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CIP 50.0701 Visual and Performing Arts

Art/Art Studies, General

IPEDS Completions, US Department of Education · 2025

中文

Total graduates

15,229

2025 · 698 schools

International share

2.5%

378 international students

Bachelor's degrees

10,721

2.5% international

Master's degrees

473

10.6% international

Overview

Art/Art Studies, General is an interdisciplinary field that encompasses the exploration, analysis, and appreciation of various forms of visual arts. This major typically provides students with a comprehensive understanding of art history, theory, and criticism, while also offering practical skills in various artistic mediums.

Students in this program often engage with a wide range of art forms, including painting, sculpture, photography, and digital media. The curriculum frequently includes courses in art history, where students study significant movements, influential artists, and cultural contexts that have shaped the art world. Additionally, courses in art theory and criticism equip students with the analytical tools needed to critique and interpret artworks.

Moreover, many programs encourage hands-on experiences through studio classes, allowing students to develop their artistic skills and create their own works. This balance of theory and practice fosters a well-rounded education that prepares graduates for diverse career paths in the arts.

Career opportunities for those with a degree in Art/Art Studies, General can include roles in art education, curation, gallery management, art therapy, and various positions within the creative industries. Graduates may also pursue advanced studies in specialized areas of art or related fields. Overall, this major nurtures creativity, critical thinking, and cultural awareness, making it a valuable choice for those passionate about the arts.

Graduates by year

Graduates by degree level (first and second majors)

AssociateBachelor'sMaster'sDoctoral

From 2002 to 2025, graduates fell 1% and the international share went from 3.5% to 2.5%.

International share (%)
Graduates by group, 2025
White
44.1%
Asian
9.0%
Hispanic
28.0%
Black
7.5%
Other
8.9%
Intl.
2.5%

Colleges that award this degree

In 2025, 698 schools awarded this degree as a first major. The table lists those in the 2027 U.S. News National or Liberal Arts rankings, plus the unranked schools with the most graduates.

