Media & Creative

What Can You Do With a Fine Arts Degree?

Develop artistic craft and a portfolio across studio and visual disciplines. Graduates earn a median $45,000 early in their careers and $72,000 by mid-career. We track 11 careers that a Fine Arts degree commonly leads to, with median pay from $44,660 to $114,850 depending on the role and how far you take it.

How these numbers work: A major does not have its own salary. Early and mid-career pay is what people who hold this degree earn at the start of their careers and midway through them. Career pay comes from the 11 careers a Fine Arts degree commonly leads to, and counts everyone in those jobs, including people who have been doing them for thirty years. The two answer different questions, which is why they do not match.

Careers this major leads to

Art Director$114,850 median · About average Animator / Special Effects Artist$102,030 median · Slower than average Industrial Designer$83,910 median · About average Fashion Designer$80,960 median · Slower than average Set / Exhibit Designer$75,240 median · Slower than average Interior Designer$67,190 median · About average Curator$63,420 median · Much faster than average Graphic Designer$62,960 median · Slower than average Fine Artist / Illustrator$55,490 median · Declining Museum Technician / Conservator$51,440 median · Faster than average Photographer$44,660 median · Slower than average

Frequently asked questions

What can you do with a Fine Arts degree?

A Fine Arts degree commonly leads to 11 careers we track, including Art Director, Animator / Special Effects Artist, and Industrial Designer. Graduates earn a median $45,000 early in their careers.

How much do Fine Arts majors make?

Graduates with a Fine Arts degree earn a median of $45,000 a year early in their careers, and $72,000 by mid-career (Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 2024 data).

What jobs can a Fine Arts major get?

Common roles include Art Director, Animator / Special Effects Artist, Industrial Designer, and Fashion Designer. Art Director is among the higher-paying, at $114,850 median.

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Is Fine Arts right for you?

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Where these pay figures come from

Early and mid-career pay is the median annual wage of full-time workers who hold a bachelor's degree in that major, ages 22 to 27 and ages 35 to 45, from 2024 data. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (IPUMS). Published as Outcomes by Major by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).

All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.

Job-growth figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).