Explore Arts Programs and Careers

Study Animation

If you have a passion for bringing characters and stories to life through movement, animation offers a creative career at the intersection of art and technology. Animators create moving images through various techniques, including traditional hand-drawing, 2D digital, 3D computer animation, and stop-motion. Education programs cover fundamental art principles, character design, storytelling, motion studies, and industry-standard software.

Animation programs are available at certificate, associate, and bachelor’s levels, with most professional positions requiring a strong portfolio regardless of formal education. The field offers diverse opportunities in film studios, gaming companies, advertising agencies, and streaming platforms. As entertainment continues to embrace digital storytelling, skilled animators are in demand for creating engaging content across multiple media channels.

Study Art History

If you’re fascinated by how art reflects and shapes human culture through time, art history offers intellectual engagement with the world’s creative heritage. Art historians study artworks, artists, movements, and the cultural contexts that influenced them. Programs explore diverse periods and traditions, critical analysis methodologies, research techniques, and curatorial practices.

Art history degrees are offered at bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels, with advanced positions typically requiring graduate education. Career paths include museum curation, gallery management, art education, conservation, arts journalism, and cultural heritage preservation. This field provides the satisfaction of preserving and interpreting humanity’s visual legacy while helping others understand and appreciate artistic achievements across civilizations.

Become an Audio Engineer

If you have a good ear and passion for sound, audio engineering lets you capture, manipulate, and enhance audio for music, film, broadcasting, and live events. Audio engineers operate recording equipment, mix multiple sound sources, apply effects, and ensure optimal sound quality. Training covers acoustics, recording techniques, equipment operation, digital audio workstations, and sound design principles.

Audio engineering programs range from certificate courses to bachelor’s degrees, with many programs offering hands-on experience in professional-grade studios. Career opportunities include recording engineer, live sound technician, broadcast engineer, sound designer for film and gaming, or music producer. This field combines technical expertise with creative sensibility, making it ideal for those who enjoy both technology and the arts.

Earn a BFA in Fine Arts

If you seek formal training to develop your artistic voice and technical skills, a Bachelor of Fine Arts provides immersive education in visual art creation. BFA programs offer rigorous studio practice in disciplines such as painting, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, and digital media. Coursework includes art theory, history, critique methods, professional practices, and extensive hands-on studio time.

BFA programs typically take four years to complete and culminate in a thesis exhibition showcasing your developed body of work. This degree prepares you for careers as a professional artist, art educator, gallery assistant, or for advancement to graduate studies. The intensive studio focus of a BFA helps you build both technical proficiency and conceptual depth in your artistic practice.

Study Creative Writing

If you have a way with words and stories to tell, creative writing programs help you develop your literary voice and craft. Creative writers produce works in genres such as fiction, poetry, screenwriting, playwriting, and creative nonfiction. Programs focus on writing techniques, revision processes, literary analysis, and the study of accomplished authors’ works.

Creative writing degrees are available at bachelor’s, master’s (MFA), and doctoral levels, with each advancing both craft and critical thinking skills. Graduates pursue careers as authors, editors, copywriters, content creators, teachers, or in fields requiring strong communication skills. While publication is competitive, the versatile writing abilities developed through these programs are valuable in many professional contexts where clear, engaging communication is essential.

Learn Entertainment Business

If you’re drawn to the business side of creative industries, entertainment business programs prepare you for the management and operational aspects of media, performing arts, and leisure sectors. Entertainment business professionals handle contracts, marketing, project management, and financial planning for creative ventures. Education covers business fundamentals, entertainment law, marketing strategies, talent management, and production planning.

Programs range from certificates to MBA specializations, with many offering valuable industry connections through internships and professional partnerships. Career paths include talent agent, producer, venue manager, festival coordinator, marketing director, or entertainment entrepreneur. This field allows you to support creative endeavors while applying business acumen to ensure their commercial success and sustainability.

Study Fashion Design

If you have an eye for style and enjoy creating wearable art, fashion design combines artistic expression with practical craftsmanship. Fashion designers conceptualize and create clothing and accessories, considering aesthetics, functionality, and market trends. Programs teach sketching, pattern-making, garment construction, textile knowledge, computer-aided design, and collection development.

Fashion design education is available through certificate programs, associate degrees, and bachelor’s degrees, with most emphasizing portfolio development alongside technical skills. Careers in this field include designer for apparel brands, costume designer for entertainment, technical designer, pattern maker, or independent fashion entrepreneur. The industry offers opportunities to see your creative vision transformed into products that become part of people’s personal expression.

