HUMANITIES Specialization

Fine Arts

Fine Arts graduates earn $41,367 four years out. The middle 50% of earners fall between $26,241 and $56,653. Where you land depends on specialization, employer, and how far you advance in the field.

About Fine Arts

Fine Arts is a focused area of study within Visual & Performing Arts. Graduates typically earn around $41,367 four years out, a modest return for a focused credential. The program is available at 1,458 colleges across the U.S., from community colleges to research universities. About 36,332 students complete this program each year, most earning a bachelor's. The focus is on writing, analysis, and communication that transfer across industries.


Median Earnings · 1yr
$24,627
Median Earnings · 4yr
$41,367
Colleges Offering
1,458
Graduates / Year
36,332
Avg Net Price / yr
$20,864

How Much Do Fine Arts Graduates Earn?

Fine Arts graduates earn $41,367 four years out, significantly below average for bachelor's degree holders. The middle 50% of earners fall between $26,241 and $56,653. Earnings typically jump significantly in the first few years. The one-year figure of $24,627 climbs to $41,367 by year four.

$24,627
1 Year After Graduation

Starting salaries only. Earnings in this field grow substantially in the first 3 to 5 years.

$41,367
4-Year National Median

Significantly below average. Graduate credentials or high-demand roles can raise this considerably.

$41,383
4-Year Institutional Median

Median of per-school medians. Each reporting college counts equally, regardless of size.


Earnings Range

There is a moderate earnings spread across Fine Arts graduates. Career path divergence explains most of the range. Law, consulting, and tech-adjacent roles pull the top end up; writing, education, and nonprofit roles tend to sit near the bottom.


Is the Cost Worth It?

At median 4-year earnings of $41,367 and an estimated $83,456 four-year net cost, earnings breakeven against a baseline wage takes approximately 7.3 years. Compare specific programs before committing to a high-cost option.

Based on outcomes from 1,090 schools. Colleges with fewer than 30 graduates are excluded from national averages.

Who Studies This? Credential Breakdown

Of the 36,332 students who complete Fine Arts programs each year, the majority (67%) earn a bachelor's degree. The breakdown below shows the full credential distribution.

Bachelor's 67%
Associate's 12%
Certificate 11%

What Can You Do With a Fine Arts Degree?

Fine Arts connects to 8 occupations in the job market. Art Director leads at $114,850/yr median. Expand any card to see daily responsibilities, in-demand skills, and 10-year growth projections.

↗ +4.2% Zone 4: Considerable preparation
$114,850
$82K $163K 25th–75th pct.
Bachelor's degree 12,300 openings/yr 53K employed nationally
Speaking Active Listening Judgment and Decision Making Critical Thinking Reading Comprehension
Day-to-day responsibilities

Formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual productions and media, such as print, broadcasting, video, and film. Direct workers engaged in artwork or layout design.

  • Work with creative directors to develop design solutions.
  • Present final layouts to clients for approval.
  • Manage own accounts and projects, working within budget and scheduling requirements.
↗ +1.6% Zone 4: Considerable preparation
$102,030
$75K $139K 25th–75th pct.
Bachelor's degree 5,000 openings/yr 20K employed nationally
Active Listening Reading Comprehension Critical Thinking Speaking Judgment and Decision Making
Day-to-day responsibilities

Create special effects or animations using film, video, computers, or other electronic tools and media for use in products, such as computer games, movies, music videos, and commercials.

  • Design complex graphics and animation, using independent judgment, creativity, and computer equipment.
  • Create basic designs, drawings, and illustrations for product labels, cartons, direct mail, or television.
  • Participate in design and production of multimedia campaigns, handling budgeting and scheduling, and assisting with such responsibilities as production coordination, background design, and progress tracking.
↗ +1.7% Zone 5: Extensive preparation
$78,620
$62K $104K 25th–75th pct.
Master's degree 9,000 openings/yr 94K employed nationally
Speaking Instructing Learning Strategies Reading Comprehension Active Listening
Day-to-day responsibilities

Teach courses in drama, music, and the arts including fine and applied art, such as painting and sculpture, or design and crafts. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

  • Explain and demonstrate artistic techniques.
  • Evaluate and grade students' class work, performances, projects, assignments, and papers.
  • Prepare students for performances, exams, or assessments.
↘ -1.6% Zone 4: Considerable preparation
$72,040
$60K $93K 25th–75th pct.
Bachelor's degree 66,200 openings/yr 1.1M employed nationally
Instructing Reading Comprehension Active Listening Learning Strategies Speaking
Day-to-day responsibilities

Teach one or more subjects to students at the secondary school level.

  • Prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
  • Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies.
  • Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students.
↗ +3.8% Zone 5: Extensive preparation
$64,550
$51K $83K 25th–75th pct.
Master's degree 1,100 openings/yr 8K employed nationally
Reading Comprehension Active Listening Writing Speaking Active Learning
Day-to-day responsibilities

Appraise, edit, and direct safekeeping of permanent records and historically valuable documents. Participate in research activities based on archival materials.

  • Organize archival records and develop classification systems to facilitate access to archival materials.
  • Provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials.
  • Prepare archival records, such as document descriptions, to allow easy access to information.
↗ +7.0% Zone 5: Extensive preparation
$63,420
$49K $83K 25th–75th pct.
Master's degree 1,800 openings/yr 12K employed nationally
Reading Comprehension Speaking Active Listening Writing Critical Thinking
Day-to-day responsibilities

Administer collections, such as artwork, collectibles, historic items, or scientific specimens of museums or other institutions. May conduct instructional, research, or public service activities of institution.

  • Plan and organize the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of collections and related materials, including the selection of exhibition themes and designs, and develop or install exhibit materials.
  • Develop and maintain an institution's registration, cataloging, and basic record-keeping systems, using computer databases.
  • Plan and conduct special research projects in area of interest or expertise.
↘ -1.2% Zone 3: Medium preparation
$55,490
$38K $83K 25th–75th pct.
Bachelor's degree 2,200 openings/yr 11K employed nationally
Active Learning Critical Thinking Active Listening Reading Comprehension Speaking
Day-to-day responsibilities

Create original artwork using any of a wide variety of media and techniques.

  • Use materials such as pens and ink, watercolors, charcoal, oil, or computer software to create artwork.
  • Integrate and develop visual elements, such as line, space, mass, color, and perspective, to produce desired effects, such as the illustration of ideas, emotions, or moods.
  • Confer with clients, editors, writers, art directors, and other interested parties regarding the nature and content of artwork to be produced.
↘ -5.5% Zone 3: Medium preparation
$52,540
$40K $70K 25th–75th pct.
High school diploma or equivalent 4,000 openings/yr 22K employed nationally
Quality Control Analysis Active Listening Speaking Active Listening Critical Thinking
Day-to-day responsibilities

Design, fabricate, adjust, repair, or appraise jewelry, gold, silver, other precious metals, or gems.

  • Clean and polish metal items and jewelry pieces, using jewelers' tools, polishing wheels, and chemical baths.
  • Smooth soldered joints and rough spots, using hand files and emery paper, and polish smoothed areas with polishing wheels or buffing wire.
  • Create jewelry from materials such as gold, silver, platinum, and precious or semiprecious stones.

Top Colleges for Fine Arts

The 20 colleges below are ranked by how many Fine Arts students they graduate each year. Scroll right to compare acceptance rate, net price, and median earnings side by side.

# College Graduates Acceptance Net Price/yr Earnings 10yr
1 School of the Art Institute of Chicago Chicago, IL · Nonprofit 756 77.5% $49,790 $40,151
2 Estrella Mountain Community College Avondale, AZ · Public 568 Open $12,254 $44,356
3 California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA · Public 477 46.3% $10,440 $64,403
4 California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA · Public 439 90.5% $6,555 $62,951
5 California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA · Public 340 93.5% $7,021 $59,115
6 University of North Texas Denton, TX · Public 265 72.2% $15,649 $57,010
7 San Diego State University San Diego, CA · Public 260 36.2% $15,364 $64,909
8 San Jose State University San Jose, CA · Public 223 84.6% $13,760 $78,988
9 Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ · Public 207 89.9% $14,967 $62,668
10 Rhode Island School of Design Providence, RI · Nonprofit 193 18.7% $50,507 $68,140
11 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI · Public 184 15.6% $13,138 $83,648
12 University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA · Public 183 9% $12,548 $82,511
13 Georgia State University Atlanta, GA · Public 179 55.4% $15,931 $47,384
14 New York University New York, NY · Nonprofit 177 9.2% $37,050 $82,509
15 University of Georgia Athens, GA · Public 169 37.7% $13,936 $68,726
16 California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA · Public 167 91.3% $3,967 $59,211
17 Brigham Young University-Idaho Rexburg, ID · Nonprofit 156 95.8% $8,221 $53,406
18 Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah, GA · Nonprofit 153 83% $49,430 $45,954
19 Pratt Institute-Main Brooklyn, NY · Nonprofit 153 73.3% $52,659 $54,295
20 University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA · Public 151 39.2% $14,091 $78,466

