---

Digital Arts

Types of Degrees Digital Arts Majors Are Earning

Those studying Digital Arts have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	105
Associate’s Degree	457
Bachelor’s Degree	2,910
Master’s Degree	408
Doctor’s Degree	3

What Digital Arts Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Digital Arts emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Fine Arts — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Digital Arts program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Originality — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.9 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Digital Arts professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Adobe After Effects	Video creation and editing software	✓
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Apple Final Cut Pro	Video creation and editing software	—
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	✓
Hypertext markup language HTML	Web platform development software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Adobe Dreamweaver	Web page creation and editing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Digital Arts graduates include:

• Digital Arts Instructor
• Fine Arts Teacher
• Scene Design Lecturer
• Vocal Teacher
• Stagecraft Professor
• Organ Teacher
• Arts Teacher
• Adjunct Music Professor
• Adjunct Professor
• Adjunct Music Instructor
• Music Theory Teacher
• Assistant Professor
• Adjunct College Instructor
• Professor
• Art Educator

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	36.3%
Bachelor’s degree	27.7%
Doctoral degree	21.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.5%
Some college courses	3.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.0%
Post-master’s certificate	1.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.0%
Postsecondary certificate	0.8%
Less than a high school diploma	0.5%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Digital Arts?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 54.4% women and 45.6% men among Digital Arts graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,118	54.4%
Men	1,774	45.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,888	48.5%
Asian	289	7.4%
Hispanic or Latino	860	22.1%
Black or African American	353	9.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	20	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	11	0.3%
Two or More Races	212	5.4%
Race Unknown	98	2.5%
International Students	161	4.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Digital Arts Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Digital Arts 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	$27,099
4 years	$37,427
5 years	$42,359

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $42,359 — roughly 56% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Digital Arts Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Digital 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	5	5
Bachelor’s	8	6
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 Digital Arts Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Digital Arts graduates earn a median of $37,427 four years after completion — about 2% 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
Visual and Performing Arts, General	50.01
Visual and Performing Arts, General	50.0101
Graphic Design	50.0409
Intermedia/Multimedia	50.0706
Art/Art Studies, General	50.0701
Commercial and Advertising Art	50.0402
Commercial Photography	50.0406
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art	50.1101
Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry	50.0201
Design and Visual Communications, General	50.0401
Drawing	50.0705
Fine Arts and Art Studies, Other	50.0799

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.