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Fine & Studio Arts
What you'll do in college
You will live in the studio, smell perpetually of turpentine or wet clay, and survive on black coffee. Critique sessions are your battlefield, where you will defend your work against peers who casually drop words like "juxtaposition" and "liminal space."
You'll spend hours agonizing over a single brushstroke and learning how to stretch your own canvases.
What you'll do after college
The post-grad hustle is real. Grads become working artists, studio assistants, fabricators, or art teachers. Many take day jobs to fund their studio practice while fighting for gallery representation, grants, and residencies.
It's a portfolio-driven world where grit matters as much as talent. A large chunk of students eventually pursue an MFA to deepen their practice or teach at the university level.
Famous graduates
- Kara Walker — Contemporary artist known for room-size silhouette tableaus; B.F.A. from Atlanta College of Art
- Jeff Koons — Highly controversial/profitable pop-sculptor; B.F.A. from Maryland Institute College of Art
- Kehinde Wiley — Portrait painter of Barack Obama; B.F.A. from San Francisco Art Institute
Selectivity vs. earnings
By acceptance rate
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings
By SAT median
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings
Earnings vs. selectivity rank
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings
Majors in this category
| Major | Colleges | Degrees ▼ | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 954 | 24,413 | 25% / 75% | 5% | $42,714 | 92% |
| Studio Art | 460 | 6,984 | 25% / 75% | 6% | $40,905 | 92% |
| Art | 333 | 6,030 | 28% / 72% | 3% | $40,009 | 92% |
| Illustration | 48 | 2,088 | 21% / 79% | 10% | $49,398 | 92% |
| Fine Arts | 114 | 2,049 | 25% / 75% | 5% | $39,697 | 90% |
| Fine/Studio Arts | 58 | 1,858 | 27% / 73% | 2% | $41,391 | 90% |
| Art/Art Studies | 26 | 1,050 | 28% / 72% | 2% | $42,160 | 90% |
| Art Education | 173 | 973 | 10% / 90% | 1% | $50,644 | 96% |
| Painting | 46 | 431 | 24% / 76% | 7% | $38,683 | 91% |
| Visual Communication Design | 37 | 366 | 37% / 63% | 3% | $47,232 | 96% |
| Visual Arts | 12 | 292 | 25% / 75% | 3% | $41,458 | 88% |
| Communication Design | 7 | 245 | 27% / 73% | 3% | $55,278 | 97% |
| Art and Design | 3 | 220 | 18% / 82% | 2% | $59,822 | 92% |
| Drawing | 14 | 212 | 27% / 73% | 1% | $36,827 | 92% |
| Art Therapy | 39 | 166 | 8% / 92% | 1% | $52,002 | 96% |
| Sculpture | 33 | 159 | 29% / 71% | 10% | $38,572 | 90% |
| Art and Visual Communications | 1 | 140 | 29% / 71% | 1% | $50,613 | 77% |
| Entertainment Design | 1 | 95 | 44% / 56% | 46% | $97,165 | 93% |
| Studio Arts | 5 | 91 | 36% / 64% | 4% | $43,099 | 88% |
| Art Practice | 3 | 89 | 17% / 83% | 21% | $46,817 | 86% |
| Art Studio | 2 | 79 | 25% / 75% | 5% | $40,945 | 93% |
| Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences | 1 | 77 | 16% / 84% | 4% | $52,617 | 91% |
| Communication and Media Arts | 1 | 61 | 44% / 56% | 8% | $59,593 | 96% |
| Ceramics | 15 | 60 | 20% / 80% | 5% | $37,252 | 91% |
| Art Practices | 1 | 58 | 16% / 84% | 0% | $40,219 | 88% |
| Visual Art | 2 | 50 | 22% / 78% | 4% | $52,583 | 87% |
| Integrated Design | 1 | 50 | 28% / 72% | 18% | $59,797 | 88% |
| Fine Arts and Art Studies | 3 | 48 | 35% / 65% | 4% | $49,724 | 87% |
| Visual Arts (Studio) | 1 | 43 | 30% / 70% | 12% | $45,044 | 84% |
| Integrated Studio Arts | 1 | 35 | 11% / 89% | 3% | $55,046 | 97% |
| Arts, Media, and Culture | 1 | 31 | 19% / 81% | 0% | $38,699 | 90% |
| Art Studies | 9 | 27 | 26% / 74% | 4% | $42,712 | 95% |
| Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry | 1 | 27 | 0% / 100% | 4% | $33,207 | 70% |
| Art: Studio Art | 1 | 23 | 30% / 70% | 0% | $49,276 | 85% |
| Art Teacher Education | 43 | 20 | 15% / 85% | 0% | $50,608 | 97% |
| Fine Art | 2 | 20 | 40% / 60% | 25% | $36,606 | 84% |
| Traditional Building Crafts | 1 | 18 | 89% / 11% | 0% | $50,672 | |
| Art Education (Pre K-12) | 1 | 14 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $47,090 | 96% |
| Interdisciplinary Arts | 1 | 14 | 50% / 50% | 14% | $45,400 | |
| Craft Studies | 1 | 13 | 31% / 69% | 0% | $40,749 | |
| Interdisciplinary Arts and Performance | 1 | 13 | 23% / 77% | 0% | $47,489 | 93% |
| Visual and Public Art | 1 | 13 | 8% / 92% | 8% | $43,249 | 100% |
| Sonic Arts | 1 | 12 | 92% / 8% | 8% | $40,856 | 81% |
| Teacher Education: Art Education | 1 | 12 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $53,836 | 91% |
| Craft Design | 3 | 11 | 18% / 82% | 0% | $38,754 | 86% |
| Arts | 2 | 9 | 56% / 44% | 22% | $45,298 | 100% |
| Design Studies | 2 | 9 | 22% / 78% | 0% | $53,030 | 93% |
| Visual Arts & Technology | 1 | 9 | 44% / 56% | 0% | $52,864 | |
| Fine Arts Studio | 1 | 7 | 14% / 86% | 29% | $47,862 | |
| Art (CCS) | 1 | 4 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $48,583 | 87% |
| Community Arts | 2 | 3 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $38,551 | |
| Design for Stage and Screen | 1 | 3 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $38,136 | 94% |
| Ceramic Arts and Ceramics | 2 | 2 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $37,997 | 93% |