Get Your Degree!

Get information on programs from our featured schools.

What is Fine Arts and Studio Arts?

Fine Arts and Studio Arts is a field of study emphasizing the professional education in the visual arts or performing arts.  A Bachelor of Fine Arts differs from a Bachelor of Arts in the United States in that the primary emphasis of a BFA is a studio component versus lectures more prominent in a BA degree program.  A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) will often be two-thirds studio time and one-third classroom discussion.  A BFA will often require a student to select an area of emphasis that may include the following:

  • Acting
  • Ceramics
  • Musical Theatre
  • Creative Writing
  • Computer Animation
  • Drawing
  • Dance
  • Dramatic Writing
  • Visual Effects
  • Film Production
  • Illustration
  • Graphic Arts
  • Interior Design
  • Music
  • Painting
  • Photography
  • Sculpture
  • Television Production

Career Summary

MEDIAN SALARY

$57,410

PERCENT ABOVE NATIONAL
INCOME AVERAGE

35.43%

TOTAL SECTOR EMPLOYMENT

11,520

Degree Median Salary vs Adjacent Degree Types

Source: BLS, US Census, and IPEDS

2024 Best Fine Arts and Studio Arts Degree

Harvard University offers an OFA’s Figure Drawing course which gives opportunity for students to get engaged in studio arts. They also have a Ceramics Program that provides instruction and studio space for ceramic art in a state-of-the-art facility in Allston. Some of Harvard’s undergraduate houses have spaces for print-making, photography, painting and more. All of these makes the Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies the home of a broad range of studio arts and other theoretical studies.

Acceptance Rate

4.64

Student to Faculty Ratio

7:1

The top ranked degree in fine arts at Yale University offers a rigorous course to provide enrolled students an experience in the visual arts as a preparation for professional work. They will be exposed in a variety of media as part of their liberal education and this will also make them ready for a graduate study. The 100-level courses give emphasis to the fundamental aspects of visual formulation as well as the articulation. While the courses from 200-499 provide an increasingly intensive level of study.

Acceptance Rate

6.08

Student to Faculty Ratio

6:1

BA in Fine Arts at the University of Pennsylvania is dedicated in facilitating an environment where potentialities of art are considered with regards to the real-life conditions of the students. They motivate the students to evaluate themselves against the rigors of artistic approaches along with their histories. They train their students to develop a complex set of skills that will enable them to creatively negotiate the ever-changing human experiences. This curriculum also gives their students the chance to thoroughly examine creative research and interactive design. 

Acceptance Rate

7.66

Student to Faculty Ratio

6:1

The Arts Institute at Stanford University offers interdisciplinary arts curricula as well as research programs. This Institute benefits from the wide-ranging resources that Stanford University has available to their enrolled student body.  It forges arts connections across the University while incubating new arts projects. They also conduct art events and actively support artists and cultural groups in the campus. 

Acceptance Rate

4.34

Student to Faculty Ratio

5:1

Art and Performing Art degree at Dartmouth College does not force their students to choose between technical skills or academic skills. They give their students both. Students here collaborate with their classmates as they create their own masterpiece. Students are motivated to explore the economic impacts of past’s great works to the present. The faculty in this program are deeply invested in developing the future critical thinkers and creative artists. 

Acceptance Rate

7.93

Student to Faculty Ratio

7:1

Bowdoin College offers a degree in Fine Arts where students are provided with better capacity for creative inquiry as well as a hands-on engagement as they experience direct observation of the world. They will know and examine the difference between knowing versus seeing. They will be encouraged to speak up, share their discoveries with one another. They will gain perceptual experiences which forms a liberal education for all students. They also teach the contributing factors that lead to a just and democratic society. 

Acceptance Rate

9.05

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

The engaging, thought-provoking classes in the Art Department at Pomona College are small, which enables their students to interact closely with their professors. They will be guided in creating a body of work which will reflect their interests as well as their ever-growing skills. As the students refine their artistry, it will lead them to the awareness of both contemporary and historical contexts. The facilities that Pomona college provides this department let the students work in a numerous variety of 2D and 3D forms. 

