Best Craft Artist programs in Illinois, ranked by enrollment
Create or reproduce handmade objects for sale and exhibition using a variety of techniques, such as welding, weaving, pottery, and.
39 schools in Illinois run programs that feed this job, graduating 453 people a year. The job pays a median of $43,040 in Illinois across about — jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Illinois that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
5 programs in Illinois that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Illinois (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 Illinois page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 50.0701In Illinois → | 408 | 90.1% | 32 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 2 | CIP 50.0101In Illinois → | 42 | 9.3% | 6 | $24,752 | $25,963 |
| 3 | CIP 50.0705In Illinois → | 1 | 0.2% | 1 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 4 | CIP 50.0708In Illinois → | 1 | 0.2% | 1 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 5 | CIP 50.0711In Illinois → | 1 | 0.2% | 1 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
Top 25 schools in Illinois
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 10 of the 39 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois State University Normal, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 102 | Art/Art Studies, General | $35,967 | 65% | — | 88% |
| 2 | Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 73 | Art/Art Studies, General | $26,213 | 47% | — | 65% |
| 3 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 30 | Art/Art Studies, General | $25,259 | 57% | — | 97% |
| 4 | Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 22 | Art/Art Studies, General | $26,795 | 49% | — | 70% |
| 5 | DePaul University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 20 | Art/Art Studies, General | $27,291 | 68% | $28,141 | 76% |
| 6 | Governors State University University Park, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 22% | — | 48% |
| 7 | Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Art/Art Studies, General | $16,290 | 61% | $20,903 | 56% |
| 8 | Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Art/Art Studies, General | $30,845 | 22% | — | 75% |
| 9 | Saint Xavier University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 57% | $12,935 | 84% |
| 10 | School of the Art Institute of Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 67% | $48,998 | 77% |
| 11 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 62% | — | 77% |
| 12 | Western Illinois University Macomb, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Art/Art Studies, General | $26,196 | 45% | — | 71% |
| 13 | North Park University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Art/Art Studies, General | $33,276 | 58% | $18,494 | 69% |
| 14 | City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College Chicago, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 26% | — | — |
| 15 | College of DuPage Glen Ellyn, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 25% | — | — |
| 16 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 95% | $14,799 | 8% |
| 17 | University of St Francis Joliet, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 67% | $15,591 | 65% |
| 18 | Wheaton College Wheaton, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Art/Art Studies, General | $23,202 | 85% | $23,461 | 87% |
| 19 | Chicago State University Chicago, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 15% | — | 43% |
| 20 | Elmhurst University Elmhurst, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 70% | $20,794 | 74% |
| 21 | Joliet Junior College Joliet, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 21% | — | — |
| 22 | Rockford University Rockford, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 47% | $23,077 | 93% |
| 23 | Concordia University - Chicago River Forest, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 36% | $17,620 | 93% |
| 24 | Blackburn College Carlinville, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 4 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 57% | $21,088 | 63% |
| 25 | Eureka College Eureka, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 42% | $22,446 | 85% |
All 39 schools in Illinois
Every school in Illinois 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois State University | Normal | Public | 102 | 1 |
| Eastern Illinois University | Charleston | Public | 73 | 1 |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville | Public | 30 | 1 |
| Northern Illinois University | Dekalb | Public | 22 | 1 |
| DePaul University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 20 | 1 |
| Governors State University | University Park | Public | 16 | 1 |
| Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais | Private not-for-profit | 14 | 1 |
| Northeastern Illinois University | Chicago | Public | 11 | 1 |
| Saint Xavier University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 11 | 1 |
| School of the Art Institute of Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 11 | 1 |
| University of Illinois Chicago | Chicago | Public | 10 | 1 |
| Western Illinois University | Macomb | Public | 10 | 1 |
| North Park University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 9 | 1 |
| City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College | Chicago | Public | 8 | 1 |
| College of DuPage | Glen Ellyn | Public | 8 | 1 |
What craft artists earn in Illinois
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $46,080. Illinois pays below the national figure.
Metro areas in Illinois
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 Illinois
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 Illinois.
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 408 degrees in Illinois in 2024-25, 90.1% 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 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Fine and Studio Arts, Visual and Performing Arts. Together they graduate about 453 people a year in Illinois.
How much do craft artists earn in Illinois?+
The median is $43,040 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 6.6% below 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 Illinois?+
39 institutions in Illinois reported graduates from at least one of the 5 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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