Careers in the Arts: Where Are AAH Alumni Now?

One of the persistent myths about arts education is that graduates will not be able to build satisfying careers or enjoy job security, benefits, and financial success.  The Strategic National Arts Alumni Project has interviewed over 90,000 arts alumni and gathered data about occupations, income, student debt, professional satisfaction and more. It’s a useful resource for all arts students and their families.

But what kinds of professional careers are our alumni pursuing? Many different ones! An arts degree is like a fan – there’s not one path forward, but many paths forward, based on the student’s interests, talents, and choices.

Here are some of the different professional titles held by our BFA Studio Art alumni:

Graphic designer Medical illustrator Cinematographer Graphic Novelist
Web designer Photojournalist Animator Art conservator
Stop-motion animator Advertising director Brand identity director Display designer
Jewelry designer Studio art professor User interface designer Editorial illustrator
 Art teacher Ceramicist Web developer Photography editor
Textile designer Fashion designer Interior designer Cartoonist
Art therapist Exhibition designer Architect Marketing director

And these are professional titles held by our BA Art History alumni:

Gallery director Museum curator Museum educator Archivist
Fundraiser Research librarian Museum registrar Gallery manager
Arts administrator Public programs director Art history professor High school teacher
Journalist Auction house specialist Visual resources librarian Art appraiser

These are some of the companies and institutions where our BFA and BA alumni work or have worked:

Pixar Metropolitan Museum of Art The New Yorker Magazine
Google Creative Labs Philadelphia Museum of Art Yale University Press
Ideo Real Art Ways Sol Lewitt Studio
Wolff-Olins Mystic Seaport Museum Hill Holiday
Crispin, Porter, & Bogusky Princeton Architectural Press Ogilvy & Mather
Coach Stoopid Buddies Studios Alice + Olivia
Twitter Lego Anthropologie