Ranked by Fine Arts graduate volume. Scroll right to compare key stats. Read our methodology →

Plan Your Path

Decide with data, not guesswork. These tools turn the numbers on this page into a personal plan. Estimate the real cost of a Fine Arts program, compare colleges side-by-side, weigh the long-term payoff, and find schools that match your profile.

Fine Arts Degree: Pros & Cons

Fine Arts carries financial trade-offs prospective students should weigh carefully. The 4 strengths and 4 concerns below are drawn from College Scorecard earnings, BLS job growth data, and IPEDS completion counts.

PROS
  • Strong salary growth Median earnings climb from $24,627 at graduation to $41,367 four years later, a clear sign of career momentum in this field.
  • Positive job outlook Related careers project up to +7.0% job growth over the next 10 years, a solid signal for long-term demand.
  • Strong hiring volume Related occupations generate more than 101,600 job openings per year combined, creating consistent demand for graduates.
  • Wide availability Offered at 1,458 colleges nationwide, with options at every price point and institution type.
CONS
  • Below-average earnings Four-year median of $41,367 falls below the national median for bachelor's degree holders.
  • Advanced degree often expected Top roles in this field typically expect a master's degree or higher. A bachelor's may be a starting point rather than a terminal credential for the most competitive positions.
  • Declining roles in some areas 3 related careers show negative 10-year employment projections. Research specific roles before committing.
  • Long earnings breakeven At median salary and average net price, recovering education costs versus a baseline wage takes roughly 7.3 years.

Fine Arts Degree: Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Fine Arts graduates earn?
Fine Arts graduates earn a national median of $41,367 four years after completing their program. The middle 50% of earners fall between $26,241 and $56,653. Where you land typically depends on employer, role, and location.
What is the starting salary for a Fine Arts degree?
One year after graduation, Fine Arts degree holders earn a median of $24,627. That climbs to $41,367 four years out. The biggest salary jumps typically come once you move past entry-level roles.
What jobs can you get with a Fine Arts degree?
Fine Arts degree holders pursue careers including Art Director, which pays a median of $114,850/yr. Scroll down to the Career Paths section to see wages and job growth projections for every related occupation.
How long does a Fine Arts program take?
A Fine Arts bachelor's degree typically takes four years of full-time study. Community colleges offer associate programs in two years for students who want a faster path into the workforce.
How many colleges offer Fine Arts?
1,458 colleges and universities in the United States offer Fine Arts programs. Options range from community colleges with certificates and associate degrees to research universities with doctoral tracks.
Is a Fine Arts degree worth it?
With a median 4-year salary of $41,367 and an average net price of roughly $20,864/yr, a Fine Arts degree can pay off well, especially at lower-cost schools and in high-demand roles. Use the Top Colleges section below to compare specific programs before deciding.
What is the difference between Fine Arts and Visual & Performing Arts?
Fine Arts is a focused concentration within the broader Visual & Performing Arts field. The Visual & Performing Arts major covers the full discipline; this program narrows the curriculum to Fine Arts-specific courses, skills, and career tracks. If you already know this is the direction you want, the specialized program gives you a more targeted credential.
What skills do employers look for in Fine Arts graduates?
Employers hiring Fine Arts graduates consistently prioritize writing, critical analysis, and cross-cultural communication. Employers value the ability to synthesize complex information clearly, skills that transfer into communications, law, consulting, and content roles.
What is the job outlook for Fine Arts graduates?
The job outlook for Fine Arts graduates is slow overall. Related occupations project an average of +1.3% job growth over the next 10 years. Curators is among the strongest-growth roles at +7.0%. Growth varies by role and location, so check the Career Paths section for projections on each specific occupation.

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