Best Fine Artist programs in Minnesota, ranked by enrollment
Create original artwork using any of a wide variety of media and.
38 schools in Minnesota run programs that feed this job, graduating 344 people a year. The job pays a median of $61,730 in Minnesota across about — jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Minnesota that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
7 programs in Minnesota that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Minnesota (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 Minnesota page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Art/Art Studies, Generalmain feeder CIP 50.0701In Minnesota → | 213 | 61.9% | 25 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 2 | Fine/Studio Arts, Generalmain feeder CIP 50.0702In Minnesota → | 116 | 33.7% | 17 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 3 | Paintingmain feeder CIP 50.0708In Minnesota → | 9 | 2.6% | 1 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 4 | CIP 50.0101In Minnesota → | 3 | 0.9% | 1 | $24,752 | $25,963 |
| 5 | Drawingmain feeder CIP 50.0705In Minnesota → | 1 | 0.3% | 1 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 6 | Sculpturemain feeder CIP 50.0709In Minnesota → | 1 | 0.3% | 1 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 7 | Printmakingmain feeder CIP 50.0710In Minnesota → | 1 | 0.3% | 1 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
Top 25 schools in Minnesota
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 8 of the 38 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 66 | Art/Art Studies, General | $20,192 | 85% | — | 80% |
| 2 | Minneapolis College of Art and Design Minneapolis, MN Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 41 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $14,829 | 51% | $24,998 | 48% |
| 3 | Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN Public · 2 feeder programs | 19 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $38,717 | 54% | — | 88% |
| 4 | Anoka - Ramsey Community College Coon Rapids, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 30% | — | — |
| 5 | St Olaf College Northfield, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Art/Art Studies, General | $26,870 | 84% | $18,124 | 48% |
| 6 | Winona State University Winona, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 57% | — | 75% |
| 7 | Normandale Community College Bloomington, MN Public · 2 feeder programs | 13 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 27% | — | — |
| 8 | College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 77% | $22,583 | 92% |
| 9 | University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN Public · 2 feeder programs | 11 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $25,660 | 65% | — | 89% |
| 10 | Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, MN Public · 3 feeder programs | 10 | Art/Art Studies, General | $30,521 | 57% | — | 59% |
| 11 | Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 77% | $21,607 | 61% |
| 12 | Macalester College Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 87% | $21,441 | 29% |
| 13 | Carleton College Northfield, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 90% | $18,669 | 20% |
| 14 | Hamline University Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 60% | $20,981 | 88% |
| 15 | Metropolitan State University Saint Paul, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 44% | — | 99% |
| 16 | Minneapolis Community and Technical College Minneapolis, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 20% | — | — |
| 17 | Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN Public · 2 feeder programs | 8 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $30,051 | 40% | — | 95% |
| 18 | Southwest Minnesota State University Marshall, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 45% | — | 62% |
| 19 | Augsburg University Minneapolis, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 52% | $23,585 | 82% |
| 20 | Rochester Community and Technical College Rochester, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 29% | — | — |
| 21 | St Catherine University Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 61% | $21,042 | 92% |
| 22 | University of Northwestern - St Paul Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 68% | $23,114 | 93% |
| 23 | Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Winona, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 66% | $18,163 | 93% |
| 24 | Bethany Lutheran College Mankato, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 55% | $16,550 | 39% |
| 25 | Bethel University Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 71% | $25,225 | 88% |
All 38 schools in Minnesota
Every school in Minnesota 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 Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis | Public | 66 | 1 |
| Minneapolis College of Art and Design | Minneapolis | Private not-for-profit | 41 | 4 |
| Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato | Public | 19 | 2 |
| Anoka - Ramsey Community College | Coon Rapids | Public | 18 | 1 |
| St Olaf College | Northfield | Private not-for-profit | 17 | 1 |
| Winona State University | Winona | Public | 15 | 1 |
| Normandale Community College | Bloomington | Public | 13 | 2 |
| College of Saint Benedict | Saint Joseph | Private not-for-profit | 12 | 1 |
| University of Minnesota - Duluth | Duluth | Public | 11 | 2 |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead | Moorhead | Public | 10 | 3 |
| Gustavus Adolphus College | Saint Peter | Private not-for-profit | 9 | 1 |
| Macalester College | Saint Paul | Private not-for-profit | 9 | 1 |
| Carleton College | Northfield | Private not-for-profit | 8 | 1 |
| Hamline University | Saint Paul | Private not-for-profit | 8 | 1 |
| Metropolitan State University | Saint Paul | Public | 8 | 1 |
What fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators earn in Minnesota
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $55,490. Minnesota pays above the national figure.
Metro areas in Minnesota
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 Minnesota
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 Minnesota.
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 213 degrees in Minnesota in 2024-25, 61.9% 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 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Fine and Studio Arts, Visual and Performing Arts. Together they graduate about 344 people a year in Minnesota.
How much do fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators earn in Minnesota?+
The median is $61,730 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 11.2% 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 Minnesota?+
38 institutions in Minnesota reported graduates from at least one of the 7 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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