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 2018-2019 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	3,527
Doctor’s Degree	238
Graduate Certificate	89

What Fine & Studio Arts Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to Fine Arts were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Fine Arts Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in Fine Arts should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• 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

When studying Fine Arts, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• 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

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a Fine Arts student include the following:

• 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?

Fine and Studio Arts runs middle of the road when it comes to popularity, ranking #49 out of all the graduate majors we track. In 2019, about 3,525 graduates completed their master’s degree in this field. The major attracts more women than men. About 71% of the recent graduates in this field are 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	161
Black or African American	119
Hispanic or Latino	281
White	2,026
International Students	628
Other Races/Ethnicities	312

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Fine Arts. About 17.8% 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 2015-2017 with a master’s degree in Fine Arts was $27,000 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $22,000 (25th percentile) and $31,600 (75th percentile).

It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in Fine Arts, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $43,570 to $67,700 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to Fine Arts. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

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. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

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 2018-2019, 1,509 schools offered a Fine Arts program of some type. 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)	103	3
Certificate (1-2 years)	76	4
Certificate (2-4 Years)	11	1
Associate’s Degree	482	11
Bachelor’s Degree	35	0
Post-Baccalaureate	103	3
Master’s Degree	504	15
Post-Master’s	6	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	64	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	8,012
Design & Applied Arts	2,088
Film, Video & Photographic Arts	2,066
Drama & Theater Arts	1,884
Arts & Media Management	1,166
General Visual & Performing Arts	388
Other Visual Art	354
Dance	243
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry	2

References

• 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.