Department of Art

Jumpstart your art career

The Department of Art will prepare you for careers in a variety of exciting creative fields, including animation and game design; advertising and graphic and web design; photography, film, and video; certified art education; fine artistry and arts advocacy in galleries and museums; and textile and wallpaper design. Here are some key national statistics for art careers from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and PayScale.

Starting Salary
$38,689-$47,608

Average Starting Salaries in Art Fields (NACE)

Noteworthy Art Jobs and Mid-Career Salaries (PayScale)

Creative Director $98,500 Design Manager $91,100 Visual Designer $74,500 Art Director $97,270 Industrial Designer $71,640 3D Artist/Technical Illustrator $74,100
Six months out of graduation
82%

Alumni in communication and art employed or in graduate school within 6 months after graduation

Get Prepared to Succeed

Our art programs provide students with hands-on experiences through internships, exhibitions, study abroad, and publications opportunities that translate into real world employment and success. Students benefit from advanced facilities including cutting-edge studios and labs for animation and game design, photography, printmaking, painting, drawing, sculpture, and ceramics. Our Center for New Art features a lab where students can use 3D printers and giant carving robots to create life-size artwork.

What You'll Learn

In the art programs, students learn in-demand skills that employers have identified as critical for job candidates, including:

  • Knowledge of professional standards of art practice
  • Use of visual arts resources for research, analysis, and application
  • Technical communication skills
  • The ability to work both independently and collaboratively to solve complex visual/conceptual problems

Key Skills for
Careers in Art

as indicated by Employers
and Alumni on LinkedIn

Adobe Creative Suite

Creativity

Customer Service

Digital Fluency

Graphic Design

Illustration

Written/Oral Communication

*LinkedIn Workplace
Learning Report 2021