Best Jobs For Art Majors by Salary Potential
An art degree can help you find a great job if you choose your career path wisely. Find out which common careers art majors flock to.
| Rank | Job Title | Most Common Major | % Workers with Major | Mid-Career Pay | % High Job Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank:1 | Job Title:Creative Director | Most Common Major:Graphic Design | % Workers with Major:36% | Mid-Career Pay:$98,500 | % High Job Meaning:41% |
| Rank:2 | Job Title:Design Director, Interior Design | Most Common Major:Interior Design | % Workers with Major:76% | Mid-Career Pay:$95,200 | % High Job Meaning:68% |
| Rank:3 | Job Title:Design Manager | Most Common Major:Graphic Design | % Workers with Major:27% | Mid-Career Pay:$91,100 | % High Job Meaning:48% |
| Rank:4 | Job Title:Visual Designer | Most Common Major:Graphic Design | % Workers with Major:46% | Mid-Career Pay:$74,500 | % High Job Meaning:50% |
| Rank:5 | Job Title:User Interface Designer | Most Common Major:Graphic Design | % Workers with Major:42% | Mid-Career Pay:$74,200 | % High Job Meaning:52% |
| Rank:5 | Job Title:Art Director | Most Common Major:Graphic Design | % Workers with Major:41% | Mid-Career Pay:$74,200 | % High Job Meaning:29% |
| Rank:6 | Job Title:Interactive Designer | Most Common Major:Graphic Design | % Workers with Major:38% | Mid-Career Pay:$73,500 | % High Job Meaning:- |
| Rank:7 | Job Title:Freelance Graphic Designer | Most Common Major:Graphic Design | % Workers with Major:49% | Mid-Career Pay:$73,200 | % High Job Meaning:- |
| Rank:8 | Job Title:Fashion Designer | Most Common Major:Fashion Design | % Workers with Major:62% | Mid-Career Pay:$72,300 | % High Job Meaning:18% |
| Rank:9 | Job Title:Commercial or Industrial Designer | Most Common Major:Industrial Design (ID) | % Workers with Major:81% | Mid-Career Pay:$71,700 | % High Job Meaning:40% |
| Rank:10 | Job Title:Technical Designer, Apparel | Most Common Major:Fashion Design | % Workers with Major:58% | Mid-Career Pay:$70,400 | % High Job Meaning:19% |
| Rank:11 | Job Title:Motion Graphic Designer | Most Common Major:Graphic Design | % Workers with Major:22% | Mid-Career Pay:$70,100 | % High Job Meaning:28% |
| Rank:12 | Job Title:3d Artist | Most Common Major:Game Art & Design | % Workers with Major:14% | Mid-Career Pay:$69,000 | % High Job Meaning:28% |
| Rank:12 | Job Title:Project Manager, Interior Design | Most Common Major:Interior Design | % Workers with Major:84% | Mid-Career Pay:$69,000 | % High Job Meaning:50% |
| Rank:13 | Job Title:Animator | Most Common Major:Animation | % Workers with Major:26% | Mid-Career Pay:$67,700 | % High Job Meaning:33% |
| Rank:14 | Job Title:Graphic Design Manager | Most Common Major:Graphic Design | % Workers with Major:49% | Mid-Career Pay:$64,500 | % High Job Meaning:44% |
| Rank:15 | Job Title:Textile Designer | Most Common Major:Textile Design | % Workers with Major:19% | Mid-Career Pay:$64,100 | % High Job Meaning:- |
| Rank:16 | Job Title:Illustrator | Most Common Major:Illustration | % Workers with Major:42% | Mid-Career Pay:$63,200 | % High Job Meaning:- |
| Rank:17 | Job Title:Production Designer | Most Common Major:Graphic Design | % Workers with Major:41% | Mid-Career Pay:$61,500 | % High Job Meaning:37% |
| Rank:18 | Job Title:Digital Designer | Most Common Major:Graphic Design | % Workers with Major:42% | Mid-Career Pay:$59,500 | % High Job Meaning:31% |
| Rank:19 | Job Title:Interior Designer | Most Common Major:Interior Design | % Workers with Major:89% | Mid-Career Pay:$58,300 | % High Job Meaning:54% |
| Rank:20 | Job Title:Graphic Designer, Web | Most Common Major:Graphic Design | % Workers with Major:50% | Mid-Career Pay:$57,400 | % High Job Meaning:31% |
| Rank:21 | Job Title:Retoucher | Most Common Major:Photography | % Workers with Major:60% | Mid-Career Pay:$57,000 | % High Job Meaning:18% |
| Rank:22 | Job Title:Film / Video Editor | Most Common Major:Film, Video & Media Studies | % Workers with Major:33% | Mid-Career Pay:$54,400 | % High Job Meaning:31% |
| Rank:23 | Job Title:Lead Graphic Designer | Most Common Major:Graphic Design | % Workers with Major:57% | Mid-Career Pay:$52,800 | % High Job Meaning:31% |
Students who major in the arts certainly know how to follow their muse, but what jobs can they get with their degree after college is over? This list of top creative jobs shows that an art degree can lead you to a profitable career path.
If you can leverage your art degree to make it to the executive table, you can earn a pretty penny. Roughly twenty-five percent of Vice Presidents of Creative Services hold a bachelor’s degree in media studies, and the typical median salary for this career is comfortably in the six figures.
Not surprisingly, marrying artistic talent with some STEM skills to land a position in tech as a User Experience Manager will net you a salary in the six-figure range. About ten percent of UX Managers have bachelor’s degrees in graphic design. So learning a little computer programming while you study art can definitely up your worth.
Other popular, high-paying jobs for artists include Fashion Designers, Product Managers and, Directors of Advertising.