NOC 51101: Conservators and curators
What conservators and curators do
Conservators restore and conserve artifacts belonging to museums, galleries and owners of cultural property. Curators recommend the acquisition of museum artifacts and gallery works of art and research their artistic history. Conservators and curators are employed in museums, art galleries, archives, libraries, government agencies and universities. Conservators may be self-employed.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Conservators
- Examine artifacts, determine their condition, suggest methods for treating them and recommend preventive conservation techniques to their owners
- Restore and conserve paintings, photographs, books, papers, sculptures, furniture, pottery or other museum and art gallery artifacts as per particular field of specialization
- Provide advice on display and storage of museum and gallery artifacts to ensure proper maintenance and preservation
- Explore new conservation and restoration techniques
- Provide consultation to museums, art galleries or private individuals
- Supervise conservation technicians and other museum technicians.
- Curators
- Recommend the acquisition of paintings, photographs, sculptures, documents and other museum and art gallery artifacts
- Conduct research into objects' methods of construction techniques, structure and materials to understand its physical and chemical makeup
- Develop storylines and themes and organize displays and exhibitions
- Coordinate the storage of collections and the setting up of displays and exhibitions
- Oversee the conservation, display and circulation of collections
- Supervise curatorial assistants and other museum technicians.
Job titles under NOC 51101
52 job titles are classified here, including art gallery conservator, art objects conservator, conservator - museum.
- archaeology curator
- archaeology museum curator
- architectural conservator
- art gallery conservator
- art gallery curator
- art object curator
- art objects conservator
- artifact conservator
- assistant curator
- assistant museum curator
- aviation and space museum curator
- book conservator
- ceramics and glass conservator
- conservator - museum
- contemporary art curator
- contemporary art museum curator
- curator
- ethnographic objects conservator
- ethnology curator
- ethnology museum curator
- fine art and polychrome conservator
- fossil conservator
- fossil curator
- furniture and wooden objects conservator
Employment requirements
- Conservators require a master's degree in art conservation or completion of a two-year college program in conservation technology and several years of experience in conservation work.
- Conservators may be accredited by the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators.
- Curators require a master's or bachelor's degree in museology, art history or a field related to their specific area of work.
Conservators and curators wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $23.54/hr | $36.36/hr | $54.74/hr |
Toronto ON | $24.95/hr | $34.28/hr | $45.64/hr |
Montréal QC | $26.50/hr | $37.17/hr | $51.70/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $27.36/hr | $37.42/hr | $49.34/hr |
Calgary AB | $24.18/hr | $36.86/hr | $54.09/hr |
Edmonton AB | $29.26/hr | $40.87/hr | $60.59/hr |
Ottawa ON | $27.69/hr | $39.36/hr | $57.54/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $26.30/hr | $38.57/hr | $52.91/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $26.10/hr | $39.73/hr | $57.38/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $27.83/hr | $37.48/hr | $52.71/hr |
London ON | $25.30/hr | $35.71/hr | $50.54/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $24.02/hr | $33.50/hr | $49.33/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Nova Scotia | $24.53/hr | $35.67/hr | $53.20/hr |
Quebec | $26.30/hr | $38.57/hr | $52.91/hr |
Ontario | $24.95/hr | $34.28/hr | $45.64/hr |
Saskatchewan | $31.05/hr | $39.46/hr | $53.44/hr |
Alberta | $23.93/hr | $38.06/hr | $55.06/hr |
British Columbia | $25.08/hr | $36.17/hr | $44.74/hr |
Using NOC 51101 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 52 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Curatorial assistant (NOC 53100)
- Museum designer (NOC 53123)
- Museum educator (NOC 11202)
- Restaurateur - food services (NOC 60030)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for conservators and curators?
Conservators and curators are NOC 2021 unit group 51101. Example job titles in this group include art gallery conservator, art objects conservator, conservator - museum, curator.
What TEER is NOC 51101?
NOC 51101 is TEER 1 (University degree). Usually requires a university degree (bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate), or experience from a related TEER 2 occupation. TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 work counts as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do conservators and curators earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $36.36/hr, about $71,000 a year full-time, with a range of $23.54/hr to $54.74/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.