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Commercial & Advertising Art

Types of Degrees Commercial & Advertising Art Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Commercial & Advertising Art can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	420
Associate’s Degree	1,319
Bachelor’s Degree	472
Master’s Degree	768

What Commercial & Advertising Art Majors Need to Know

Studies in Commercial & Advertising Art build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Commercial & Advertising Art graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Commercial & Advertising Art emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Design — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Engineering and Technology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Production and Processing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a Commercial & Advertising Art program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Commercial & Advertising Art careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Originality — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Fluency of Ideas — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Commercial & Advertising Art graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.8 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Commercial & Advertising Art professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Maxon Cinema 4D	Video creation and editing software	—
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Adobe After Effects	Video creation and editing software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
PTC Creo Parametric	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Figma	Graphical user interface development software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Commercial & Advertising Art graduates include:

• Designer
• Memorial Designer
• Ornamental Metalwork Designer
• Commercial Artist
• Creative Designer
• Art Appraiser
• Ceramic Artist
• Colorer
• Advertising Designer
• Furniture Reproducer
• Frame Stylist
• Ivory Carver
• Visualizer
• Tattoo Artist
• Greeting Card Maker

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Commercial & Advertising Art graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	66.7%
Some college courses	10.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	9.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	8.9%
Master’s degree	4.3%
Postsecondary certificate	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Commercial & Advertising Art?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 61.6% of Commercial & Advertising Art degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,840	61.6%
Men	1,147	38.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Commercial & Advertising Art graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,514	50.7%
Asian	208	7.0%
Hispanic or Latino	563	18.8%
Black or African American	367	12.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	34	1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	12	0.4%
Two or More Races	102	3.4%
Race Unknown	68	2.3%
International Students	119	4.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Commercial & Advertising Art Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Commercial & Advertising Art 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	$32,054
4 years	$41,389
5 years	$46,982

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $46,982 — roughly 47% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Commercial & Advertising Art Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Commercial & Advertising Art. 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	5	10
Bachelor’s	1	1
Master’s	2	0

^{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 Commercial & Advertising Art Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Commercial & Advertising Art graduates earn a median of $41,389 four years after completion — roughly 9% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{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	CIP Code
Design and Applied Arts	50.04
Commercial Photography	50.0406
Design and Applied Arts, Other	50.0499
Design and Visual Communications, General	50.0401
Fashion/Apparel Design	50.0407
Game and Interactive Media Design	50.0411
Graphic Design	50.0409
Illustration	50.0410
Industrial and Product Design	50.0404
Interior Design	50.0408
Digital Arts	50.0102
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art	50.1101

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.