Study Fashion Merchandising

If you’re interested in the business of fashion and how trends move from designers to consumers, fashion merchandising focuses on the marketing and retail aspects of the industry. Fashion merchandisers analyze market trends, plan product selections, coordinate buying activities, and develop promotional strategies. Training covers retail operations, consumer behavior, visual merchandising, fashion forecasting, and inventory management.

Fashion merchandising programs are offered at certificate, associate, and bachelor’s levels, often including industry internships to build practical experience. Career opportunities include retail buyer, visual merchandiser, brand manager, store planner, or e-commerce strategist. This field allows you to stay connected to fashion trends while applying business principles to connect designers with their target markets.

Attend Film School

If you dream of telling stories through the powerful medium of film, film school provides comprehensive training in cinematic arts and production techniques. Film students learn directing, cinematography, editing, screenwriting, sound design, and production management. Programs combine theoretical film studies with hands-on production experience using professional equipment and collaborative projects.

Film programs range from certificate courses to master’s degrees, with most emphasizing portfolio development through short film creation. Graduates pursue careers as directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, screenwriters, or in specialized technical roles. While the industry is competitive, the digital revolution has created new opportunities in independent filmmaking, streaming content, corporate video, and emerging interactive media formats.

Pursue a Fine Arts MFA

If you’re committed to advancing your artistic practice at the highest level, a Master of Fine Arts represents terminal degree education for studio artists. MFA programs provide advanced studio work, theoretical exploration, and critical engagement within your chosen medium or interdisciplinary approach. Coursework includes intensive studio practice, contemporary art theory, professional development, and culminates in a thesis exhibition.

MFA programs typically take two to three years and require a bachelor’s degree and strong portfolio for admission. This credential prepares you for careers as a professional artist, university professor, museum professional, or arts administrator. The MFA experience deepens both your technical mastery and conceptual foundation, developing your unique artistic voice and professional identity within contemporary art contexts.

Study Game Art Design

If you’re passionate about creating visually compelling interactive worlds, game art design focuses on the artistic elements of video game development. Game artists design characters, environments, objects, textures, and animations that bring games to life. Programs cover traditional art fundamentals, digital illustration, 3D modeling, texturing, animation principles, and game engine implementation.

Game art design education is available through certificate programs, associate degrees, and bachelor’s degrees, with emphasis on building an industry-relevant portfolio. Career opportunities include character artist, environment artist, concept artist, 3D modeler, or texture artist at game studios, entertainment companies, or as independent developers. This growing industry offers artists the chance to create immersive worlds that players can explore and interact with.

Learn Game Programming

If you enjoy problem-solving and want to bring interactive experiences to life through code, game programming focuses on the technical backbone of video game development. Game programmers write the code that controls gameplay mechanics, physics simulations, artificial intelligence, and user interfaces. Training covers programming languages, game engines, algorithm design, networking, and optimization techniques.

Game programming education ranges from specialized certificates to computer science degrees with game development concentrations. Career paths include gameplay programmer, engine programmer, AI programmer, tools developer, or technical director. While demanding technically, this field offers the satisfaction of creating responsive, interactive systems that engage players and support creative game design visions.

Study Graphic Design

If you have a keen visual sense and enjoy communicating through images and typography, graphic design combines creativity with strategic communication. Graphic designers create visual concepts for brands, publications, websites, packaging, and advertising. Programs teach design principles, typography, layout, color theory, digital tools, and the problem-solving process behind effective visual communication.

Graphic design education is available at certificate, associate, and bachelor’s levels, with most employers looking for a combination of technical skills and a strong portfolio. Career opportunities include positions at design studios, advertising agencies, in-house creative departments, publishing companies, or as a freelance designer. This versatile field allows you to apply creative thinking across multiple media while helping organizations communicate effectively with their audiences.

Study Industrial Design

If you enjoy combining aesthetics with functionality to improve everyday products, industrial design focuses on creating manufactured goods that balance user needs, visual appeal, and production feasibility. Industrial designers develop concepts for products ranging from furniture and consumer electronics to medical equipment and transportation. Education covers sketching, 3D modeling, materials science, manufacturing processes, and user-centered design methodologies.

Industrial design degrees are typically offered at the bachelor’s and master’s levels, with programs emphasizing hands-on prototyping and problem-solving. Career paths include product designer, furniture designer, packaging designer, exhibit designer, or design researcher. This field offers the satisfaction of seeing your concepts transformed into physical products that improve people’s daily experiences and solve real-world problems.

