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Home › Prospective Students › Careers in Art

Careers in Art

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH AN ART MAJOR?

I can’t tell you how often I get this question. It is passion that draws us to the arts, and those who know that passion can’t imagine a world without it. However, the desire to pursue an education in the arts is often tempered by practical considerations. Images of the artist as isolated and destitute permeate our culture, and so it is hard to overcome the anxiety that this is what awaits us upon graduation.

However, there is good news! Despite what the cliches suggest, the data shows that those who pursue a major in the arts fare quite well. Their unemployment rate is almost the same as the average for those with a college education (about 4% — much lower than those without a college degree), and, what’s more interesting, their satisfaction with the careers they’ve chosen tends to be higher than those those from other majors.

Graduates from the School of Art here have gone onto a range of prominent careers. Below are a few examples.

However, it is worth keeping in mind that art majors acquire a set of highly desirable skills even if they move into a career outside the arts. For example, a prowess with visual communication (we live in a world where image is everything), creative problem solving, critical thinking, dealing effectively with ambiguity, problem solving through experimentation, inventing new ways to work within existing systems. In short, art majors possess the ability to take any given situation and look at it not for what it is, but what it could be. Any employer would put these qualities high on a list of things they look for in an employee, and these are all things that come second-nature to a student in the arts. In fact, in a recent survey of 1500 CEOs that was conducted by IBM, creativity was ranked as the #1 quality needed for successful leadership. Who better understands creativity than art majors?

Thus, it is no surprise to learn that our graduates have seen great success in careers outside the arts as well as inside.

So when asked what you can do with an art major, the true answer is simple: anything you want.
– Colin Blakely, Director, School of Art

Jobs in the arts our alumni hold:

  • Art Director/Coordinator
  • K-12 Art Teacher
  • Art History Educator
  • Visual Arts Educator
  • Exhibition Curator
  • Freelance Artist
  • Freelance Designer
  • Freelance Illustrator
  • Interior Designer
  • Marketing Communications Manager
  • Multimedia Specialist
  • Marketing Communications Manager
  • Museum Education Specialist
  • Museum Director
  • Museum Registrar
  • Museum Preparator
  • Photographer
  • Photography Technician
  • Strategic Design Manager
  • Tattoo Artist
  • Videographer

Jobs outside the arts our alumni hold:

  • Editorial Assistant
  • Event Planner
  • Forester
  • Freelance Writer
  • Lawyer
  • Merchandising Specialist
  • Office Manager
  • Sales Professional
  • Software Developer
  • Summer Camp Director
  • Talent Agent
  • Technical Publications Specialist
  • University Administrator
  • Web Developer

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University of Arizona School of Art
1 week ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Check out our September newsletter — conta.cc/3LlzXRt — featuring the VASE Lecture series lineup for 2023-24; a border project by Mellon recipient and MFA candidate Nathan Cordova; Assistant Prof. Jeehey Kim's new groundbreaking book, "Photography and Korea" ... and more. Arizona Arts The University of Arizona Arizona Alumni ... See MoreSee Less

Check out our September newsletter — https://conta.cc/3LlzXRt — featuring the VASE Lecture series lineup for 2023-24; a border project by Mellon recipient and MFA candidate Nathan Cordova; Assistant Prof. Jeehey Kims new groundbreaking book, Photography and Korea ... and more. Arizona Arts The University of Arizona Arizona Alumni
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University of Arizona School of Art
1 week ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Meet Nathan Cordova, an MFA candidate in the school’s nationally ranked Photography, Video and Imaging program, who's hard at work on his "Ghosts and Shadows" audio/visual project for the Mellon-Fronteridades Graduate Fellowship. Not only is Nathan interviewing his labor-activist uncle, but the grad student also is curious about "the way I’ve proposed to engage with the agency of the material that comprises a lot of the border wall.” tinyurl.com/388tydke Arizona Arts Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry The University of Arizona Mellon Foundation Society for Photographic Education University of Arizona Museum of Art Center for Creative Photography University of Arizona Center for Latin American Studies ... See MoreSee Less

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Mellon recipient Cordova hopes art project adds to border discourse – School of Art

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Mellon recipient Cordova hopes art project adds to border discourse September 13, 2023 By Michael Chesnick School of Art As part of his fellowship to study and interpret the U.S.-Mexico border, Nathan...
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University of Arizona School of Art
2 weeks ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Way to go, Ricardo! ... See MoreSee Less

Way to go, Ricardo!Image attachmentImage attachment
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Ricardo also is a Tyson Scholar in American Art for the fall 2023 semester at the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. art.arizona.edu/news/phd-candidate-chavez-named-tyson-scholar/

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University of Arizona School of Art
2 weeks ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Thanks to all the students, faculty, staff and volunteers who made yesterday's ArtCats Welcome a huge success! More than 150 people attended the event, which included a screen print demo with cool tote bags, shaved ice and prizes outside The University of Arizona School of Music and an orientation for new majors inside Holsclaw Hall. Arizona Arts The University of Arizona ... See MoreSee Less

Thanks to all the students, faculty, staff and volunteers who made yesterdays ArtCats Welcome a huge success! More than 150 people attended the event, which included a screen print demo with cool tote bags, shaved ice and prizes outside The University of Arizona School of Music and an orientation for new majors inside Holsclaw Hall. Arizona Arts The University of ArizonaImage attachmentImage attachment+Image attachment
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🎨🖌️🖼️

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University of Arizona School of Art
2 weeks ago
University of Arizona School of Art

On Sept. 14, don't miss “Untangled Shadows,” featuring renowned artist Jim Campbell. His digital installation blending light, motion and nature is part of the El Mirador Project, a UArizona Health Sciences visionary public arts program that recognizes the transformative power of art in the education and training of compassionate health care professionals. Register below for the free presentation! ... See MoreSee Less

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University of Arizona School of Art
2 weeks ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Congrats to Associate Professor Joseph Farbrook, whose solo exhibition opens tomorrow at the University of Texas at Arlington (Dallas). "A Mirror in the Void – Reflections of Consciousness" features 21 of his new works of new media, video sculptures, VR and an immersive 4-channel video projection room. The reception is Friday, and the show runs until Oct. 7. ... See MoreSee Less

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Joseph Farbrook: A Mirror in the Void – Reflections of Consciousness – The GALLERY

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Joseph Farbrook: A Mirror in the Void – Reflections of Consciousness September 7th – October 7th, 2023 Gallery Talk: Thursday, September 7th from 12:30 to 1:30 PM Reception: Friday, September 8th ...
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Tucson, AZ 85721-0002

Email: artinfo@cfa.arizona.edu

Phone: 520.621.7570

Fax: 520.621.2955


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College of Fine Arts

P.O. BOX 210004
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Email: finearts@cfa.arizona.edu

Phone: 520.621.1302

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