{"id":8255,"date":"2018-09-25T10:19:17","date_gmt":"2018-09-25T16:19:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.petersons.com\/blog\/?p=8255"},"modified":"2019-11-12T09:30:56","modified_gmt":"2019-11-12T16:30:56","slug":"art-degree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petersons.com\/blog\/art-degree\/","title":{"rendered":"What Can I do with an Art Degree? The Most Common Occupations of Art Majors"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re pursuing, or looking to pursue an art degree, the question of, \u2018what do you plan to do with that?\u2019 is commonplace. While of course, the goal is usually to become some type of artist, the reality of what an artist actually does can be very broad. From printmakers to painters, graphic designers to art therapists, an art student does not have a straight and narrow path laid ahead. The path is more fluid and creative\u2013which fits the format of art itself. <\/span><\/p>\n

We talked to Jason Kellermeyer, the Academic Program Coordinator of the University of Denver<\/a> School of Art, as well as graduates that took their degree in different directions, to help you understand where you can take your art degree and how to be proactive about reaching your artistic career goals. <\/span><\/p>\n

What are your options?<\/b><\/h1>\n
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Fliers for art students in the lobby of the DU School of Art.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First, let\u2019s look at the facts. The Strategic National Arts Alumni Project surveys arts alumni to acquire data on former art students. The survey included data from 92,113 arts alumni in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Seventy percent of respondents are currently working within the arts. The top five most common occupations of art majors that are currently working within the arts include arts educators, designers, fine artists, musicians, and writers\/authors\/editors. The top five most common occupations of art majors that are currently working outside of the arts work in the following fields: education\/training\/library, communications, management, office\/administrative support, and sales. <\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, all this can depend on what your interests are and what your education background entailed. For example, Kellermeyer explained that DU\u2019s art program focuses on fine art over commercial art, and that many students double major or have another concentration to round out their liberal arts degree. A common route these students take is to combine psychology and art to become an art therapist. Some art schools are more traditional and focus strictly on art, while others specialize in emerging digital practices and cover the digital design aspect of art. Kellermeyer described the routes his students tend to take.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe students, they work for galleries, nonprofits, and [other] creative fields like marketing or communications,\u201d said Kellermeyer. \u201cFor an employer, that they graduated from college and they think outside the box is more important. On the art side, they either jump into something right away or they prep to go to grad school.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Art alumna Sara Rubel is a graphic designer at CBRE. She described the majority of her peers as becoming art makers, printmakers, and painters. Another art alum, Nicholas Ward, followed the more traditional path.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since graduating with a studio art degree, Ward said, “I\u2019ve been creating, applying to call for artists, showing in galleries, and selling my artwork. To be clear, I work part time at a coffee shop to help support myself, but am working, saving money, and on track to be spending all of next year pursuing art full-time.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Kellermeyer also recalled students who had gone on to become involved in advertising firms, marketing communications, interior design, and app development when going after commercial art, while unique post-grad positions included registrars for art collections, tattoo artistry, and even a pop-up coffee and art truck business.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think, because of the arts, there\u2019s no right answer. They do tend to follow their bliss,\u201d said Kellermeyer. <\/span><\/p>\n

What are the important skills you acquire in art school?<\/b><\/h1>\n

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