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Painting

Types of Degrees Painting Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Painting may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	5
Bachelor’s Degree	467
Master’s Degree	135

What Painting Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Painting emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Fine Arts — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Design — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a Painting program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Painting careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Originality — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Painting graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.8 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Getting Information	3.9 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.9 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.8 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	3.7 / 7
Working with Computers	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Painting professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Painting graduates include:

• Elementary Art Instructor
• Digital Arts Instructor
• Visual Arts Instructor
• Dancing Teacher
• University Faculty Member
• Open Rank Professor
• Instructor
• Band Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Adjunct Art Instructor
• Dramatic Art Teacher
• Theater Teacher
• Stagecraft Professor
• Artist Instructor
• Choir Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	32.0%
Doctoral degree	20.0%
Bachelor’s degree	15.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	9.2%
Some college courses	8.9%
Postsecondary certificate	6.4%
Less than a high school diploma	4.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.5%
Post-master’s certificate	1.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.0%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Painting?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 74.6% of Painting degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	453	74.6%
Men	154	25.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	325	53.5%
Asian	31	5.1%
Hispanic or Latino	86	14.2%
Black or African American	42	6.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	0.5%
Two or More Races	28	4.6%
Race Unknown	25	4.1%
International Students	67	11.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Painting Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Painting 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 Painting Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Painting. 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
Master’s	1	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 Painting Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Painting 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
Fine/Studio Arts, General	50.0702
Intermedia/Multimedia	50.0706
Jewelry Arts	50.0713
Metal Arts	50.0714
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.