Acceptance Rate

7.4

Student to Faculty Ratio

7:1

There are two avenues of study at Swarthmore’s Art Department: Studio Art and Art History. Both of these studies develop basic skills of visual analysis to the conceptual frameworks needed for applying them across disciplines and professions. This department consists of a close-knit group of practitioners and historians of art. As a result, students are able to learn and create, and gain the skills necessary to succeed on their chosen path.

Acceptance Rate

8.93

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

The Department of Art at Cornell University, introduced a redesigned B.F.A. Curriculum in the beginning of fall in 2018. This curriculum is tailored for students who see themselves as artists and scholars. This curriculum paired intensive studio culture with enhanced access to electives in all areas of Cornell University. Their goal is to produce a community of artists that participate in the world as intellectual leaders. 

Acceptance Rate

10.85

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

The Department of Fine Arts at Vanderbilt University offers several opportunities for extracurricular activities in the arts. They even had a student who opened an art gallery. They also formed an art club that is called Viral Student Group. Since 1984, the department of art has proudly supervised the awarding of the Margaret Stonewall Wooldridge Hamblet Award to their eligible senior student.

Acceptance Rate

9.12

Student to Faculty Ratio

7:1

College of Studio Art at Washington University offers a BFA degree and BA degree in Arts. The student body in this University is composed of young people who have records of high achievement in art and design in academics. College of Art guarantees their students that they will receive comprehensive learning giving them the best environment where they’ll mature as an artist or designer. They will find opportunities to foster creativity and explore opportunities for careers. 

Acceptance Rate

13.85

Student to Faculty Ratio

7:1

University of Notre Dame prepares their students in contributing creatively to the social and cultural discourses which shape contemporary society through their Studio Art degree. Through a range of courses, this major fosters the growth and development of their students. They will develop aesthetic, critical and technical skills under this program. Students will be moved to explore a wide range of media to achieve their career objectives.

Acceptance Rate

15.83

Student to Faculty Ratio

10:1

You do not need talent to study Studio Art at Middlebury. According to Middlebury’s record, only 2/3 of those taking studio art courses are non-majors. Students that are admitted here came from all areas of the college and they also welcome joint-majors with other subjects. They promote the belief that students who give their best are worth teaching and that the brightest future belongs to those who put an effort in everything they do. 

Acceptance Rate

15.36

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

BFA in Art, BFA in Design and BA in Studio Art are all offered at the University of Southern California. BFA serves the essential theories and applied skills needed in pursuit of art- and design- related careers. They also provide an in-depth knowledge of art history. They also impart to their students how to acquire the ability to contextualize work within a broader framework. To see more details, you can visit the USC website or reach out to collect information from the admissions team. 

Acceptance Rate

11.42

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

The liberal arts curriculum found at Harvey Mudd College helps students think critically and broadly about the world around us.  The STEM-based studies offered at HMC helps students understand the inner workings of nature and science melded with human intervention.  Experiential learning plus research allow HMC students to better grasp the myriad components of society and impact the world in positive means.  Learn more about the Harvey Mudd majors today and see why their programs are highly regarded year over year.  The faculty at HMC developed a curriculum specifically for students interested in HAS (Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts). This program is designed to promote breadth of understanding and in-depth study of both disciplinary and interdisciplinary areas of special interest. Students who take HAS 10, attend a seminar that is geared in developing analytical and writing skills. The graduation requirement includes a minimum of 10 additional HAS courses. 

Acceptance Rate

13.67

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

The Studio Art Program at Washington and Lee University is a feature of the W & L curriculum that functions for almost sixty years. Through visual forms, this program leads a vibrant community of creators. Some of the techniques that they teach are the use of acrylic painting and mixed media materials. Students also learn from the original works of the faculty for exhibitions.

Acceptance Rate

18.57

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

Claremont Mckenna College offers students access to creative, art-based programs to help sharpen thinking and spur ideation.  CMC students have access to world-class faculty and resources that other students long to reach.  Students can leverage this right-brain thinking with areas of study such as engineering or computer science to enhance deep thinking across various disciplines.  To learn more about the courses offered at CMC, check out their primary portal today. 

