Best Fine Artist programs in Arkansas, ranked by enrollment
Create original artwork using any of a wide variety of media and.
19 schools in Arkansas run programs that feed this job, graduating 205 people a year. The job pays a median of $32,340 in Arkansas across about 40 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Arkansas that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
3 programs in Arkansas that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Arkansas (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Arkansas page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Art/Art Studies, Generalmain feeder CIP 50.0701In Arkansas → | 133 | 64.9% | 11 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 2 | Fine/Studio Arts, Generalmain feeder CIP 50.0702In Arkansas → | 48 | 23.4% | 9 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 3 | CIP 50.0101In Arkansas → | 24 | 11.7% | 3 | $24,752 | $25,963 |
Top 19 schools in Arkansas
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 3 of the 19 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR Public · 2 feeder programs | 57 | Art/Art Studies, General | $24,970 | 71% | — | 74% |
| 2 | University of Central Arkansas Conway, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 30 | Art/Art Studies, General | $28,604 | 54% | — | 89% |
| 3 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock, AR Public · 2 feeder programs | 29 | Art/Art Studies, General | $30,733 | 42% | — | 59% |
| 4 | Arkansas State University - Beebe Beebe, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 42% | — | — |
| 5 | Arkansas State University Jonesboro, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 55% | — | 82% |
| 6 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Pine Bluff, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 40% | — | 41% |
| 7 | Hendrix College Conway, AR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 72% | $22,415 | 56% |
| 8 | NorthWest Arkansas Community College Bentonville, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 31% | — | — |
| 9 | Southern Arkansas University Main Campus Magnolia, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 49% | — | 75% |
| 10 | University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Fort Smith, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 38% | — | 80% |
| 11 | Henderson State University Arkadelphia, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 37% | — | — |
| 12 | University of Arkansas at Monticello Monticello, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 49% | — | — |
| 13 | University of the Ozarks Clarksville, AR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 51% | $13,608 | 60% |
| 14 | Arkansas Tech University Russellville, AR Public · 2 feeder programs | 3 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 49% | — | 96% |
| 15 | North Arkansas College Harrison, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 42% | — | — |
| 16 | Philander Smith University Little Rock, AR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 30% | $16,387 | — |
| 17 | Lyon College Batesville, AR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 47% | $22,199 | 63% |
| 18 | Ouachita Baptist University Arkadelphia, AR Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 2 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 61% | $21,322 | 68% |
| 19 | Harding University Searcy, AR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 69% | $19,423 | 71% |
All 19 schools in Arkansas
Every school in Arkansas with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Arkansas | Fayetteville | Public | 57 | 2 |
| University of Central Arkansas | Conway | Public | 30 | 1 |
| University of Arkansas at Little Rock | Little Rock | Public | 29 | 2 |
| Arkansas State University - Beebe | Beebe | Public | 15 | 1 |
| Arkansas State University | Jonesboro | Public | 12 | 1 |
| University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | Pine Bluff | Public | 11 | 1 |
| Hendrix College | Conway | Private not-for-profit | 7 | 1 |
| NorthWest Arkansas Community College | Bentonville | Public | 6 | 1 |
| Southern Arkansas University Main Campus | Magnolia | Public | 6 | 1 |
| University of Arkansas - Fort Smith | Fort Smith | Public | 6 | 1 |
| Henderson State University | Arkadelphia | Public | 4 | 1 |
| University of Arkansas at Monticello | Monticello | Public | 4 | 1 |
| University of the Ozarks | Clarksville | Private not-for-profit | 4 | 1 |
| Arkansas Tech University | Russellville | Public | 3 | 2 |
| North Arkansas College | Harrison | Public | 3 | 1 |
What fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators earn in Arkansas
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $55,490. Arkansas pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators page.
How to become a Fine Artist
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Arkansas
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 12 majors mapped to Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators12 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 50.0101Visual and Performing Arts, General
- 50.0701Art/Art Studies, General
- 50.0702Fine/Studio Arts, General
- 50.0705Drawing
- 50.0706Intermedia/Multimedia
- 50.0708Painting
- 50.0709Sculpture
- 50.0710Printmaking
- 50.0711Ceramic Arts and Ceramics
- 50.0799Fine Arts and Art Studies, Other
- 50.1101Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art
- 51.2703Medical Illustration/Medical Illustrator
Common questions
Answers for people weighing fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators programs in Arkansas.
What degree do you need to become a Fine Artist?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Art/Art Studies, General, which awarded 133 degrees in Arkansas in 2024-25, 64.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Fine Artist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Fine and Studio Arts, Visual and Performing Arts. Together they graduate about 205 people a year in Arkansas.
How much do fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators earn in Arkansas?+
The median is $32,340 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 41.7% below the U.S. median of $55,490. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators growing?+
BLS projects a -1.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 2,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Arkansas?+
19 institutions in Arkansas reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Artist, Painter, Sculptor, Fine Artist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-1013.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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