Also called: Paintings Conservator, Objects Conservator
Repairs and preserves priceless paintings, sculptures, and artifacts.
Conservators work under microscopes with tiny brushes and scalpels, cleaning centuries of grime off a painting or reattaching flakes of paint, and use X-rays to see what lies beneath.
Top tier due to long training; pay is moderate. Based on BLS museum conservators data.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 8 years after high school. Graduate conservation program (NYU, Delaware/Winterthur, Buffalo State, UCLA/Getty), very competitive, plus internships; usually 3-4 years after a bachelor's.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Art History, Chemistry, Studio Art.
Growing faster than average (about 5% over 10 years).
Low risk for 10 years. Imaging and AI help analyze paint layers, but cleaning and repairing irreplaceable objects under a microscope stays human.
Classes: AP Chemistry, Art/studio, Art history, A foreign language.
Official data: O*NET occupation 25-4013.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.