Visual & Performing Arts

Types of Degrees Visual & Performing Arts Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many visual & performing arts graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	94,458
Associate Degree	19,205
Master’s Degree	16,688
Basic Certificate	8,443
Undergraduate Certificate	8,147
Doctor’s Degree	1,775
Graduate Certificate	1,060

What Visual & Performing Arts Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, visual & performing arts majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Visual & Performing Arts Majors

Visual & Performing Arts majors often go into careers in which the following 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.
• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• 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.

Skills for Visual & Performing Arts Majors

A major in visual & performing 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 Visual & Performing Arts Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a visual & performing arts student include the following:

• 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.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Visual & Performing Arts Major?

People with a visual & performing arts degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Actors	11.6%	NA
Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes	4.7%	$66,040
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
Commercial and Industrial Designers	4.3%	$66,590
Compliance Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Curators	13.7%	$53,780
Dancers	4.4%	NA
Designers	5.6%	$60,570
Fashion Designers	2.5%	$72,720
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators	6.8%	$49,380
Multimedia Artists and Animators	8.4%	$72,520
Music Composers and Arrangers	5.7%	$49,630
Program Directors	12.2%	$71,680
Regulatory Affairs Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Set and Exhibit Designers	10.3%	$54,270
Singers	6.0%	NA

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Visual & Performing Arts?

This major is dominated by women with about 64% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of visual & performing arts majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	6,492
Black or African American	7,577
Hispanic or Latino	15,394
White	51,197
International Students	5,802
Other Races/Ethnicities	7,996

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Visual & Performing Arts. About 6.1% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Visual & Performing Arts

Some careers associated with visual & performing arts require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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 visual & performing arts have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	5.1%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	11.2%
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)	5.2%
Some College Courses	9.5%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	7.3%
Bachelor’s Degree	34.8%
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.	1.8%
Master’s Degree	16.4%
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.	1.1%
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.	2.1%
Doctoral Degree	5.8%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.5%

Online Visual & Performing Arts Programs

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)	1,520	52
Certificate (2-4 Years)	252	12
Associate’s Degree	5,010	188
Bachelor’s Degree	792	46
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	4,130	166
Post-Master’s	216	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	762	4
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	26	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	24	2

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 Bonnielou2013 under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.