Best institutions to study Fine and Studio Arts
Compare 1,323 U.S. colleges offering Fine and Studio Arts by graduate earnings, cost, and outcomes. Federal data across 54 states.
Fine and Studio Arts programs report a median of $24,555 one year after graduation (College Scorecard, 2024), and map to CIP 50.07 and the Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators occupation (BLS SOC).
About Fine and Studio Arts programs
The Fine and Studio Arts program focuses on the practice and theory of visual arts and design, encompassing various disciplines such as illustration, painting, sculpture, and graphic design. This program is ideal for students who are passionate about creating art and wish to explore their creative potential in a structured educational environment. Students may attend independent art schools or larger institutions like universities, some of which may be affiliated with art museums.
In this program, students develop core skills such as critical thinking, active learning, and effective communication. Coursework typically covers essential knowledge areas, including design principles, fine arts techniques, and the use of various materials and technologies in artistic creation.
Top 50 institutions, ranked by graduate earnings
Earnings = median 1 year after graduation (College Scorecard, predominant credential).
| # | Institution | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Completions | Grad rate | Net price | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $51,435 | 82 | 96% | $15,315 | $26,853 |
| 2 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $50,161 | 59 | 92% | $26,873 | $21,125 |
| 3 | University of Nebraska at Kearney Kearney, NE Public · Bachelor's degree | $40,501 | 29 | 58% | — | $16,101 |
| 4 | Barnard College New York, NY Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $39,947 | 24 | 93% | $24,675 | $18,750 |
| 5 | Empire State University Saratoga Springs, NY Public · Bachelor's degree | $39,946 | 47 | 41% | — | $15,125 |
| 6 | University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $38,820 | 31 | 97% | $22,055 | $23,359 |
| 7 | Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN Public · Bachelor's degree | $38,717 | 20 | 54% | — | $27,000 |
| 8 | University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI Public · Bachelor's degree | $38,585 | 35 | 46% | — | $27,000 |
| 9 | Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $38,154 | 36 | 84% | $33,246 | — |
| 10 | Athens State University Athens, AL Public · Bachelor's degree | $38,006 | 10 | — | — | — |
| 11 | University of Wisconsin - Platteville Platteville, WI Public · Bachelor's degree | $37,379 | 12 | 56% | — | — |
| 12 | University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA Public · Bachelor's degree | $36,980 | 13 | 49% | — | $27,000 |
| 13 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA Public · Bachelor's degree | $36,927 | 49 | 86% | — | $26,323 |
| 14 | Gemological Institute of America - Carlsbad Carlsbad, CA Private not-for-profit · Certificate degree | $36,639 | 265 | 91% | $30,331 | $8,233 |
| 15 | Gemological Institute of America - New York New York, NY Private not-for-profit · Certificate degree | $36,639 | 304 | 89% | $35,098 | $8,233 |
| 16 | Connecticut College New London, CT Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $36,564 | 19 | 82% | $27,183 | $23,250 |
| 17 | Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Stillwater, OK Public · Bachelor's degree | $36,547 | 67 | 68% | — | $21,111 |
| 18 | University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell, MA Public · Bachelor's degree | $36,236 | 23 | 65% | — | $27,000 |
| 19 | California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA Public · Bachelor's degree | $36,006 | 44 | 86% | — | $19,198 |
| 20 | Illinois State University Normal, IL Public · Bachelor's degree | $35,967 | 122 | 65% | — | $20,125 |
| 21 | Seattle Pacific University Seattle, WA Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $35,938 | 2 | 62% | $24,653 | — |
| 22 | Fordham University Bronx, NY Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $35,929 | 49 | 82% | $38,931 | $24,495 |
| 23 | Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA Public · Bachelor's degree | $35,846 | 151 | 52% | — | $26,097 |
| 24 | Midwestern State University Wichita Falls, TX Public · Bachelor's degree | $35,589 | 12 | 43% | — | — |
| 25 | University of South Carolina - Upstate Spartanburg, SC Public · Bachelor's degree | $35,203 | 23 | 43% | — | $26,500 |
| 26 | University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, AL Public · Bachelor's degree | $35,123 | 53 | 64% | — | $27,000 |