Acceptance Rate

10.3

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

The art degree major at Hamilton College let their students create and learn in the new Center for Theatre and the Studio Arts. They will explore the significance that art holds in their personal lives. They will also have the ability to use art in expressing and communicating their ideas to others. During their experience in Hamilton, they will learn not to rely on their professors, they will be a critical thinker who can create and discuss art on their own.

Acceptance Rate

16.39

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

Art Practice at the University of California-Berkeley aims to impart knowledge about art histories and how its practices are adapted to the current understanding and forms. As their students generate and evaluate artistic works, they help them develop conceptual and critical skills. These skills that they will gain are part of ethical practices. All of these are done through professional and career development. 

Acceptance Rate

16.25

Student to Faculty Ratio

20:1

You can study graphic arts, studio arts or drawing architectural landmarks at Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. Since 1859, they have been providing courses designed for those who want to create something new or disrupt something old. They have always been putting effort in maintaining their tradition of outstanding courses for adults in its Department of Continuing Education. To know more about these courses you can visit their Studio Arts page on their official website.

Acceptance Rate

15.45

Student to Faculty Ratio

6:1

The top rated art department at Colby College offers an integrated curriculum of studio and art history courses. They put an effort to have their students engage in creative and artistic practices. Their students are also encouraged to think critically about the changing images of the world. The studio courses will move the students to express ideas and experiences as they create their original artworks. 

Acceptance Rate

9.67

Student to Faculty Ratio

10:1

The highly regarded art studio degree at Wesleyan University aims to make their students become fluent in visual language. Because fluency in that language will enable them to explore intellectual issues as well as human experiences. Students will search for a personal vision from basic studies in drawing through the studies of various media. This program strives to reflect the diversity of both technical and intellectual approaches.

Acceptance Rate

16.48

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

A highly respected studio Art major can be earned at Carleton College. The objective of this major is to develop creative abilities in their students. To make that possible, they provide all the tools needed and processes in art making. They combined hands-on technical skills and conceptual skills that are stressed out in all studio courses.

Acceptance Rate

19.13

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

Boston College offers qualifying students access to an exceptional studio art major program.  This major provides their students the opportunity to develop visual sensibility and historical understanding. The essential parts of the program include exploration of meaning and ideas by the things people make and awareness of the process of making. This undergraduate education’s integral part is the senior project that the students will create.

Acceptance Rate

27.22

Student to Faculty Ratio

13:1

The leading studio art degree program at Wellesley College provides opportunities for sustained creative investigation in drawing, printmaking, sculpture, painting, photography and video. Students will learn how to relate their studio research to various fields of inquiry in an aim to make unexpected unique connections between ideas, histories, images and materials. Students learn from active professional artists. Studio faculty members use a highly interactive and personally directed approach.

Acceptance Rate

21.56

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

Educational Requirements for Fine Arts Majors

In terms of educational requirements, Fine Arts and Studio Arts degree holders will have typically studied the following courses while in college:

Skills & Abilities Required for Studio Arts Majors

  1. Manual Dexterity
  2. Written Comprehension
  3. Speaking
  4. Speech Clarity
  5. Oral Expression
  6. Oral Comprehension
  7. Reading Comprehension
  8. Critical Thinking
  9. Active Listening
  10. Speech Recognition
Schools Other Students Requested Information From:

Employment Information & Art Specializations

For students that earn a college degree in Fine Arts and Studio Arts, there are several fields of specialization that one can pursue. The options range from art directors, fine artists, fashion designers, industrial designers, multimedia artists, interior designer, and animators to name a few possible career tracks.

Job Growth, Salary, and Related Artistic Fields

The job growth in the greater Fine Arts and Studio Arts domain are steady to thriving depending on the industry selected. For example, the rate of job growth for animator is expected to rise 6% through 2024 and graphic designers will remain steady during the same period. Given the broad nature of the Fine Arts and Studio Arts degree, compensation after graduation can vary greatly from career field to career field given prior experience and geographic location. Related fields include teaching, interior design, animation, industrial design, web developers, and technical writers.

More research in the field can be obtained by linking up with national and regional trade groups. Examples include the National Art Education Association (NAEA) or the Fine Arts Association (FAA). Trade groups work to connect like-minded individuals and provide substantive value to their members year over year.

Featured Rankings

Find Your College Match

Sort By
PHP Code Snippets Powered By : XYZScripts.com