You CAN Make a Living With Your Art

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics¹, job prospects for those graduating with a degree in art could be even better than you think.

For example, the median annual pay for art directors (who oversee anything from magazines to product packaging to television, depending on their field) was over $100,000 in 2021. The number of available jobs for art directors is expected to increase 11% from 2020-2030. Jobs for special effects artists and animators in the media and entertainment fields are expected to grow 16% from 2020-2030, a rate that is much faster than the average for all occupations.

These are only a couple of examples of the careers that are open to graduates with an art degree. The skills art majors learn in college can open doors to the world of fine arts, commercial art, art therapy, and so much more:

• A student interested in commercial art — such as graphic design, animation, illustration, or web design — may end up working for large corporations, greeting card companies, department stores, manufacturing firms, or in the television or movie industry
• Those interested in the fine arts may find themselves working in an art studio, for a museum, or with a community organization.
• Art education majors may teach at the elementary, middle, or high school levels, or pursue graduate degrees in order to teach at the collegiate level

And these ideas only brush the surface of what artists can do!

Studying art at a Christian liberal arts university like Huntington University prepares students for numerous job possibilities and has an added benefit that other schools don’t offer. At HU, our art majors are educated in more than art courses alone; they also study complimentary areas such as history, language, religion, and communication. What they learn in these classes informs their work and broadens their potential areas of specialization.

Students at Huntington University are also encouraged to gain an apprenticeship or internship during their college career with a professional artist or organization, further building their professional skills in ways that make them marketable.

At Huntington University, we embrace the arts for their value — and the evidence shows that art degrees are quite valuable! Learn more about art programs at HU at huntington.edu/Art.

¹2022