Studio Art degree: salary, jobs & colleges
Bachelor's graduates in studio art earn a median $41,590 four years after finishing, across 420 U.S. colleges. At ages 25-34, people whose degree is in studio arts earn $42,453, $19,596 less than all bachelor's holders. The most common job is graphic designers (7%).
Median across 420 colleges; middle half $37,109–$45,656.
College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)
Middle half $25,249–$63,680. 1,339 survey respondents.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; field "Studio Arts"; EducationGuide calculation
- All bachelor's, 25-34$62,049
- High school, 25-34$35,638
- This degree vs high school+$6,815/yr
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school
Median across colleges reporting.
College Scorecard field of study
Jobs studio art graduates hold
What employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in studio arts actually do, with U.S. wages and the outlook for each job. The first column comes from the Census survey; wages and growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
| Job | Share of graduates | U.S. median wage | Jobs growth 2025-35 | Typical entry | Interests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphic Designers | 7% | $62,960 | -1.7% | Bachelor's degree | AC |
| Artists And Related Workers | 6% | $99,760 | +2.2% | — | — |
| Elementary And Middle School Teachers | 3% | $64,170 | -0.4% | — | — |
| First-Line Supervisors Of Retail Sales Workers | 3% | $48,520 | -3.7% | High school diploma or equivalent | ECS |
| Customer Service Representatives | 3% | $44,770 | -5.3% | High school diploma or equivalent | CES |
| Other Managers | 2% | — | — | — | — |
| Retail Salespersons | 2% | $35,410 | -0.3% | No formal educational credential | EC |
| Other Designers | 2% | — | — | — | — |
These 8 jobs account for 26% of employed graduates: people with this degree spread across many kinds of work.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, bachelor's as highest degree, employed); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35; O*NET 31.0 interest codes (R realistic, I investigative, A artistic, S social, E enterprising, C conventional).
Studio Art earnings by state
Two views of pay: recent graduates of the state's colleges four years out (College Scorecard), and everyone ages 25-34 living in the state with this field of degree (Census). States show a figure only with at least 3 colleges or 100 survey respondents.
| State | Graduates, 4 yrs (colleges) | Ages 25-34 (respondents) |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $39,550 (11) | — |
| Arizona | $41,265 (4) | — |
| Arkansas | $41,853 (5) | — |
| California | $42,886 (34) | $40,824 (179) |
| Colorado | $41,900 (8) | — |
| Connecticut | $50,952 (12) | — |
| Florida | $41,067 (11) | — |
| Georgia | $40,870 (12) | — |
| Illinois | $42,050 (12) | — |
| Indiana | $40,146 (8) | — |
| Iowa | $40,288 (3) | — |
| Kansas | $37,980 (6) | — |
| Kentucky | $38,192 (9) | — |
| Louisiana | $38,054 (6) | — |
| Maine | $43,514 (3) | — |
| Maryland | $44,442 (9) | — |
| Massachusetts | $43,248 (19) | — |
| Michigan | $40,703 (12) | — |
| Minnesota | $44,568 (8) | — |
| Missouri | $40,386 (9) | — |
| Nebraska | $44,386 (3) | — |
| New Hampshire | $46,850 (5) | — |
| New Jersey | $45,770 (12) | — |
| New York | $43,786 (34) | $48,598 (143) |
| North Carolina | $41,722 (11) | — |
| Ohio | $36,603 (23) | — |
| Oklahoma | $38,298 (4) | — |
| Oregon | $41,745 (6) | — |
| Pennsylvania | $40,036 (21) | — |
| Rhode Island | $45,685 (6) | — |
| South Carolina | $36,007 (9) | — |
| Tennessee | $37,293 (9) | — |
| Texas | $42,608 (20) | — |
| Utah | $40,938 (4) | — |
| Virginia | $46,308 (9) | — |
| Washington | $43,032 (7) | — |
| West Virginia | $38,452 (4) | — |
| Wisconsin | $42,883 (14) | — |
College Scorecard field of study (median of each college's graduates); Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; EducationGuide calculations.
Colleges where studio art graduates earn the most
In the states we cover so far (Florida, Virginia, California): 23 in Florida, 31 in Virginia, 65 in California offer this major. Open a college to see cost to finish and payback for your income.
| # | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Southern CaliforniaCA | $72,428 | $21,125 |
| 2 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoCA | $59,721 | $19,198 |
| 3 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityVA | $58,652 | $26,323 |
| 4 | Loyola Marymount UniversityCA | $58,468 | $23,600 |
| 5 | Bridgewater CollegeVA | $54,910 | — |
| 6 | University of VirginiaVA | $54,579 | $19,500 |
| 7 | James Madison UniversityVA | $54,093 | $23,001 |
| 8 | University of California-BerkeleyCA | $51,699 | $13,254 |
| 9 | University of California-San DiegoCA | $48,506 | $15,218 |
| 10 | Biola UniversityCA | $47,596 | $27,000 |
| 11 | University of Central FloridaFL | $46,779 | $22,036 |
| 12 | Florida Atlantic UniversityFL | $46,606 | $14,750 |
College Scorecard field of study. Colleges meeting our core-data standard; online campuses left out.
Related degrees
Studio Art degree questions
How much do Studio Art graduates make?
Studio Art graduates earn a median $41,590 four years after finishing, across 420 U.S. colleges that report it (the middle half of colleges: $37,109 to $45,656; College Scorecard, graduates who received federal aid). Among all workers ages 25-34 whose bachelor's degree is in studio arts, the median is $42,453 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is a Studio Art degree worth it?
At ages 25-34, people with a bachelor's in studio arts earn a median $42,453: $19,596 less than all bachelor's degree holders ($62,049) and $6,815 more than high school graduates ($35,638). EducationGuide calculation from Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school.
What jobs do Studio Art graduates get?
Among employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in studio arts, the most common jobs are graphic designers (7%), artists and related workers (6%), elementary and middle school teachers (3%). Graphic Designers earn a U.S. median $62,960.
How much do Studio Art graduates earn in Florida?
Across 11 Florida colleges reporting, Studio Art graduates earn a median $41,067 four years after graduating.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey microdata; Bureau of Labor Statistics; O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all degrees
Cite this: “Studio Art degree: salary, jobs and colleges,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/degrees/studio-art.