Best Craft Artist programs in California, ranked by enrollment
Create or reproduce handmade objects for sale and exhibition using a variety of techniques, such as welding, weaving, pottery, and.
161 schools in California run programs that feed this job, graduating 6,748 people a year. The job pays a median of $100,540 in California across about 170 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in California that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
9 programs in California that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in California (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 California page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 50.0701In California → | 5,334 | 79.0% | 148 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 2 | CIP 50.0101In California → | 1,032 | 15.3% | 99 | $24,752 | $25,963 |
| 3 | CIP 50.0713In California → | 281 | 4.2% | 5 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 4 | CIP 50.0711In California → | 44 | 0.7% | 15 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 5 | CIP 50.0705In California → | 40 | 0.6% | 16 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 6 | CIP 50.0708In California → | 9 | 0.1% | 1 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 7 | CIP 50.0710In California → | 3 | 0.0% | 1 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 8 | CIP 50.0712In California → | 3 | 0.0% | 1 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 9 | CIP 50.0709In California → | 2 | 0.0% | 1 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
Top 25 schools in California
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 24 of the 161 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 351 | Art/Art Studies, General | $25,359 | 57% | — | 93% |
| 2 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 327 | Art/Art Studies, General | $23,186 | 76% | — | 36% |
| 3 | Gemological Institute of America - Carlsbad Carlsbad, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 265 | Jewelry Arts | $36,639 | 91% | $30,331 | — |
| 4 | Santa Monica College Santa Monica, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 249 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 36% | — | — |
| 5 | California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 239 | Art/Art Studies, General | $21,493 | 69% | — | 46% |
| 6 | California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 225 | Art/Art Studies, General | $24,538 | 53% | — | 91% |
| 7 | California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 187 | Art/Art Studies, General | $22,839 | 70% | — | 91% |
| 8 | Fullerton College Fullerton, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 132 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 34% | — | — |
| 9 | Fresno City College Fresno, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 127 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 24% | — | — |
| 10 | Pasadena City College Pasadena, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 118 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 48% | — | — |
| 11 | University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 112 | Art/Art Studies, General | $21,106 | 75% | — | 66% |
| 12 | Long Beach City College Long Beach, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 109 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 30% | — | — |
| 13 | Victor Valley College Victorville, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 97 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 62% | — | — |
| 14 | California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 93 | Art/Art Studies, General | $22,167 | 57% | — | 95% |
| 15 | Mt San Antonio College Walnut, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 90 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 45% | — | — |
| 16 | Orange Coast College Costa Mesa, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 89 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 48% | — | — |
| 17 | California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 85 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | $27,741 | 55% | — | 95% |
| 18 | Bakersfield College Bakersfield, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 83 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 21% | — | — |
| 19 | Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 80 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 36% | — | — |
| 20 | University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 80 | Art/Art Studies, General | $16,989 | 87% | — | 29% |
| 21 | El Camino Community College District Torrance, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 77 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 42% | — | — |
| 22 | Glendale Community College Glendale, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 68 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 37% | — | — |
| 23 | Golden West College Huntington Beach, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 67 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 49% | — | — |
| 24 | Citrus College Glendora, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 66 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 41% | — | — |
| 25 | Riverside City College Riverside, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 66 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 37% | — | — |
All 161 schools in California
Every school in California 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California State University - Northridge | Northridge | Public | 351 | 1 |
| San Diego State University | San Diego | Public | 327 | 1 |
| Gemological Institute of America - Carlsbad | Carlsbad | Private not-for-profit | 265 | 1 |
| Santa Monica College | Santa Monica | Public | 249 | 2 |
| California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach | Public | 239 | 1 |
| California State University - Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public | 225 | 2 |
| California State University - Fullerton | Fullerton | Public | 187 | 1 |
| Fullerton College | Fullerton | Public | 132 | 2 |
| Fresno City College | Fresno | Public | 127 | 2 |
| Pasadena City College | Pasadena | Public | 118 | 3 |
| University of California - Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz | Public | 112 | 2 |
| Long Beach City College | Long Beach | Public | 109 | 2 |
| Victor Valley College | Victorville | Public | 97 | 2 |
| California State University - Fresno | Fresno | Public | 93 | 1 |
| Mt San Antonio College | Walnut | Public | 90 | 2 |
What craft artists earn in California
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $46,080. California pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in California
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 Craft Artists page.
How to become a Craft Artist
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- 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 California
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 11 majors mapped to Craft Artists11 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 50.0101Visual and Performing Arts, General
- 50.0201Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry
- 50.0701Art/Art Studies, General
- 50.0705Drawing
- 50.0708Painting
- 50.0709Sculpture
- 50.0710Printmaking
- 50.0711Ceramic Arts and Ceramics
- 50.0712Fiber, Textile and Weaving Arts
- 50.0713Jewelry Arts
- 50.0714Metal Arts
Common questions
Answers for people weighing craft artists programs in California.
What degree do you need to become a Craft Artist?+
No formal educational credential 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 5,334 degrees in California in 2024-25, 79.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Craft Artist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 9 programs to this occupation. The largest are Fine and Studio Arts, Visual and Performing Arts. Together they graduate about 6,748 people a year in California.
How much do craft artists earn in California?+
The median is $100,540 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 118.2% above the U.S. median of $46,080. 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 craft artists growing?+
BLS projects a +2.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 1,000 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in California?+
161 institutions in California reported graduates from at least one of the 9 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 craft artists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Artist, Fiber Artist, Glass Artist, Textile Artist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-1012.
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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