX	Houston, TX

See all 76 job postings

Academy of Natural Sciences - The Academy is now approaching its 200th anniversary, and if you want to be able to celebrate it with them, you’ll want to take a look at their Jobs page.

See the complete Academy of Natural Sciences profile

Job Title	Location
INTERN-FLORA OF PA	Philadelphia, PA
Program Officer, Food and Nutrition Board	Washington, DC
Administrative Assistant	Fairbanks, AK
Park Ranger (Protection), GS-0025-05	Cave Junction, OR
Psychology of Physical Activity / Human Movement - Assistant Professor of Kinesiology	University Park, PA

See all 71 job postings

International Center of Photography - If you love photography, but want to do more than just take pictures, then the International Center of Photography is a perfect place for you.

See the complete International Center of Photography profile

Job Title	Location
Communications Video Production Intern	Los Angeles, CA
Public Relations Assistant (Part-time)	Houston, TX
Assistant Buyer Designer Footwear	New York, NY
Assistant Buyer, Contemporary	New York, NY
Assistant Buyer Jewelry	New York, NY

See all 67 job postings

Minnesota Children’s Museum - But what about intellectually stimulating jobs for you? The Minnesota Children’s Museum Jobs page has those for you.

See the complete Minnesota Children’s Museum profile

Job Title	Location
Sales Rep Gift Industry-Local candidates only w/ outside sales experience	Indianapolis, IN
Dermatologist Job	La Crosse, WI
Gastroenterologist Job	La Crosse, WI
Hospitalist Job	La Crosse, WI
Otolaryngologist Job	La Crosse, WI

See all 16 job postings

National Building Museum - If you have a passion for buildings, then a job with National Building Museum will lay the perfect foundation for your career.

See the complete National Building Museum profile

Job Title	Location
Intern, Kiosk Design	Chicago, IL
Winter/Spring Occupational Health & Safety Intern	Boston, MA
Winter/Spring Engineering Education Research/Advocacy Intern (NCTL®)	Boston, MA
Digital Collections Intern	Santa Ana, CA
Marketing and Publicity Manager	San Rafael, CA

See all 465 job postings

National Archives - You can start learning about what it’s like to work at the National Archives by visiting their Careers page, and then you can check out their job listings.

See the complete National Archives profile

Job Title	Location
Channel Account Manager	Houston, TX
Lead Generation Manager	El Segundo, CA
Director of Digital Media and Learning, 3-5 years experience	Stockbridge, MA
Sales Engineer	Salt Lake City, UT
Technical Support Representative	Salt Lake City, UT

See all 1,454 job postings

Museum of Science, Boston - If you were a nerdy kid like me who loved science and you want to share that passion with today’s kids, check out jobs at the Museum of Science, Boston.

See the complete Museum of Science, Boston profile

Job Title	Location
Peoplesoft Developer II	Boston, MA
Winter/Spring Butterfly Garden – Suit Internship	Boston, MA
Winter/Spring Live Animal Center Internship	Boston, MA
Winter/Spring Temporary Exhibits Intern	Massachusetts
Winter/Spring Exhibit Maintenance Electronic Intern	Massachusetts

See all 69 job postings

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