Media & Creative
What you can do with Fine Arts
Develop artistic craft and a portfolio across studio and visual disciplines.
- Careers
- 11
- Early career
- $45,000
- Mid-career
- $72,000
- Growing fast
- 2 of 11
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.
2 of 11 careers this degree leads to are projected to grow faster than average from 2024 to 2034. Of those, Museum Technician / Conservator has the most openings, about 1,900 a year.
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11 careers this degree leads to
Art Director
$114,850Set the visual direction for brands, publications, and productions, leading designers to a unified look.
- Middle half of workers
- $82,480 to $162,640
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 12,300
Work-life62Remote64- Creative Direction
- Design Systems
- Team Leadership
- Client Presentation
Animator / Special Effects Artist
$102,030Create the animation and effects behind games, film, and advertising using digital tools and a strong visual eye.
- Middle half of workers
- $75,490 to $139,130
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 5,000
Work-life46Remote63- 3D Animation
- Visual Effects
- Storyboarding
- Creative Software
Industrial Designer
$83,910Design the physical products people use every day, balancing form, function, and manufacturability.
- Middle half of workers
- $66,450 to $109,050
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 2,500
Work-life38Remote63- Product Design
- CAD Modeling
- Prototyping
- User Research
Fashion Designer
$80,960Design original clothing and accessories, translating trends and ideas into wearable collections.
- Middle half of workers
- $51,940 to $106,470
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 2,300
Work-life46Remote63- Garment Design
- Pattern Making
- Trend Analysis
- Sketching
Set / Exhibit Designer
$75,240Design the sets for stage, film and television, and the exhibits in museums and trade shows.
- Middle half of workers
- $52,830 to $104,030
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 2,500
- Spatial Design
- Drafting
- Model Making
- Collaboration
Interior Designer
$67,190Plan, design, and furnish interior spaces of residential, commercial, or industrial buildings for functionality and aesthetics.
- Middle half of workers
- $51,840 to $85,740
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 7,800
Work-life65Remote50Satisfaction75- Space Planning
- Color and Material Selection
- CAD Software
- Building Codes
Curator
$63,420Build and care for museum collections, deciding what a community sees, learns, and preserves.
- Middle half of workers
- $48,870 to $83,080
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 1,800
Work-life63Remote68- Collection Management
- Exhibition Design
- Research
- Grant Writing
Graphic Designer
$62,960Create visual concepts to communicate ideas that inspire and inform consumers.
- Middle half of workers
- $49,040 to $81,830
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 20,000
Work-life72Remote82Satisfaction72- Adobe Creative Suite
- Typography
- Layout Design
- Color Theory
Fine Artist / Illustrator
$55,490Create original paintings, sculptures, drawings and illustrations for sale, commission and publication.
- Middle half of workers
- $37,560 to $83,200
- Growth
- Declining
- Openings a year
- 2,200
- Drawing
- Painting
- Composition
- Self-Promotion
Museum Technician / Conservator
$51,440Prepare, care for and restore objects and exhibits in museums, galleries and collections.
- Middle half of workers
- $41,050 to $67,640
- Growth
- Faster than average
- Openings a year
- 1,900
- Conservation Techniques
- Attention to Detail
- Research
- Manual Dexterity
Photographer
$44,660Make a living behind the camera, from portraits and events to commercial and editorial work.
- Middle half of workers
- $36,050 to $62,740
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 12,700
Work-life43Remote63- Photography
- Lighting
- Photo Editing
- Client Relationships
Related majors
Set on Fine Arts?
Save it as your major and PlanexAI will shape your dashboard, career matches, and study plan around it.
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.