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What Can You Do With an Art History Degree? Jobs (2026)
Key takeaway: An art history degree points at a small set of museum occupations and a much larger set of research-and-writing jobs that do not require the subject. Curators earned a median annual wage of $63,420, archivists $64,550, and museum technicians and conservators $51,440 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Those are small occupations -- 15,100 curators, 9,300 archivists, and 15,700 museum technicians and conservators in 2024 (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034) -- so competition is real. Curatorial roles usually require a master's, and large art museums often expect a doctorate.
Art history trains you to interpret objects, find and read primary sources, and defend a conclusion in writing. That is a genuinely portable skill set, and it is also why the answer to this question splits in two. There is the museum track, which is small, credentialed, and competitive. And there is everything else, where the degree functions as evidence of research and writing ability rather than as a subject requirement. Both are legitimate. Only one of them is what most applicants picture.
Jobs you can get with an art history degree
| Occupation | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Market research analyst and marketing specialist | $78,760 |
| Art, drama, and music teacher, postsecondary | $78,620 |
| Writer and author | $76,910 |
| Archivist | $64,550 |
| Curator | $63,420 |
| Graphic designer | $62,960 |
| Fine artist, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators | $55,490 |
| Museum technician and conservator | $51,440 |
View the data behind this chart
| Occupation | Avg. annual openings |
|---|---|
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | 87,200/yr |
| Graphic Designers | 20,000/yr |
| Writers and Authors | 13,400/yr |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | 9,000/yr |
| Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators | 2,200/yr |
| Museum Technicians and Conservators | 1,900/yr |
| Curators | 1,800/yr |
| Archivists | 1,100/yr |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians. Median means half of workers in the occupation earned more and half earned less. Several of these occupations hire from many fields, not from art history specifically.
Curator. Curators research collections, develop exhibitions, write catalog and label text, acquire and recommend objects, and represent a collection to the public and to other institutions. The national median annual wage was $63,420, with the 10th percentile at $40,470 and the 90th at $107,140 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 15,100 in 2024, with 7.0 percent projected change through 2034 and about 1,800 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). The percentage growth is healthy; the absolute numbers are small, and they include zoos, botanical gardens, historic houses, and science and history museums as well as art museums. Most postings ask for a master’s, and large art museums frequently expect a doctorate. The step-by-step version is on how to become a museum curator.
Archivist. Archivists appraise, arrange, describe, preserve, and provide access to records and collections: institutional archives, artist papers, photographic collections, university special collections, corporate and government records. The national median annual wage was $64,550, with the 10th percentile at $39,970 and the 90th at $110,550 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 9,300 in 2024, with 3.8 percent projected change and 1,100 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Be aware of the credential mismatch here: many archivist postings ask for an ALA-accredited master’s in library and information science, or an archives certificate, rather than an art history MA. If archives are the goal, compare the library science program guide and how to become a librarian against an art history degree before choosing.
Museum technician and conservator. This occupation covers the people who prepare, install, house, monitor, document, and treat objects. Technicians handle mounting, storage, condition documentation, and collections support. Conservators treat objects and stabilize them, which is a separate training path built on chemistry and studio skill as well as art history. The national median annual wage was $51,440, with the 10th percentile at $33,780 and the 90th at $87,530 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 15,700 in 2024, with 5.4 percent projected change and 1,900 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Technician roles are one of the few museum jobs regularly open to bachelor’s graduates, which makes them a common entry point.
Art, drama, and music teacher, postsecondary. College teaching in art history sits inside this occupation, which had a median annual wage of $78,620, with the 10th percentile at $47,570 and the 90th at $163,350 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 122,800 in 2024, with 1.7 percent projected change and 9,000 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Art history is a small share of that group, tenure-line positions are scarce, and the doctorate is the normal expectation. Adjunct and lecturer appointments exist and are not the same job.
Writer and author. Catalog essays, criticism, exhibition texts, guidebooks, and general nonfiction all draw on the same research and writing training. The national median annual wage was $76,910, with the 10th percentile at $44,310 and the 90th at $139,870 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 135,400 in 2024, with 3.6 percent projected change and 13,400 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Much of this work is freelance, and freelance income is variable.
Market research analyst and marketing specialist. This is the largest single destination on the list, and the one applicants never expect. The national median annual wage was $78,760, with the 10th percentile at $43,390 and the 90th at $155,480 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 941,700 in 2024, with 6.7 percent projected change and 87,200 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Nothing about art history is required for these jobs. Humanities graduates enter them on research design, writing, and the ability to explain evidence to non-specialists, usually after adding quantitative or analytics coursework.
Graphic designer and fine artist. Both appear on lists of art history careers, and both deserve a caveat. Graphic designers had a median annual wage of $62,960, with 2.1 percent projected change and 20,000 openings per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators, had a median annual wage of $55,490, with a projected change of -1.2 percent and 2,200 openings per year. These are production occupations hired on portfolios. An art history degree does not build a portfolio. If making the work is the goal, graphic design or photography is the degree that matches.
What the degree level changes
Nothing in art history is licensed, so no credential unlocks a protected title. What degree level changes is which applications survive a first screen.
A bachelor’s reaches gallery assistant, visitor services, museum education, development and membership, registration assistant, collections assistant, auction-house administration, and any employer that wants a four-year degree without caring about the subject. Internships do most of the work of getting these interviews.
A master’s reaches specialist and mid-level museum roles, collections management, registration, curatorial assistant posts, and curator positions at small and mid-sized institutions. It is also the credential that makes an arts-administration or archives application competitive.
A doctorate is the expectation for curatorial ranks at large art museums and for tenure-line college teaching. It is a multi-year research apprenticeship with language examinations and a dissertation, and it is worth undertaking only if one of those two destinations is the actual goal.
Common questions
What jobs can you get with an art history degree?
Curator, archivist, museum technician or conservator, registrar, collections manager, gallery and auction-house roles, arts administration, museum education, appraisal, publishing and editorial work, criticism, and a wide band of research, communications, and analysis jobs that hire humanities graduates without requiring the subject.
How much do art history majors make?
It depends entirely on the occupation. Among the museum occupations, curators earned a median annual wage of $63,420, archivists $64,550, and museum technicians and conservators $51,440 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Graduates who move into writing, teaching, or market research land in occupations with higher medians. Individual outcomes vary by employer, region, and experience.
Do you need a master’s for museum work?
For curatorial work, usually yes, and large art museums often expect a doctorate. For technician, education, registration, visitor services, and development roles, a bachelor’s plus internships is frequently enough. Match the degree level to the specific tier of job you want rather than to the field as a whole.
Which of these careers pays best?
On national medians, market research analysts and marketing specialists at $78,760 and postsecondary art, drama, and music teachers at $78,620 lead the list (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Neither is a typical art history destination without additional preparation: the first usually needs analytics skills, the second usually needs a doctorate.
Is an art history degree worth it?
It is worth it if you want research and writing training on objects and are clear-eyed about the size of the museum labor market, or if you are pairing it with internships and a second skill. It is a poor fit if you expected it to lead directly to a curatorial job without a graduate degree. See is an online art history degree worth it for the full weighing.
Keep exploring
- Start at the art history program hub, then compare levels: online bachelor’s and online master’s.
- Walk through how to become a museum curator, or weigh the trade-offs on is it worth it.
- Find programs near you at the state index.
- Compare related fields: history, library science, graphic design, liberal arts, and photography.
Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.