Fine & Studio Arts

Types of Degrees Fine & Studio Arts Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many fine and studio arts graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	2,984
Doctor’s Degree	160
Graduate Certificate	80

What Fine & Studio Arts Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to Fine Arts and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Fine Arts Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Skills for Fine Arts Majors

A major in Fine Arts prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Abilities for Fine Arts Majors

As a Fine Arts major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

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

People with a Fine Arts degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Archivists	14.7%	$52,240
Art Directors	5.4%	$92,780
Art, Drama, and Music Professors	12.0%	$69,960
Artists and Related Workers	5.5%	$65,390
Craft Artists	4.8%	$34,240
Curators	13.7%	$53,780
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators	6.8%	$49,380
Multimedia Artists and Animators	8.4%	$72,520
Museum Technicians and Conservators	12.7%	$43,020
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Fine & Studio Arts?

This major is dominated by women with about 71% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Fine Arts majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	164
Black or African American	120
Hispanic or Latino	294
White	1,700
International Students	464
Other Races/Ethnicities	242

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Fine Arts, too. About 15.5% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• South Korea
• Canada
• Taiwan
• India

How Much Do Fine & Studio Arts Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree in Fine Arts was $29,510 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $25,871 (25th percentile) and $33,308 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to Fine Arts.

Salaries According to BLS

Fine Arts majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $43,570 to $67,700 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Fine & Studio Arts

Some degrees associated with Fine Arts may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to Fine Arts have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	5.4%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	13.1%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	8.0%
Some College Courses	8.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	3.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	23.7%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	2.8%
Master’s Degree	25.2%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	1.4%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.0%
Doctoral Degree	8.2%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.2%

Online Fine & Studio Arts Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 1,492 schools offered some type of fine and studio arts program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	77	6
Certificate (2-4 Years)	11	1
Associate’s Degree	498	7
Bachelor’s Degree	37	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	497	11
Post-Master’s	4	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	63	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Fine & Studio Arts Worth It?

The median salary for a Fine Arts grad is $58,370 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 46% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $369,400 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Fine & Studio Arts

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to Fine Arts.

Major	Number of Grads
Music	7,675
Design & Applied Arts	1,979
Film, Video & Photographic Arts	1,704
Drama & Theater Arts	1,699
Arts & Media Management	1,184
General Visual & Performing Arts	390
Dance	257
Other Visual Art	254
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry	13

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Jorge Royan under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.