RankSchoolStateGraduatesInternational
#4 Yale University Connecticut 18 3
#9 Northwestern University Illinois 8 1
#14 Carnegie Mellon University Pennsylvania 25 6
#16 Brown University Rhode Island 12 2
#20 University of California-Los Angeles California 47 4
#23 Georgetown University D.C. 3 1
#25 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Michigan 192 18
#26 University of Virginia-Main Campus Virginia 35 2
#27 University of Southern California California 10 2
#31 Tufts University Massachusetts 127 24
#34 University of California-Davis California 6 0
#34 University of California-Irvine California 80 9
#34 Boston University Massachusetts 8 1
#34 The University of Texas at Austin Texas 15 0
#34 University of Wisconsin-Madison Wisconsin 86 5
#44 University of California-Santa Barbara California 9 1
#44 Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Jersey 75 1
#44 Ohio State University-Main Campus Ohio 84 5
#49 University of Washington-Seattle Campus Washington 142 19
#52 University of Georgia Georgia 136 0
#52 College of William and Mary Virginia 19 1
#52 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia 49 0
#55 University of Miami Florida 6 2
#55 The Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania 46 5
#59 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minnesota 66 3
#73 Howard University D.C. 36 1
#73 Indiana University-Bloomington Indiana 31 0
#73 Rutgers University-Newark New Jersey 25 0
#73 Binghamton University New York 43 0
#80 University of California-Riverside California 45 1
#80 Pepperdine University California 9 0
#80 Clemson University South Carolina 12 0
#85 University of Delaware Delaware 5 0
#90 Gonzaga University Washington 7 0
#95 University of Missouri-Columbia Missouri 17 0
#95 Rutgers University--Camden New Jersey 22 0
#100 Chapman University California 9 0
#100 University of San Diego California 13 0
#100 Florida International University Florida 29 1
#100 University of South Florida-Main Campus Florida 70 4
#100 University of Iowa Iowa 117 10
#100 Elon University North Carolina 5 0
#109 University of California-Santa Cruz California 105 0
#109 University of New Hampshire-Main Campus New Hampshire 8 0
#116 University of Oregon Oregon 65 2
#116 Brigham Young University-Provo Utah 9 0
#121 Arizona State University-Tempe Arizona 237 12
#121 University of Denver Colorado 7 0
#121 University of Central Florida Florida 153 0
#121 SUNY at Albany New York 24 2
#121 University of Dayton Ohio 2 0
#133 Miami University-Oxford Ohio 14 2
#137 University of Alabama at Birmingham Alabama 30 0
#137 California State University--Long Beach California 239 6
#137 San Diego State University California 327 6
#137 San Jose State University California 50 0
#137 University of Maryland-Baltimore County Maryland 1 0
#137 Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia Pennsylvania 8 0
#137 University of Houston Texas 74 3
#137 James Madison University Virginia 134 3
#148 California State University-Los Angeles California 211 5
#148 Mercer University Georgia 2 0
#148 University of Rhode Island Rhode Island 21 0
#156 California State University-Fullerton California 187 4
#156 Montclair State University New Jersey 65 1
#156 Oregon State University Oregon 28 0
#169 DePaul University Illinois 20 0
#169 Simmons University Massachusetts 4 0
#169 Monmouth University New Jersey 4 0
#169 University of North Carolina at Charlotte North Carolina 10 0
#179 University of Louisville Kentucky 3 0
#179 University of Utah Utah 53 3
#186 California Lutheran University California 6 0
#186 University of Hawaii at Manoa Hawaii 73 1
#186 Wayne State University Michigan 44 1
#186 Texas Tech University Texas 59 2
#191 University of Arkansas Arkansas 38 1
#191 Florida Atlantic University Florida 77 1
#191 Rowan University New Jersey 55 0
#191 Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Oklahoma 66 0
#202 Sacred Heart University Connecticut 15 1
#202 University of Massachusetts-Boston Massachusetts 13 1
#202 Ohio University-Main Campus Ohio 4 0
#208 California State University--Fresno California 93 3
#208 California State University-Sacramento California 38 0
#208 University of Idaho Idaho 8 1
#208 University of North Carolina at Greensboro North Carolina 37 0
#208 Belmont University Tennessee 6 0
#208 University of North Texas Texas 151 1
#219 Illinois State University Illinois 102 4
#219 University of Nevada-Reno Nevada 50 1
#219 North Carolina A&T State University North Carolina 26 0
#227 San Francisco State University California 52 1
#227 Ball State University Indiana 39 0
