Visual and Performing Arts

Visual and Performing Arts, General

Focuses on the visual and performing arts and that may prepare individuals in any of the visual artistic media or performing disciplines.

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Inside the major

Programs within this field

Colleges may offer this field under a more specific program name. The program you choose affects the courses you take.

Digital Arts: Focuses on the use of computerized digital images as the primary medium of expression in the visual and performing arts, and that may prepare individuals for a wide variety of careers using new media, including graphic design, digital animation, motion graphics, 3D visualization, game and interactive media design, music and sound design, video production, web design, photography, and other fields.

Where it can lead

Careers this field can lead to

Explore related careers, starting with the closest connections and the occupations hiring the most people.

Shrinking

Photographers

Median pay: $44,660
Hiring change through 2035: −0.7%
Job openings a year: 10,700

To get hiredHigh school diploma or equivalent

Explore this career Growing with the economy

Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary

Median pay: $78,620
Hiring change through 2035: 2.2%
Job openings a year: 8,000

To get hiredMaster's degree

Explore this career Shrinking

Graphic Designers

Median pay: $62,960
Hiring change through 2035: −1.7%
Job openings a year: 16,000

To get hiredBachelor's degree

Explore this career Growing with the economy

Art Directors

Median pay: $114,850
Hiring change through 2035: 4.2%
Job openings a year: 12,200

To get hiredBachelor's degree

Explore this career Shrinking

Special Effects Artists and Animators

Median pay: $102,030
Hiring change through 2035: −0.3%
Job openings a year: 4,200

To get hiredBachelor's degree

Explore this career Growing with the economy

Artists and Related Workers, All Other

Median pay: $71,240
Hiring change through 2035: 2.0%
Job openings a year: 1,100

To get hiredNo formal educational credential

Explore this career Shrinking

Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators

Median pay: $55,490
Hiring change through 2035: −2.9%
Job openings a year: 2,200

To get hiredBachelor's degree

Explore this career Growing with the economy

Craft Artists

Median pay: $46,080
Hiring change through 2035: 2.0%
Job openings a year: 1,000

To get hiredNo formal educational credential

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All work is projected to grow 3.5% between 2025 and 2035; read every hiring-change figure against it. The figures beside each career are the pay of that work, across everyone doing it. Graduates of this field earn $23,950 one year after completing the program, which is the start of a career rather than the shape of one.

Working style

How and where the work happens

Related careers can feel very different from one another. Compare the specific occupations to understand the work each one involves.

0%of related openings involve substantial in-person or active work

Few of the careers connected to this field are measured as substantially in-person or active work. Compare the specific occupations to see how much time each one involves with people, equipment, and movement.

College options

Where to study it

Ordered by how many degrees each college awards in this field. Sort by any numbered column.

College	Degrees a year	Earnings, first year out	Admit rate	Average annual cost after aid
University of Central Florida FL	423	$28,892	40%	$10,000
The University of Texas at Dallas TX	353	$30,784	65%	$14,000
George Mason University VA	140	$26,808	89%	$15,000
The University of Texas at Austin TX	97	$32,207	29%	$17,000
California State University-San Marcos CA	76	$25,472	96%	$9,000
Kennesaw State University GA	69	$23,974	69%	$15,000
University of Kentucky KY	68	—	92%	$16,000
University of Florida FL	63	$30,849	24%	$7,000
University of California-San Diego CA	62	$22,195	25%	$10,000
Wichita State University KS	59	$16,757	95%	$14,000
Florida International University FL	56	—	59%	$11,000
Champlain College VT	51	$21,457	67%	$34,000
Mississippi State University MS	48	$25,314	76%	$19,000
SUNY Oneonta NY	44	$29,019	70%	$19,000
University of Colorado Colorado Springs CO	41	$22,153	97%	$12,000
Christopher Newport University VA	40	$19,983	88%	$14,000
University of Southern California CA	39	$18,394	10%	$20,000
University of Missouri-Columbia MO	39	—	77%	$14,000
Stetson University FL	38	$23,950	86%	$17,000
Florida Gulf Coast University FL	38	—	77%	$11,000
Southeast Missouri State University MO	37	$21,440	79%	$15,000
State University of New York at New Paltz NY	34	$28,650	59%	$20,000
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania PA	33	—	95%	$19,000
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater WI	33	$28,110	83%	$11,000
Stockton University NJ	30	—	88%	$19,000
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus OH	30	$20,360	81%	$22,000
University of Houston-Downtown TX	29	$21,332	91%	$11,000
Bennington College VT	29	$14,867	48%	$22,000
Longwood University VA	28	—	85%	$16,000
University of North Carolina Asheville NC	27	$19,487	94%	$12,000
Elmhurst University IL	26	—	76%	$23,000
Harvard University MA	26	—	3%	$2,000
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth MA	26	$23,715	92%	$18,000
New Mexico State University-Main Campus NM	25	$20,160	76%	$10,000
SUNY at Purchase College NY	23	—	73%	$20,000
SUNY Old Westbury NY	23	—	85%	$14,000
University of Nebraska-Lincoln NE	22	—	77%	$15,000
Ramapo College of New Jersey NJ	22	—	73%	$18,000
Marshall University WV	22	—	96%	$7,000
University of Wisconsin-Stout WI	21	$25,267	85%	$13,000

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