Department of Art

Jumpstart your art career

The Department of Art will prepare you for careers in a variety of exciting creative fields, including animation and game design; advertising and graphic and web design; photography, film, and video; certified art education; fine artistry and arts advocacy in galleries and museums; and textile and wallpaper design. Here are some key national statistics for art careers from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and PayScale.

$40,866-$67,606

Average Starting Salaries in Art Fields (NACE)

Noteworthy Art Jobs and Mid-Career Salaries (PayScale)

Creative Director $98,500 Design Manager $91,100 Visual Designer $74,500 Art Director $97,270 Industrial Designer $71,640 3D Artist/Technical Illustrator $74,100

85%

Alumni in communication and art employed or in graduate school within 6 months after graduation

See Current Art Job Listings in the WP Job Portal

Get Prepared to Succeed

Our art programs provide students with hands-on experiences through internships, exhibitions, study abroad, and publications opportunities that translate into real world employment and success. Students benefit from advanced facilities including cutting-edge studios and labs for animation and game design, photography, printmaking, painting, drawing, sculpture, and ceramics. Our Center for New Art features a lab where students can use 3D printers and giant carving robots to create life-size artwork.

What You'll Learn

In the art programs, students learn in-demand skills that employers have identified as critical for job candidates, including:

Knowledge of professional standards of art practice
Use of visual arts resources for research, analysis, and application
Technical communication skills
The ability to work both independently and collaboratively to solve complex visual/conceptual problems

View a full listing of student learning outcomes for art students

Information on affordability and value from the U.S. Department of Education:

View our College Scorecard

Key Skills for
Careers in Art

as indicated by Employers
and Alumni on LinkedIn

Adobe Creative Suite

Creativity

Customer Service

Digital Fluency

Graphic Design

Illustration

Written/Oral Communication

*LinkedIn Workplace
Learning Report 2021

Art students have vast opportunities for internships, including working with faculty on campus in our art studios, art galleries, and visual resource collections, as well as at external locations such as artist studios, professional organizations, and design studios.

NJ Community Development Corporation | University Galleries | Montclair Art Museum | One River School of Art + Design | Metropolitan Museum of Art

Degrees Offered

Undergraduate

BA in Studio Art

Within the BA, majors are offered in art history and studio art. Certification for teaching is also offered. Both our BA and BFA degrees are planned to enhance visual perception, cultivate independent thinking, and prepare students for a variety of careers that require a keenly developed sensitivity in the visual arts.