Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry

Types of Degrees Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many crafts, folk art and artisanry graduations there were in 2017-2018 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	119
Associate’s Degree	28
Master’s Degree	22
Undergraduate Certificate	21
Basic Certificate	9

What Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, folk art 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 Folk Art Majors

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

• Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Skills for Folk Art Majors

folk art majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• 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.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Folk Art Majors

As you progress with your folk art degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• 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.
• 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).
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

What Can You Do With a Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry Major?

People with a folk art degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Art, Drama, and Music Professors	12.0%	$69,960
Artists and Related Workers	5.5%	$65,390
Craft Artists	4.8%	$34,240

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 98 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in crafts, folk art and artisanry in 2018, making it rank #276 in popularity. The major attracts more women than men. About 75% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of folk art majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1
Black or African American	5
Hispanic or Latino	5
White	86
International Students	9
Other Races/Ethnicities	13

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Folk Art. About 7.6% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• South Korea
• Venezuela
• Turkey
• Netherlands

How Much Do Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The median early-career salary of crafts, folk art and artisanry students with a bachelor’s degree is $20,100 a year according to 2017-2018 data from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $19,200 (25th percentile) and $22,000 (75th percentile).

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

Salaries According to BLS

Folk Art majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $40,490 to $82,560 (25th to 75th percentile). 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 Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry

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

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	6.8%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	5.4%
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)	4.1%
Some College Courses	5.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	3.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	17.4%
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.	0.5%
Master’s Degree	35.0%
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%
Doctoral Degree	21.0%

Online Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry Programs

In the 2017-2018 academic year, 25 schools offered some type of crafts, folk art and artisanry 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)	6	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	5	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	5	0
Bachelor’s Degree	2	0
Post-Baccalaureate	6	0
Master’s Degree	2	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry Worth It?

The median salary for a folk art grad is $67,700 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 70% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $556,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to folk art.

Major	Number of Grads
Fine & Studio Arts	41,431
Design & Applied Arts	37,428
Music	27,188
Drama & Theater Arts	17,242
Film, Video & Photographic Arts	16,684
General Visual & Performing Arts	5,302
Arts & Media Management	4,811
Dance	3,063
Other Visual Art	910

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 User:Gengiskanhg under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.