| 27 | American University Washington, DC Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $35,115 | 39 | 75% | $30,225 | $23,250 |
| 28 | Texas Woman's University Denton, TX Public · Bachelor's degree | $35,115 | 41 | 49% | — | $26,019 |
| 29 | University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI Public · Bachelor's degree | $34,582 | 47 | 64% | — | $25,371 |
| 30 | Williams College Williamstown, MA Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $34,560 | 55 | 94% | $10,747 | $11,850 |
| 31 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX Public · Bachelor's degree | $34,428 | 62 | 69% | — | $27,846 |
| 32 | Brigham Young University Provo, UT Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $34,241 | 79 | 81% | $13,712 | $16,656 |
| 33 | University of Georgia Athens, GA Public · Bachelor's degree | $34,056 | 169 | 90% | — | $21,947 |
| 34 | County College of Morris Randolph, NJ Public · Associate degree | $33,881 | 57 | 36% | — | $9,250 |
| 35 | Nicholls State University Thibodaux, LA Public · Bachelor's degree | $33,877 | 12 | 54% | — | $20,966 |
| 36 | Utah State University Logan, UT Public · Bachelor's degree | $33,552 | 62 | 59% | — | $17,500 |
| 37 | James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA Public · Bachelor's degree | $33,501 | 137 | 80% | — | $23,001 |
| 38 | Westfield State University Westfield, MA Public · Bachelor's degree | $33,440 | 13 | 54% | — | $27,000 |
| 39 | Southern Illinois University - Carbondale Carbondale, IL Public · Bachelor's degree | $33,285 | 42 | 62% | — | $26,500 |
| 40 | North Park University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $33,276 | 9 | 58% | $18,494 | — |
| 41 | California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA Public · Bachelor's degree | $33,220 | 121 | 48% | — | $16,625 |
| 42 | The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ Public · Bachelor's degree | $33,214 | 73 | 86% | — | $25,000 |
| 43 | University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT Public · Bachelor's degree | $33,081 | 67 | 65% | — | $23,506 |
| 44 | Shepherd University Shepherdstown, WV Public · Bachelor's degree | $33,059 | 20 | 51% | — | $21,500 |
| 45 | Syracuse University Syracuse, NY Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $32,636 | 39 | 84% | $28,851 | $27,000 |
| 46 | Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $32,597 | 25 | 94% | $23,803 | $21,500 |
| 47 | Montana State University Bozeman, MT Public · Bachelor's degree | $32,265 | 58 | 57% | — | $26,000 |
| 48 | University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO Public · Bachelor's degree | $32,224 | 21 | 57% | — | $28,837 |
| 49 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · Bachelor's degree | $32,088 | 107 | 89% | — | $24,057 |
| 50 | University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD Public · Bachelor's degree | $32,031 | 92 | 89% | — | $20,000 |
Offered across 54 states & territories
The same program, compared state by state. Pick a state for in-state earnings and institutions.
Careers & outlook
The payoff after graduation: occupation 27-1013, Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators, and its national outlook.
Graduates of the Fine and Studio Arts program can pursue various careers in the visual arts field. While the job outlook shows a slight decline of 1.2%, there are approximately 2,200 annual openings, with a median wage of $60,560. A typical education requirement for these roles is a bachelor's degree.
Top-paying metros
Related careers
CIP-to-SOC crosswalk for Fine and Studio Arts
The SOC occupations NCES officially maps to CIP 50.07.
Under the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, CIP 50.07 (Fine and Studio Arts) maps to 13 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) occupations, the jobs the U.S. Department of Labor links to this field of study.
| SOC code | Occupation |
|---|---|
| 13-2022 | Appraisers of Personal and Business Property |
| 25-1121 | Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary |
| 25-2031 | Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education |
| 25-4011 | Archivists |
| 25-4012 | Curators |
| 25-4013 | Museum Technicians and Conservators |
| 27-1011 | Art Directors |
| 27-1012 | Craft Artists |
| 27-1013 | Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustratorsprimary |
| 27-1014 | Special Effects Artists and Animators |
| 27-1019 | Artists and Related Workers, All Other |
| 27-4021 | Photographers |
| 51-9071 | Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk.