#227 University of North Dakota North Dakota 7 0
#227 West Chester University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 44 0
#227 University of Texas-San Antonio Texas 47 0
#227 West Virginia University West Virginia 29 2
#236 Stetson University Florida 4 0
#236 Bethel University Minnesota 3 0
#236 University of Nevada--Las Vegas Nevada 77 1
#236 University of New Mexico-Main Campus New Mexico 66 2
#236 North Dakota State University-Main Campus North Dakota 17 0
#236 Pacific University Oregon 1 0
#236 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 27 0
#236 University of Texas-Arlington Texas 46 2
#250 Pace University-New York New York 37 2
#250 University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley Texas 17 0
#250 University of Wyoming Wyoming 6 0
#262 University of Alabama--Huntsville Alabama 53 0
#262 Andrews University Michigan 3 2
#262 University of South Dakota South Dakota 8 0
#262 University of Texas--El Paso Texas 36 2
#262 Seattle Pacific University Washington 1 0
#276 California Baptist University California 3 0
#276 Regis University Colorado 2 0
#276 Marian University (IN) Indiana 4 0
#276 Western Michigan University Michigan 11 0
#288 University of Indianapolis Indiana 2 0
#288 Wichita State University Kansas 9 0
#288 Arcadia University Pennsylvania 7 0
#288 University of Memphis Tennessee 84 0
#288 Texas State University Texas 12 0
#288 Utah State University Utah 52 0
#288 University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee Wisconsin 53 2
#299 Azusa Pacific University California 24 0
#299 Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Minnesota 4 0
#299 University of Toledo Ohio 8 0
#308 Northern Illinois University Illinois 22 0
#308 Montana State University Montana 58 0
#308 North Carolina Central University North Carolina 11 1
#308 University of the Incarnate Word Texas 11 0
#317 Xavier University of Louisiana Louisiana 3 0
#317 Morgan State University Maryland 18 0
#317 Kean University New Jersey 18 0
#317 Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Pennsylvania 6 0
#317 Marshall University West Virginia 32 0
#328 Georgia Southern University Georgia 49 0
#328 East Tennessee State University Tennessee 18 1
#328 Old Dominion University Virginia 46 0
#332 University of South Alabama Alabama 20 0
#332 Jacksonville University Florida 12 0
#332 Clark Atlanta University Georgia 7 0
#332 Texas Woman's University Texas 41 1
#332 University of Lynchburg Virginia 11 0
#342 Concordia University -- Irvine California 4 0
#342 Missouri State University Missouri 27 0
#342 University of Texas--Tyler Texas 13 0
#342 Kennesaw State University Georgia 95 2
#353 Jacksonville State University Alabama 12 0
#353 Arkansas State University Arkansas 12 0
#353 University of West Georgia Georgia 41 0
#353 Southern Illinois University--Edwardsville Illinois 30 0
#353 University of Louisiana--Lafayette Louisiana 43 0
#353 University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras Puerto Rico 14 0
#353 Pennsylvania Western University Pennsylvania 22 0
#365 Troy University Alabama 9 0
#365 University of Central Arkansas Arkansas 30 1
#365 Indiana State University Indiana 15 0
#365 William Carey University Mississippi 9 0
#365 The University of Montana Montana 37 0
#365 Eastern Washington University Washington 10 0
#376 University of Arkansas--Little Rock Arkansas 19 0
#376 Barry University Florida 11 3
#376 Belhaven University Mississippi 6 0
#376 Tennessee State University Tennessee 9 0
#382 University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska 13 0
#382 Columbus State University Georgia 7 0
#382 Valdosta State University Georgia 21 0
#382 Idaho State University Idaho 12 0
#382 Chicago State University Illinois 7 0
#382 Concordia University-Chicago Illinois 5 0
#382 Governors State University Illinois 16 0
#382 University of Southern Maine Maine 10 0
#382 Wright State University-Main Campus Ohio 19 0
#382 Northeastern State University Oklahoma 10 0
#382 Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi Texas 26 0
LAC #1 Williams College Massachusetts 45 4
LAC #2 Amherst College Massachusetts 17 1
LAC #12 Vassar College New York 21 1
LAC #16 Davidson College North Carolina 10 0
LAC #22 Colgate University New York 9 2
LAC #26 Bates College Maine 6 0
LAC #30 Lafayette College Pennsylvania 9 0
LAC #38 Occidental College California 11 0
LAC #38 Trinity University Texas 7 0
LAC #44 Wabash College Indiana 3 0
LAC #47 Hillsdale College Michigan 11 0
LAC #49 St. Olaf College Minnesota 17 4
LAC #49 St. Lawrence University New York 12 1
