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Fine & Studio Arts

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 50.0701 - 50.0799.

Types of Degrees Fine & Studio Arts Majors Are Earning

Those studying Fine & Studio Arts may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	4,250
Associate’s Degree	5,108
Bachelor’s Degree	24,445
Master’s Degree	3,630
Doctor’s Degree	212

What Fine & Studio Arts Majors Need to Know

Studies in Fine & Studio Arts emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Fine & Studio Arts graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Fine & Studio Arts emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Fine Arts — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Fine & Studio Arts program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Fine & Studio Arts careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Originality — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Fine & Studio Arts graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Getting Information	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.8 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.8 / 7
Working with Computers	3.7 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.6 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Fine & Studio Arts professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	✓
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Fine & Studio Arts graduates include:

• Piano Teacher
• Singing Teacher
• Art Educator
• Music Educator
• Music Theory Teacher
• Art Instructor
• Choir Teacher
• Voice Teacher
• Organ Teacher
• Band Teacher
• Choral Teacher
• Orchestra Teacher
• Theater Teacher
• Ceramics Teacher
• Guitar Teacher

What Can You Do With a Fine & Studio Arts Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Fine & Studio Arts commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Curators	4.1%	$79,764	$63,972–$95,555
Archivists	1.6%	$53,759	$45,900–$61,618
Museum Technicians and Conservators	0.0%	$96,273	$78,940–$113,607
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	1.8%	$77,927	$66,306–$89,549

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Fine & Studio Arts graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	33.9%
Doctoral degree	18.2%
Bachelor’s degree	16.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	9.8%
Some college courses	6.2%
Postsecondary certificate	5.9%
Less than a high school diploma	3.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.3%
Post-master’s certificate	1.4%
First professional degree	0.3%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Fine & Studio Arts?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 72.7% of Fine & Studio Arts degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	27,472	72.7%
Men	10,298	27.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Fine & Studio Arts graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	18,367	48.6%
Asian	2,869	7.6%
Hispanic or Latino	8,817	23.3%
Black or African American	2,517	6.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	263	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	53	0.1%
Two or More Races	1,906	5.0%
Race Unknown	988	2.6%
International Students	1,990	5.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Fine & Studio Arts Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Fine & Studio Arts graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$25,613
4 years	$36,289
5 years	$41,536

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $41,536 — roughly 62% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Fine & Studio Arts Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Fine & Studio Arts. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	17	28
Bachelor’s	11	28
Master’s	14	14

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Fine & Studio Arts Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Fine & Studio Arts graduates earn a median of $36,289 four years after completion — about 5% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Visual and Performing Arts	153,937
Design and Applied Arts	38,798
Music	25,853
Film/Video and Photographic Arts	18,927
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft	16,640
Visual and Performing Arts, General	7,225
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management	4,430
Dance	3,274
Visual and Performing Arts, Other	941
Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry	67
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art	12
VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.