Question 1

What do graduates from this concentration typically earn?

Accepted Answer

The median earnings across the Visual and Performing Arts family is about $50,800, but that number obscures a wide spread. Graphic designers earn a median of $61,300 and represent one of the more consistent commercial outcomes in the family. Producers and directors — the top career for Drama and Cinematography graduates — earn considerably more in the upper percentiles, but the role is competitive and the median hides high variance. Secondary school teachers, the top career for both Music General and Art/Art Studies graduates, earn a median of $64,580 with the added benefit of greater employment stability and geographic flexibility.

Question 2

Is Graphic Design a better ROI choice than Fine Arts or Studio Arts?

Accepted Answer

On a direct earnings-to-credential basis, yes. Graphic Design (7,841 completions, 567 colleges) connects graduates to graphic designer roles at a median of $61,300, a clearly defined commercial labor market with consistent hiring. Fine/Studio Arts, General (10,217 completions, 712 colleges) leads primarily to postsecondary teaching rather than studio careers, which means the earning potential is more tied to whether a graduate pursues graduate school and an academic position. Digital Arts (3,323 completions, 180 colleges) and Design and Visual Communications, General (4,248 completions, 254 colleges) both point toward the same graphic design labor market as the Graphic Design major itself. If commercial employment is the goal, the design-oriented majors offer a more direct path.

Question 3

Which majors in this family lead to the most stable employment?

Accepted Answer

Majors that feed into teaching offer the most employment stability. Art/Art Studies, General (13,626 completions at 836 colleges) and Music, General (7,606 completions at all 1,134 colleges in the data) both lead primarily to secondary school teacher roles, which pay a median of $64,580 and are distributed across every geographic market. Interior Design (254 colleges, 4,272 completions) connects to interior designer roles, a smaller but professionally credentialed labor market. Game and Interactive Media Design (147 colleges, 1,685 completions) is a newer and narrower major; its primary career is listed as postsecondary teachers, suggesting the pipeline is still largely academic.

Question 4

How does the reach of these majors vary across colleges?

Accepted Answer

Music, General is the most widely available major in the family, offered at all 1,134 colleges in the dataset. Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General follows at 978 colleges, and Art/Art Studies, General at 836. At the other end, niche majors are considerably more limited: Game and Interactive Media Design is available at only 147 colleges, Film/Cinema/Media Studies at 227, and Cinematography and Film/Video Production at 258. Students targeting film or game design programs should expect a meaningfully smaller set of institutions to choose from, which has implications for location flexibility, transfer options, and program selectivity.

Question 5

Should I pick a performance major or a design major if I want a creative career?

Accepted Answer

The choice depends on whether you want a commercial creative career or a performance-and-production career. Design majors — Graphic Design (567 colleges), Interior Design (254 colleges), and Digital Arts (180 colleges) — connect to client-facing roles with defined hiring cycles and a median graphic designer wage of $61,300. Performance majors like Drama (978 colleges) and Cinematography (258 colleges) lead toward producers and directors, a field where top earners are well above the median but entry is competitive and concentrated in specific markets. Music Performance (474 colleges) leads primarily to musicians and singers, a role with high variance in employment and earnings. Neither track is inherently better; they serve different definitions of a creative career.

Sorted by popularity

Art/Art Studies, General

Fine/Studio Arts, General

Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General

Graphic Design

Music, General

Cinematography and Film/Video Production

Film/Cinema/Media Studies

Interior Design

Design and Visual Communications, General

Music Performance, General

Digital Arts

Visual and Performing Arts, General

Illustration

Fashion/Apparel Design

Dance, General

Art History, Criticism and Conservation

Commercial and Advertising Art

Game and Interactive Media Design

Music Technology

Acting

Photography

Music Management

Film/Video and Photographic Arts, Other

Design and Applied Arts, Other

Industrial and Product Design

Musical Theatre

Music, Other

Music Theory and Composition

Technical Theatre/Theatre Design and Technology

Intermedia/Multimedia

Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, General

Visual and Performing Arts, Other

Fine and Studio Arts Management

Painting

Playwriting and Screenwriting

Commercial Photography

Fine Arts and Art Studies, Other

Jazz/Jazz Studies

Voice and Opera

Drawing

Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, Other

Stringed Instruments

Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other

Keyboard Instruments

Sculpture

Theatre/Theatre Arts Management

Theatre and Dance

Directing and Theatrical Production

Music History, Literature, and Theory

Printmaking

Music Pedagogy

Dance, Other

Ceramic Arts and Ceramics

Fiber, Textile and Weaving Arts

Jewelry Arts

Brass Instruments

Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry

Woodwind Instruments

Musicology and Ethnomusicology

Ballet

Sound Arts

Comedy Writing and Performance

Costume Design

Documentary Production

Percussion Instruments

Theatre Literature, History and Criticism

Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art

Metal Arts

Conducting

Common questions