LAC #49 Rhodes College Tennessee 5 0
LAC #54 Dickinson College Pennsylvania 17 2
LAC #57 Wheaton College (IL) Illinois 8 0
LAC #57 Furman University South Carolina 7 0
LAC #60 Reed College Oregon 19 1
LAC #62 Lake Forest College Illinois 4 0
LAC #62 Berea College Kentucky 5 1
LAC #62 Gustavus Adolphus College Minnesota 9 0
LAC #68 College of St. Benedict Minnesota 12 1
LAC #68 Lawrence University Wisconsin 13 1
LAC #72 Saint Anselm College New Hampshire 1 0
LAC #74 Kalamazoo College Michigan 13 0
LAC #74 St. John's University (MN) Minnesota 1 1
LAC #78 Saint Mary's College Indiana 9 0
LAC #83 Morehouse College Georgia 3 0
LAC #83 Earlham College Indiana 3 0
LAC #91 Ursinus College Pennsylvania 4 0
LAC #91 Washington and Jefferson College Pennsylvania 1 0
LAC #97 Washington College Maryland 1 0
LAC #97 Austin College Texas 3 0
LAC #100 Hendrix College Arkansas 7 0
LAC #100 Whittier College California 2 0
LAC #100 Lycoming College Pennsylvania 9 1
LAC #100 University of Puget Sound Washington 6 0
LAC #109 Westmont College California 14 0
LAC #111 Luther College Iowa 3 0
LAC #111 Whitworth University Washington 7 0
LAC #116 Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio 8 1
LAC #116 Saint Michael's College Vermont 9 0
LAC #116 Roanoke College Virginia 4 0
LAC #119 Coe College Iowa 4 0
LAC #119 Albion College Michigan 8 0
LAC #119 California State University-Channel Islands California 58 1
LAC #128 Cornell College Iowa 12 0
LAC #132 Centenary College of Louisiana Louisiana 3 0
LAC #132 Saint Norbert College Wisconsin 2 0
LAC #138 Truman State University Missouri 7 1
LAC #140 Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Massachusetts 5 0
LAC #142 Covenant College Georgia 9 0
LAC #142 Houghton University New York 8 0
LAC #146 Claflin University South Carolina 5 0
LAC #150 Dillard University Louisiana 2 0
LAC #153 University of Hawaii--Hilo Hawaii 8 0
LAC #154 University of North Carolina Asheville North Carolina 29 0
LAC #160 Wittenberg University Ohio 8 0
LAC #160 Albright College Pennsylvania 4 0
LAC #170 Western Oregon University Oregon 20 0
LAC #172 Brigham Young University-Idaho Idaho 82 0
LAC #172 University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Wisconsin 8 0
LAC #176 Virginia Wesleyan University Virginia 7 1
LAC #178 University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Oklahoma 10 0
LAC #180 Alabama State University Alabama 5 0
LAC #184 Young Harris College Georgia 8 1
LAC #184 Utah Tech University Utah 26 2
LAC #184 Glenville State University West Virginia 7 0
LAC #184 West Virginia State University West Virginia 6 1
— California State University-Northridge California 351 3
— Arizona State University Digital Immersion Arizona 209 1
— Santa Monica College California 184 8
— Northern Virginia Community College Virginia 125 2
— Long Beach City College California 88 0
— Pasadena City College California 86 2
— Orange Coast College California 79 2
— University of Tennessee--Chattanooga Tennessee 74 0
— Eastern Illinois University Illinois 73 3
— Stephen F. Austin State University Texas 71 1
— Chaffey College California 69 0
— El Camino Community College District California 69 2
— Towson University Maryland 65 0
— Bakersfield College California 63 1
— Golden West College California 61 2
— Middle Tennessee State University Tennessee 60 0
— Fullerton College California 58 4
— Austin Community College District Texas 58 0
— Mt San Antonio College California 56 1
— California State University--San Bernardino California 54 1
— Cypress College California 53 0
— Northern Michigan University Michigan 53 0
— Glendale Community College California 52 2
— California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt California 52 0
— New Jersey City University New Jersey 52 0
— University of Montevallo Alabama 51 0
— Cerritos College California 51 0
— Austin Peay State University Tennessee 49 0
— College of the Canyons California 48 1
— Southwestern College California 48 0

Purple: international students are 25% or more of the school's graduates.

Related jobs and pay

OccupationUS employmentMean hourly wageMean annual wage
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 1,065,210 — $76,320
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary 93,560 — $94,700
Photographers 51,760 $26.64 $55,410
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators 11,220 $35.17 $73,150
Craft Artists 4,580 $23.91 $49,740

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.

Graduate counts: IPEDS Completions, US Department of Education, 2002–2025. Rankings: 2027 U.S. News.