by our College Data Analytics TeamFine Arts was the 66th most popular major in the 2020-2021 school year. Colleges in the United States reported awarding 11,922 degrees in this year alone. This represents a small change of only -0.9% from the prior year's total of 12,032 fine arts degrees awarded.
Our 2023 Best Fine Arts Schools ranking analyzes 309 of these schools to determine the best overall colleges for fine arts students. Explore this or one of our many other custom fine arts rankings further below.
A major in fine arts prepares you for careers in which talking to others to convey information effectively is crucial. Required skills include understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making and 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.
New students will need to have completed high school or a GED program and each school will have their own minimum GPA and SAT/ACT test requirements. In addition to these basic fine arts program qualifications, to serve in some fine arts careers, special certification may be required outside of your degree.
There are many different fine arts degree levels. You can get anything from a in fine arts to the highest fine arts degree, a . Fine Arts programs can take anywhere between one to four or more years for a full-time student to complete.
| Degree | Credit Requirements | Typical Program Length |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree | 60-70 credits | 2 years |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 120 credits | 4 years |
| Master’s Degree | 50-70 credits | 1-3 years |
| Doctorate | Program required coursework including thesis or dissertation | At least 4 years |
A master's degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to fine arts, with approximately 25.3% of workers getting one. Find out other typical degree levels for fine arts workers below.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Master’s Degree | 37.9% |
| Doctoral Degree | 23.7% |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 19.5% |
| Some College Courses | 9.6% |
| High School Diploma | 7.1% |
About 67.0% of workers in careers related to fine arts obtain at least bachelor's degrees. View the chart below to get an idea of what degree level most of those in fine arts careers have.
This of course varies depending on which fine arts career you choose.
Want a job when you graduate with your fine arts degree? Fine Arts careers are expected to grow 10.6% between 2016 and 2026.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to fine arts.
| Occupation Name | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Art, Drama, and Music Professors | 137,200 | 12.0% |
| Fine Artists | 29,900 | 6.8% |
| Artists | 13,500 | 5.5% |
As you might expect, salaries for fine arts graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.
Salaries for fine arts graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers fine arts grads often go into.
| Occupation Name | Median Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Art, Drama, and Music Professors | $82,560 |
| Artists | $67,700 |
| Fine Artists | $58,370 |
With over 1,072 different fine arts degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased fine arts school rankings to help you with this.
One of 12 majors within the Fine & Studio Arts area of study, Fine Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Art Studies | 18,323 |
| Art History | 3,512 |
| Other Fine Arts & Art Studies | 837 |
| Intermedia/Multimedia | 805 |
| Painting | 646 |
Image Credit: By Jorge Royan under License More about our data sources and methodologies.
