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Fine Arts

Types of Degrees Fine Arts Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Fine Arts may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	49
Associate’s Degree	936
Bachelor’s Degree	9,731
Master’s Degree	1,296

What Fine Arts Majors Need to Know

Studies in Fine Arts develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Fine Arts graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Fine Arts emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Fine Arts — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.2 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a Fine Arts program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Fine Arts careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Fine Arts graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.9 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.1 / 7
Getting Information	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Working with Computers	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Fine Arts professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Adobe After Effects	Video creation and editing software	—
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Adobe Dreamweaver	Web page creation and editing software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Hypertext markup language HTML	Web platform development software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
JavaScript	Web platform development software	—
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Fine Arts graduates include:

• Music Theory Professor
• Music Educator
• Artist Instructor
• Organ Teacher
• Adjunct Music Instructor
• Art History Professor
• College Professor
• Media Arts Professor
• Lighting Design Lecturer
• Drama Teacher
• Art Professor
• Music Lecturer
• Associate Professor
• Ballet Teacher
• Violin Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	43.8%
Doctoral degree	27.4%
Bachelor’s degree	16.8%
Some college courses	5.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.7%
Post-master’s certificate	1.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.6%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Fine Arts?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 73.8% of Fine Arts degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	8,870	73.8%
Men	3,143	26.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	6,209	51.7%
Asian	940	7.8%
Hispanic or Latino	2,245	18.7%
Black or African American	791	6.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	73	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	5	0.0%
Two or More Races	586	4.9%
Race Unknown	327	2.7%
International Students	837	7.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Fine Arts Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Fine Arts graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$25,613
4 years	$36,289
5 years	$41,536

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $41,536 — roughly 62% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Fine Arts Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Fine Arts. 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	1	5
Bachelor’s	2	7
Master’s	3	3

^{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 Fine Arts Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Fine Arts graduates earn a median of $36,289 four years after completion — about 5% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{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
Fine and Studio Arts	50.07
Art History, Criticism and Conservation	50.0703
Art/Art Studies, General	50.0701
Ceramic Arts and Ceramics	50.0711
Drawing	50.0705
Fiber, Textile and Weaving Arts	50.0712
Fine Arts and Art Studies, Other	50.0799
Intermedia/Multimedia	50.0706
Jewelry Arts	50.0713
Metal Arts	50.0714
Painting	50.0708
Printmaking	50.0710

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.