Skills & knowledge in Fine and Studio Arts programs
From the U.S. Dept. of Labor for the occupation this program most leads to.
Skills you'll build
Knowledge areas
What graduates do on the job
- Use materials such as pens and ink, watercolors, charcoal, oil, or computer software to create artwork.
- Integrate and develop visual elements, such as line, space, mass, color, and perspective, to produce desired effects, such as the illustration of ideas, emotions, or moods.
- Confer with clients, editors, writers, art directors, and other interested parties regarding the nature and content of artwork to be produced.
- Maintain portfolios of artistic work to demonstrate styles, interests, and abilities.
- Market artwork through brochures, mailings, or Web sites.
- Study different techniques to learn how to apply them to artistic endeavors.
Concentrations within Fine and Studio Arts
Specializations under this field (NCES CIP 2020).
- Art/Art Studies, GeneralCIP 50.0701
A general program that focuses on the introductory study and appreciation of the visual arts
- Fine/Studio Arts, GeneralCIP 50.0702
A program that prepares individuals to generally function as creative artists in the visual and plastic media
- Art History, Criticism and ConservationCIP 50.0703
A program that focuses on the study of the historical development of art as social and intellectual phenomenon, the analysis of works of art, and art conservation
- DrawingCIP 50.0705
A program that prepares individuals creatively and technically to express emotions, ideas, or inner visions through representation by lines made on a surface
- Intermedia/MultimediaCIP 50.0706
A program that prepares individuals creatively and technically to express emotions, ideas, or inner visions in either two or three dimensions, through simultaneous use of a variety of materials and me
- PaintingCIP 50.0708
A program that prepares individuals creatively and technically to express emotions, ideas, or inner visions by the application of paints and related chemical color substances to canvases or other mate
- SculptureCIP 50.0709
A program that prepares individuals creatively and technically to express emotions, ideas, or inner visions by creating three-dimensional art works
- PrintmakingCIP 50.0710
A program that prepares individuals creatively and technically to express emotions, ideas, or inner visions by rendering art concepts onto surfaces and transferring images, via ink or dyes, onto paper
- Ceramic Arts and CeramicsCIP 50.0711
A program that prepares individuals creatively and technically to express emotions, ideas, or inner visions by producing art works out of clay and similar materials
- Fiber, Textile and Weaving ArtsCIP 50.0712
A program that prepares individuals creatively and technically to express emotions, ideas, or inner visions by constructing art works from woven or non-woven fabrics and fibrous materials
- Jewelry ArtsCIP 50.0713
A program that prepares individuals creatively and technically to express emotions, ideas, or inner visions by fashioning jewelry from gems, other stones, and precious metals
- Metal ArtsCIP 50.0714
A program that focuses on the development of individual artistic expression and technical skills necessary for fabricating refined metal works
Common questions
What specializations are available in this program?+
Specializations include Art/Art Studies, Fine/Studio Arts, Art History, Drawing, Intermedia/Multimedia, Painting, Sculpture, and Printmaking.
What skills will I develop in the Fine and Studio Arts program?+
You will develop skills in critical thinking, active learning, communication, and various artistic techniques.
What is the job outlook for Fine and Studio Arts graduates?+
The job outlook shows a decline of 1.2%, with about 2,200 annual openings in the field.
What is the typical salary for careers in Fine and Studio Arts?+
The median wage for careers in this field is approximately $60,560.
How much do Fine and Studio Arts graduates earn?+
Fine and Studio Arts graduates report median earnings of $24,555 one year after graduation, per College Scorecard (2024); the Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators occupation pays about $73,150 on average nationally (BLS OEWS May 2025).
What is the CIP code for Fine and Studio Arts?+
Fine and Studio Arts maps to CIP 50.07 in the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP), the U.S. Department of Education taxonomy used for College Scorecard Field of Study earnings and IPEDS completions.
About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
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