Best Fine Artist programs in North Carolina, ranked by enrollment
Create original artwork using any of a wide variety of media and.
37 schools in North Carolina run programs that feed this job, graduating 701 people a year. The job pays a median of — in North Carolina across about 390 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in North Carolina that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
5 programs in North Carolina that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in North Carolina (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 North Carolina page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fine/Studio Arts, Generalmain feeder CIP 50.0702In North Carolina → | 429 | 61.2% | 20 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 2 | Art/Art Studies, Generalmain feeder CIP 50.0701In North Carolina → | 228 | 32.5% | 17 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 3 | CIP 50.0101In North Carolina → | 31 | 4.4% | 5 | $24,752 | $25,963 |
| 4 | Fine Arts and Art Studies, Othermain feeder CIP 50.0799In North Carolina → | 12 | 1.7% | 1 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 5 | Sculpturemain feeder CIP 50.0709In North Carolina → | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
Top 25 schools in North Carolina
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 11 of the 37 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC Public · 2 feeder programs | 108 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $18,745 | 56% | — | 89% |
| 2 | East Carolina University Greenville, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 105 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $21,271 | 63% | — | 89% |
| 3 | Appalachian State University Boone, NC Public · 2 feeder programs | 66 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $22,120 | 75% | — | 90% |
| 4 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC Public · 2 feeder programs | 55 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $25,855 | 69% | — | 80% |
| 5 | University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 44 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $20,072 | 71% | — | 64% |
| 6 | University of North Carolina Asheville Asheville, NC Public · 2 feeder programs | 42 | Art/Art Studies, General | $23,504 | 54% | — | 92% |
| 7 | Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC Public · 2 feeder programs | 38 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $24,253 | 60% | — | 82% |
| 8 | North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 26 | Art/Art Studies, General | $15,257 | 57% | — | 50% |
| 9 | Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Art/Art Studies, General | $16,454 | 38% | — | 82% |
| 10 | North Carolina Central University Durham, NC Public · 2 feeder programs | 19 | Art/Art Studies, General | $21,980 | 42% | — | 87% |
| 11 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $24,005 | 91% | — | 15% |
| 12 | Warren Wilson College Swannanoa, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 42% | $22,259 | 71% |
| 13 | University of North Carolina at Pembroke Pembroke, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 44% | — | 93% |
| 14 | High Point University High Point, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 74% | $37,072 | 75% |
| 15 | Duke University Durham, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Fine Arts and Art Studies, Other | — | 97% | $16,260 | 6% |
| 16 | Winston - Salem State University Winston-Salem, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 47% | — | 78% |
| 17 | Davidson College Davidson, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 91% | $16,628 | 13% |
| 18 | Meredith College Raleigh, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 70% | $19,552 | 74% |
| 19 | Brevard College Brevard, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 49% | $21,334 | 42% |
| 20 | Lenoir - Rhyne University Hickory, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 48% | $23,920 | 85% |
| 21 | Barton College Wilson, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 46% | $23,133 | 94% |
| 22 | Mars Hill University Mars Hill, NC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 6 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 45% | $20,402 | 68% |
| 23 | Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 89% | $20,914 | 22% |
| 24 | Elon University Elon, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 84% | $33,688 | 66% |
| 25 | Greensboro College Greensboro, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 46% | $19,549 | 70% |
All 37 schools in North Carolina
Every school in North Carolina 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 North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro | Public | 108 | 2 |
| East Carolina University | Greenville | Public | 105 | 1 |
| Appalachian State University | Boone | Public | 66 | 2 |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte | Public | 55 | 2 |
| University of North Carolina Wilmington | Wilmington | Public | 44 | 1 |
| University of North Carolina Asheville | Asheville | Public | 42 | 2 |
| Western Carolina University | Cullowhee | Public | 38 | 2 |
| North Carolina A & T State University | Greensboro | Public | 26 | 1 |
| Fayetteville State University | Fayetteville | Public | 19 | 1 |
| North Carolina Central University | Durham | Public | 19 | 2 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | Public | 18 | 1 |
| Warren Wilson College | Swannanoa | Private not-for-profit | 18 | 1 |
| University of North Carolina at Pembroke | Pembroke | Public | 14 | 1 |
| High Point University | High Point | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 1 |
| Duke University | Durham | Private not-for-profit | 12 | 1 |
What fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators earn in North Carolina
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in North Carolina
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 North Carolina
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 North Carolina.
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 Fine/Studio Arts, General, which awarded 429 degrees in North Carolina in 2024-25, 61.2% 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 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Fine and Studio Arts, Visual and Performing Arts. Together they graduate about 701 people a year in North Carolina.
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 North Carolina?+
37 institutions in North Carolina 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 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
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card