Major · Visual & Performing Arts

A broad arts foundation before you specialize

Visual and Performing Arts, General is the umbrella entry point into the arts family. It samples studio, design, and performance work without locking you into a discipline. Useful as a stepping stone, less useful as a standalone credential employers hire from.

Schools offering: 333
Annual completions: 2,952
Typical degree level: Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr): $41k

About this major

Visual and Performing Arts, General (CIP 50.0101) is the broad-umbrella code for the arts family. The federal definition describes it as a general, undifferentiated program covering visual artistic media or performing disciplines, and that wording matters: the major is built to introduce, not to specialize. Coursework typically rotates students through drawing, design fundamentals, art history, performance basics, and digital media before any one studio takes over. Many programs use the credential as a transfer or exploration track, which is why 333 colleges offer it and only 2,952 students completed it in the most recent IPEDS cycle — small numbers compared with named specialties like Fine/Studio Arts (10,217 completions) or Graphic Design (7,841). The fit is students who know they want to work in the arts but have not yet chosen between studio practice, design, performance, or arts administration. It also fits transfer-bound community college students who plan to declare a focus after the associate’s. The honest data point: median earnings five years out are about $41,108, with associate’s holders near $33,400 and bachelor’s holders near $42,200. That spread is consistent with a credential whose graduates split into many downstream paths rather than one labor market.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation	Median wage	Job growth	Typical education
Photographers	$43k	+1.8%	High school diploma or equivalent
Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary	$80k	+1.7%	Master's degree
Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators	$61k	-1.2%	Bachelor's degree
Artists and related workers, all other	$73k	+0.8%	No formal educational credential
Craft artists	$38k	+2.1%	No formal educational credential

Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$41k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$33k

Bachelor's

$42k

Who this major is for

Green flags first. The major works for students who want a structured way to sample disciplines before committing — a year or two of foundations across studio, design, and performance can clarify which lane fits. It also works for community college students using the associate’s as a transfer credential into a focused bachelor’s in graphic design, illustration, or fine arts; the $33,400 associate’s earnings figure reflects how many graduates stop there, but the transfer route is where the credential earns its keep. Programs that pair the General code with a portfolio-building requirement tend to produce graduates whose outcomes look more like the named specialty data than the umbrella average.

Red flags. If your program does not require you to declare a concentration by junior year, you risk graduating with a transcript that reads as exploratory rather than specialist — and arts employers hire on portfolio evidence and specific software or technique fluency. The flat-to-negative job growth across linked SOC roles (photographers at 1.8 percent, fine artists at minus 1.2 percent) is not the real obstacle; competition is. If you are price-sensitive, the $41,108 median earnings figure should be weighed against total cost, especially at private four-year programs where debt can outpace early-career pay.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Visual and Performing Arts, General

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College	Location	Assoc.	Bach.	Total
George Mason University	Fairfax, VA	0	138	138
Victor Valley College	Victorville, CA	84	0	84
San Jacinto Community College	Pasadena, TX	80	0	80
California State University-San Marcos	San Marcos, CA	0	80	80
Connecticut State Community College	New Britain, CT	66	0	66
University of California-San Diego	La Jolla, CA	0	61	61
Southeast Missouri State University	Cape Girardeau, MO	0	58	58
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College	Perkinston, MS	56	0	56
Fullerton College	Fullerton, CA	54	0	54
Bloomfield College of Montclair State University	Bloomfield, NJ	0	52	52

Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Art/Art Studies, General

13,626 completions/yr

Fine/Studio Arts, General

10,217 completions/yr

Graphic Design

7,841 completions/yr

Design and Visual Communications, General

4,248 completions/yr

Digital Arts

3,323 completions/yr

Illustration

2,816 completions/yr

Photography

1,496 completions/yr

Intermedia/Multimedia

679 completions/yr

Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

Is this an associate’s or a bachelor’s major?

Both. IPEDS shows 333 colleges award this credential, with associate’s graduates earning a median of about $33,400 five years out and bachelor’s graduates earning roughly $42,200. The associate’s version is often used as a transfer pathway into a four-year arts program rather than a terminal degree.

How is this different from Fine/Studio Arts or Graphic Design?

Fine/Studio Arts (CIP 50.0702) and Graphic Design (CIP 50.0409) commit you to a discipline with a focused portfolio. The General code is intentionally undifferentiated, which keeps your options open but signals less specialization to employers who hire on skill stack.

What jobs do graduates actually land?

The umbrella SOC roles tied to this CIP include photographers (median $42,520), fine artists ($60,560), craft artists ($38,480), and postsecondary arts teachers ($80,190, master’s required). Most graduates self-identify with their chosen specialty after picking one mid-program.

What is the median earnings outlook?

Five years post-graduation the median sits at about $41,108 across all degree levels. That figure trails most named arts specialties because the cohort mixes associate’s holders, career-changers, and bachelor’s graduates who never picked a discipline.

Should I pick this over a named arts major?

Pick it if your school uses it as a first-two-years exploration track and lets you concentrate later. Avoid it if your program ends without a portfolio focus, since employers in design, illustration, and studio work hire on specific skill evidence.

Is the job market growing?

BLS projects flat-to-slow growth across the linked roles — photographers at 1.8 percent, fine artists at minus 1.2 percent, craft artists at 2.1 percent. Even the higher growth corners of the arts are competitive enough that internships and a polished portfolio matter more than the headline percentage.