Georgia·Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations·SOC 27-1013

Best Fine Artist programs in Georgia, ranked by enrollment

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

32 schools in Georgia run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,007 people a year. The job pays a median of $65,010 in Georgia across about 350 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledArtistPainterSculptorFine ArtistMuralistBlacksmithCartoonistDelineator
Graduates / yr
1,007
in Georgia
Median pay · Georgia
$65,010
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
350
people employed
Schools
32
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
49%
across those schools
Median net price
$21,115
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Georgia that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

9 programs in Georgia that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Georgia (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 Georgia page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 50.0701In Georgia
424
42.1%
15$24,447$25,294
2
Drawingmain feeder
CIP 50.0705In Georgia
234
23.2%
2$24,447$25,294
3
CIP 50.0702In Georgia
180
17.9%
9$24,447$25,294
4
Paintingmain feeder
CIP 50.0708In Georgia
92
9.1%
1$24,447$25,294
5
CIP 50.0101In Georgia
39
3.9%
7$24,752$25,963
6
CIP 50.0706In Georgia
19
1.9%
2$24,447$25,294
7
CIP 51.2703In Georgia
9
0.9%
1$47,775$25,000
8
CIP 50.0799In Georgia
6
0.6%
1$24,447$25,294
9
Sculpturemain feeder
CIP 50.0709In Georgia
4
0.4%
1$24,447$25,294

Top 25 schools in Georgia

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 14 of the 32 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
209Drawing$21,22653%55%
2University of Georgia
Athens, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
156Art/Art Studies, General$34,05690%38%
3Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
150Art/Art Studies, General$35,84652%69%
4Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah, GA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
96Painting$20,64369%$44,90283%
5University of North Georgia
Dahlonega, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
68Fine/Studio Arts, General$23,53037%68%
6Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
52Art/Art Studies, General$21,21455%88%
7University of West Georgia
Carrollton, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
41Art/Art Studies, General$25,09343%52%
8Columbus State University
Columbus, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
32Drawing$22,79842%99%
9Augusta University
Augusta, GA Public · 3 feeder programs
29Intermedia/Multimedia$16,94349%86%
10Valdosta State University
Valdosta, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
21Art/Art Studies, General$21,25542%72%
11Georgia College & State University
Milledgeville, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
18Art/Art Studies, General$21,54264%78%
12Berry College
Mount Berry, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
17Art/Art Studies, General69%$20,10864%
13Savannah State University
Savannah, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
14Visual and Performing Arts, General28%
14Oglethorpe University
Atlanta, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
12Fine/Studio Arts, General$22,86654%$21,02288%
15Georgia Military College
Milledgeville, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
11Fine/Studio Arts, General38%
16Covenant College
Lookout Mountain, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
9Art/Art Studies, General71%$22,53587%
17Fort Valley State University
Fort Valley, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
8Visual and Performing Arts, General41%66%
18Young Harris College
Young Harris, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
8Art/Art Studies, General42%$10,83263%
19Clark Atlanta University
Atlanta, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
7Art/Art Studies, General49%$36,71764%
20Piedmont University
Demorest, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
7Art/Art Studies, General47%$20,04993%
21Agnes Scott College
Decatur, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
6Fine/Studio Arts, General71%$23,94762%
22Albany State University
Albany, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
6Visual and Performing Arts, General$29,79831%
23Spelman College
Atlanta, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
6Fine Arts and Art Studies, Other78%$35,13225%
24Georgia Southwestern State University
Americus, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
4Art/Art Studies, General41%75%
25LaGrange College
Lagrange, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Visual and Performing Arts, General$21,82447%$19,28362%

All 32 schools in Georgia

Every school in Georgia 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.

All schools in Georgia that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Georgia State UniversityAtlantaPublic2091
University of GeorgiaAthensPublic1562
Kennesaw State UniversityKennesawPublic1502
Savannah College of Art and DesignSavannahPrivate not-for-profit962
University of North GeorgiaDahlonegaPublic681
Georgia Southern UniversityStatesboroPublic522
University of West GeorgiaCarrolltonPublic411
Columbus State UniversityColumbusPublic322
Augusta UniversityAugustaPublic293
Valdosta State UniversityValdostaPublic211
Georgia College & State UniversityMilledgevillePublic181
Berry CollegeMount BerryPrivate not-for-profit171
Savannah State UniversitySavannahPublic141
Oglethorpe UniversityAtlantaPrivate not-for-profit121
Georgia Military CollegeMilledgevillePublic111

What fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators earn in Georgia

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Georgia
$65,010
Mean annual
$68,230
Jobs in state
350
What the range looks like
10th pct$40,530Median$65,01090th pct$94,130
Versus the national median
+17.2%

U.S. median $55,490. Georgia pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
0.98×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Georgia

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$65,010median
230 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
-1.2%
Decline
Openings per year
2,200
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
-300
26,500 → 26,200
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Plus long-term on-the-job training

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

Critical ThinkingActive LearningActive ListeningReading ComprehensionSpeakingWriting

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Georgia

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 Georgia.

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 424 degrees in Georgia in 2024-25, 42.1% 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 9 programs to this occupation. The largest are Fine and Studio Arts, Visual and Performing Arts, Medical Illustration and Informatics. Together they graduate about 1,007 people a year in Georgia.

How much do fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators earn in Georgia?+

The median is $65,010 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 17.2% above 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 Georgia?+

32 institutions in Georgia 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 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.

Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators in other statesCaliforniaArizonaNew YorkTexasIllinoisFloridaPennsylvaniaNew Jersey

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 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected 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 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, 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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