Career Development

You’re not afraid to break the mold, to ask the difficult questions. You may meet boundaries … but then you unflinchingly push past them. And you look for learning opportunities beyond the standard curricula. You’re a perfect candidate for internships and independent study; student and freelance jobs; and fellowships and residencies as you prepare for a career after graduation.

Career Development

Internships & Independent Study

Approved internships can qualify for academic credit, as learning by doing is what our students do best. Over half our majors participate in internships before they graduate. To find internship opportunities, talk to your Academic Advisor and make sure to check the “Student Newsletter” in your school email each week.

Once you’ve found the right position for you, submit the paperwork via Adobe Sign. Similarly, undergraduate and graduate art students can both qualify to earn academic credit by completing an independent study. You’ll need to propose your independent project to a professor, who must agree to supervise your work.

Read this story: “Internships give students insight into professional world

Local Internship Possibilities

School of Art students can find local internships at organizations or non-profits, such as:

  • African American Museum of Southern Arizona
  • Arizona Historical Society
  • Arizona State Museum
  • Asthma & Airway Disease Research Center (UAHS)
  • Ben’s Bells
  • Center for Creative Photography
  • Coit Museum of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
  • Darkroom at the School of Art
  • Digital Print Studio at the School of Art
  • Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium
  • GeoDecor Fossil and Mineral Lab
  • Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research
  • LetterPress at the School of Art
  • Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures
  • Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
  • Museum of Optics, College of Optical Science
  • Pay It Forward Tucson, Inc.
  • Remember When… Photography
  • Rialto Theatre
  • Sculpture Tucson
  • Silhouette Photography
  • Sonoran Institute
  • The Drawing Studio
  • Tucson Museum of Art
  • UA Biosphere 2
  • UA Campus Health
  • UA Campus Recreation
  • UA Digital Humanities
  • University of Arizona Athletics
  • University of Arizona International
  • University of Arizona Museum of Art
  • Western Archaeological Conservation Center (WACC)
  • Within Studio
Internship Credit

For Internships: We will be using Adobe Sign.

  1. Provide your supervisor’s name and email.
  2. Provide faculty sponsor’s name.
  3. Email Wilma Pinedo, wpinedo@arizona.edu with the information above and we will send you the form from Adobe Sign.
    • You will fill in the information for the student, when you have completed your information, submit it.
    • The form will be routed to your Supervisor, who will fill in their information, sign the document, then submit it. Your supervisor may also attach a job description at this point in the process.
    • After your supervisor has signed, the form will be routed to your faculty sponsor. They will sign before the form returns to Art Advising to be processed and added to your schedule.
  4. Be on the lookout for a confirmation email that the Internship has been added to your schedule. If you do not receive a confirmation email, then your internship has not been added to your schedule.

Credit hours: The student will earn one hour of academic credit for every 45 hours (3 hours per week) per semester of supervised work. Fall and spring semesters are each fifteen weeks. The usual number of hours is 9 hours of work per week per semester for 3 semester credit units. The maximum number of work hours that may be required is 270 per semester for six credit units.

*Summer Sessions are 5 weeks long; 1 credit unit would require 9 hours a week. 3 credit units would require 27 hours work per week.

Independent Study Credit

For Independent Studies: We will be using Adobe Sign.

  1. Provide your faculty member’s name and email.
  2. Email Wilma Pinedo, wpinedo@arizona.edu with the information above and we will send you the form from Adobe Sign.
    • You will fill in the information for the student; when you have completed your information, submit it.
    • The form will be routed to your faculty sponsor to sign.
    • They will sign before the form returns to Art Advising to be processed and added to your schedule.
  3. Be on the lookout for a confirmation email that the Independent Study has been added to your schedule. If you do not receive a confirmation email, then your Independent Study has not been added to your schedule.

Credit hours: The student will earn one hour of academic credit for every 45 hours (3 hours per week) per semester of supervised work. Fall and spring semesters are each fifteen weeks. The usual number of hours is 9 hours of work per week per semester for 3 semester credit units. The maximum number of work hours that may be required is 270 per semester for six credit units.

*Summer Sessions are 5 weeks long; 1 credit unit would require 9 hours a week. 3 credit units would require 27 hours work per week.

LinkedIn / Indeed

LinkedIn and Indeed are two other options in finding an internship. Students also can connect with alums and professionals on the School of Art LinkedIn page.

LinkedIn

How to search for an internship

More tips

Indeed

Complete guide to internships

Find internships

Student Jobs & Other Opportunities

The School of Art and the University of Arizona offer numerous employment opportunities for student workers through Handshake. In addition, students can apply for national/international fellowships, residencies and internships, and for national grants and scholarships.

Handshake

Handshake is a free online career hub that gives all students access to campus jobs, internship postings, career fair and employer events, employer pages with peer reviews, and more.

Gallery Praxis

Check out the school’s ongoing list of residencies, funding and resources — both locally and nationally.

National Fellowships, Residencies & Internships
Contests & Call for Artists

Career Advice

You can do almost anything with an art degree. Check out all the different jobs our alumni hold. And as you chart your career, here are some videos, PowerPoints and links to help find your way.

Student Development Series

The School of Art, in collaboration with the Art Advisory Board, launched a Student Development Series in spring 2023. Click on the presentations below:

• Life Lessons from Art Alumni: Zoom video

• Career Paths for Artists: Narrated PowerPoint

• Marketing for Artists: Narrated PowerPoint

• Working with Galleries: Audio and Resource Guide

• Legal Tools for Protecting Your Work: Powerpoint and Audio

Alumni Network

The School of Art has a network of alumni willing to talk to students. Join our School of Art LinkedIn page to connect with them, and learn more about their professional careers by clicking on:

Half Off Special

Half Off Special

Wilbur Dallas Fremont
I fell down some stairs

I fell down some stairs

Lyle Emmerson Jr.
Tailgate Party

Tailgate Party

Roger Masterson
Floral Arrangement

Floral Arrangement

Janessa Southerland
What Do You See?

What Do You See?

Utvista Galiante