Best Artist programs in Tennessee, ranked by enrollment
All artists and related workers not listed.
36 schools in Tennessee run programs that feed this job, graduating 527 people a year. The job pays a median of $43,030 in Tennessee across about — jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Tennessee that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
6 programs in Tennessee that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Tennessee (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 Tennessee page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 50.0702In Tennessee → | 136 | 25.8% | 11 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 2 | CIP 50.0402In Tennessee → | 112 | 21.3% | 8 | $31,611 | $26,000 |
| 3 | CIP 50.0101In Tennessee → | 106 | 20.1% | 10 | $24,752 | $25,963 |
| 4 | CIP 50.0409In Tennessee → | 97 | 18.4% | 11 | $31,611 | $26,000 |
| 5 | CIP 50.0102In Tennessee → | 54 | 10.2% | 6 | $24,752 | $25,963 |
| 6 | CIP 50.0410In Tennessee → | 22 | 4.2% | 2 | $31,611 | $26,000 |
Top 25 schools in Tennessee
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 9 of the 36 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chattanooga State Community College Chattanooga, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 61 | Commercial and Advertising Art | $20,165 | 26% | — | — |
| 2 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 59 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $23,661 | 74% | — | 42% |
| 3 | Lipscomb University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 39 | Digital Arts | — | 72% | $24,309 | 68% |
| 4 | Volunteer State Community College Gallatin, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 38 | Digital Arts | — | 28% | — | — |
| 5 | Nossi College of Art and Design Nashville, TN Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 33 | Graphic Design | $24,497 | 42% | $24,474 | 46% |
| 6 | Pellissippi State Community College Knoxville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 29 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 31% | — | — |
| 7 | Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 29 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $19,231 | 58% | — | 76% |
| 8 | The University of Tennessee - Martin Martin, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 23 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | $25,660 | 53% | — | 88% |
| 9 | East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 21 | Graphic Design | $34,177 | 53% | — | 86% |
| 10 | Southwest Tennessee Community College Memphis, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 18 | Commercial and Advertising Art | — | 19% | — | — |
| 11 | Belmont University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 14 | Illustration | $28,702 | 71% | $29,246 | 95% |
| 12 | Lee University Cleveland, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $26,598 | 63% | $18,918 | 71% |
| 13 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Memphis Memphis, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Commercial and Advertising Art | — | 55% | — | — |
| 14 | Nashville State Community College Nashville, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 12 | Commercial and Advertising Art | $27,412 | 18% | — | — |
| 15 | Southern Adventist University Collegedale, TN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 12 | Graphic Design | — | 49% | $24,187 | 65% |
| 16 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Murfreesboro Murfreesboro, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Commercial and Advertising Art | — | 76% | — | — |
| 17 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 94% | $14,854 | 6% |
| 18 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Dickson Dickson, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Commercial and Advertising Art | — | 74% | — | — |
| 19 | Christian Brothers University Memphis, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 55% | $11,063 | 87% |
| 20 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology Crump Crump, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Commercial and Advertising Art | — | 63% | — | — |
| 21 | Carson - Newman University Jefferson City, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Graphic Design | — | 53% | $19,537 | 90% |
| 22 | Freed - Hardeman University Henderson, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Graphic Design | — | 71% | $19,418 | 60% |
| 23 | The University of the South Sewanee, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 80% | $21,573 | 57% |
| 24 | Union University Jackson, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | — | 66% | $25,882 | 60% |
| 25 | Walters State Community College Morristown, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 33% | — | — |
All 36 schools in Tennessee
Every school in Tennessee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga State Community College | Chattanooga | Public | 61 | 2 |
| The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville | Public | 59 | 2 |
| Lipscomb University | Nashville | Private not-for-profit | 39 | 3 |
| Volunteer State Community College | Gallatin | Public | 38 | 2 |
| Nossi College of Art and Design | Nashville | Private for-profit | 33 | 2 |
| Pellissippi State Community College | Knoxville | Public | 29 | 1 |
| Tennessee Technological University | Cookeville | Public | 29 | 1 |
| The University of Tennessee - Martin | Martin | Public | 23 | 1 |
| East Tennessee State University | Johnson City | Public | 21 | 2 |
| Southwest Tennessee Community College | Memphis | Public | 18 | 2 |
| Belmont University | Nashville | Private not-for-profit | 14 | 2 |
| Lee University | Cleveland | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 1 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Memphis | Memphis | Public | 13 | 1 |
| Nashville State Community College | Nashville | Public | 12 | 2 |
| Southern Adventist University | Collegedale | Private not-for-profit | 12 | 3 |
What artists and related workers, all other earn in Tennessee
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $71,240. Tennessee pays below the national figure.
Metro areas in Tennessee
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 Artists and Related Workers, All Other page.
How to become a Artist
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Tennessee
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 9 majors mapped to Artists and Related Workers, All Other9 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 50.0101Visual and Performing Arts, General
- 50.0102Digital Arts
- 50.0201Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry
- 50.0402Commercial and Advertising Art
- 50.0409Graphic Design
- 50.0410Illustration
- 50.0702Fine/Studio Arts, General
- 50.0799Fine Arts and Art Studies, Other
- 50.1101Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art
Common questions
Answers for people weighing artists and related workers, all other programs in Tennessee.
What degree do you need to become an 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 Fine/Studio Arts, General, which awarded 136 degrees in Tennessee in 2024-25, 25.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an Artist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Design and Applied Arts, Visual and Performing Arts, Fine and Studio Arts. Together they graduate about 527 people a year in Tennessee.
How much do artists and related workers, all other earn in Tennessee?+
The median is $43,030 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 39.6% below the U.S. median of $71,240. 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 artists and related workers, all other growing?+
BLS projects a +0.8% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 1,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Tennessee?+
36 institutions in Tennessee reported graduates from at least one of the 6 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.
Do you need training or experience beyond a degree?+
BLS lists 'None' for related work experience and 'Long-term on-the-job training' for on-the-job training typically needed to reach competency.
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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