Graphic Arts

Types of Degrees Graphic Arts Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	2,827
Associate Degree	962
Basic Certificate	943
Master’s Degree	423
Undergraduate Certificate	422
Graduate Certificate	26
Doctor’s Degree	3

What Graphic Arts Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to graphic 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 Graphic Arts Majors

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

• Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• 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.
• 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 Graphic Arts Majors

When studying graphic 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.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Time Management - Managing one’s own time and the time of others.

Abilities for Graphic Arts Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a graphic arts student include the following:

• 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.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 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 Graphic Arts Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with graphic arts:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Art, Drama, and Music Professors	12.0%	$69,960
Commercial and Industrial Designers	4.3%	$66,590
Designers	5.6%	$60,570
Graphic Designers	4.2%	$50,370
Set and Exhibit Designers	10.3%	$54,270

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Arts?

The major attracts more women than men. About 72% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	376
Black or African American	190
Hispanic or Latino	450
White	1,474
International Students	136
Other Races/Ethnicities	201

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Graphic Arts, too. About 4.8% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Graphic Arts

Some degrees associated with graphic 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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for graphic arts careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	1.5%
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)	1.8%
Some College Courses	4.8%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	6.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	37.8%
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.	2.1%
Master’s Degree	28.2%
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.	0.7%
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.	2.7%
Doctoral Degree	14.6%

Online Graphic 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)	38	3
Certificate (2-4 Years)	5	0
Associate’s Degree	88	5
Bachelor’s Degree	8	1
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	44	2
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Graphic Arts

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to graphic arts.

Major	Number of Grads
Graphic Design	9,176
Interior Design	5,625
Commercial & Advertising Art	3,319
Fashion Design	3,032
Illustration	2,989
Game & Interactive Media Design	2,437
Other Design & Applied Arts	1,689
Industrial Design	1,351
Commercial Photography	795

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

More about our data sources and methodologies.