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Illustration

Types of Degrees Illustration Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Illustration may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	35
Associate’s Degree	252
Bachelor’s Degree	2,579
Master’s Degree	326

What Illustration Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Illustration emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Illustration graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Illustration emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Fine Arts — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 6.5 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Illustration program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Illustration careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Illustration graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.9 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.6 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.1 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Working with Computers	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Illustration professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Adobe After Effects	Video creation and editing software	—
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Blackboard software	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Illustration graduates include:

• Fine Arts Teacher
• Adjunct Music Professor
• Digital Arts Instructor
• Studio Instructor
• Music Educator
• Adjunct Professor
• Piano Pedagogy Professor
• Choral Teacher
• Art Instructor
• Voice Professor
• Dramatic Coach
• Band Teacher
• Stagecraft Teacher
• Music Theory Professor
• Dramatic Art Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	47.0%
Doctoral degree	26.0%
Bachelor’s degree	18.0%
Post-master’s certificate	3.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.1%
Some college courses	2.0%
First professional degree	1.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.6%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Illustration?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 78.9% of Illustration degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,518	78.9%
Men	674	21.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Illustration graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,347	42.2%
Asian	449	14.1%
Hispanic or Latino	363	11.4%
Black or African American	211	6.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	11	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.1%
Two or More Races	123	3.9%
Race Unknown	125	3.9%
International Students	559	17.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Illustration Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Illustration 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 Illustration Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Illustration. 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	3	3
Bachelor’s	3	1
Master’s	1	1

^{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 Illustration Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Illustration 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 and Advertising Art	50.0402
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
Industrial and Product Design	50.0404
Interior Design	50.0408
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art	50.1101
Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry	50.0201

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.