Study Interior Design

If you have a passion for creating functional, beautiful indoor spaces, interior design combines artistic vision with practical planning and technical knowledge. Interior designers conceptualize and implement designs for residential and commercial spaces, considering aesthetics, functionality, safety, and client needs. Programs cover space planning, color theory, materials, lighting, building codes, and computer-aided design.

Interior design education is available from certificate programs to master’s degrees, with many states requiring designers to be licensed or certified, particularly for commercial projects. Career opportunities include residential designer, commercial designer, healthcare designer, hospitality specialist, or design consultant. This creative field allows you to transform environments in ways that positively impact how people live, work, and interact with their surroundings.

Study Performing Arts

If you thrive on creative expression through movement, voice, or character, performing arts programs develop your talents for stage, screen, and beyond. Performing arts encompass acting, dance, music, musical theater, and interdisciplinary performance. Training includes technique development, performance theory, history, ensemble work, and production experience.

Performing arts degrees range from associate to doctoral levels, with many programs requiring auditions for admission. Career paths include professional performer, director, choreographer, conductor, teacher, arts administrator, or therapist using arts in healthcare settings. While performing careers can be competitive, training in this field develops valuable transferable skills in communication, collaboration, and creative problem-solving applicable to many professional contexts.

Learn Photography

If you have an eye for composition and want to capture compelling visual stories, photography programs develop both your technical skills and artistic vision. Photographers create images for artistic expression, documentation, commercial applications, and journalistic purposes. Education covers camera operation, lighting techniques, composition principles, digital editing, and the history and theory of photography.

Photography programs range from certificate courses to bachelor’s and master’s degrees, with most emphasizing portfolio development alongside technical training. Career opportunities include commercial photographer, photojournalist, portrait photographer, fine art photographer, or photo editor. The accessibility of digital technology has created new platforms for sharing images, while also increasing demand for those with advanced skills who can create truly distinctive visual content.

Study Product Design

If you enjoy creating objects that solve problems and enhance user experiences, product design combines functionality, aesthetics, and innovation. Product designers develop concepts for physical and digital products, considering usability, sustainability, manufacturing constraints, and market positioning. Programs cover design process, user research methods, sketching, prototyping, materials knowledge, and digital modeling tools.

Product design education is available at certificate, bachelor’s, and master’s levels, with employers valuing both formal education and demonstrated problem-solving abilities through a portfolio. Career opportunities include consumer product designer, digital product designer, design strategist, user experience designer, or design entrepreneur. This field allows you to create solutions that directly improve people’s interactions with the objects and systems they use daily.

Specialize in Social Media

If you’re interested in digital communication and building online communities, social media programs prepare you for the rapidly evolving landscape of platform-based marketing and content creation. Social media professionals develop strategies, create engaging content, analyze metrics, and foster audience engagement across multiple platforms. Training covers content planning, analytics, platform-specific techniques, digital marketing principles, and brand development.

Social media education ranges from certificate programs to specializations within marketing or communications degrees. Career opportunities include social media manager, content creator, community manager, digital marketing specialist, or influencer relations coordinator. This dynamic field combines creative content development with strategic communication and data analysis, making it suitable for those who enjoy both creative and analytical thinking.

Master Visual Effects

If you’re fascinated by the magic behind spectacular film sequences and digital imagery, visual effects (VFX) combines technical expertise with creative imagination. VFX artists create digital elements that enhance or transform footage, including computer-generated imagery, compositing, particle effects, and digital environments. Programs teach 3D modeling, animation, compositing, motion tracking, and integration of visual elements.

Visual effects education is available through certificate programs, specialized courses, and bachelor’s degrees, with most employers prioritizing technical skills and demo reel quality over formal credentials. Career paths include compositor, 3D modeler, matte painter, FX technical director, or simulation artist for film studios, television production, game development, and advertising. This field allows you to create visually stunning sequences that would be impossible, impractical, or unsafe to capture through traditional filming methods.

Study Web Design

If you enjoy creating engaging digital experiences that combine aesthetics with functionality, web design focuses on the visual and interactive aspects of websites and applications. Web designers create layouts, color schemes, typography, and user interfaces that are both attractive and intuitive to navigate. Programs cover design principles, user experience, responsive design, HTML/CSS, interaction design, and prototyping tools.

Web design education is offered through certificate programs, associate degrees, and as concentrations within broader design degrees. Career opportunities include web designer, UI designer, front-end developer with design emphasis, email designer, or landing page specialist. The ubiquity of digital experiences makes web design skills valuable across industries, with designers playing a crucial role in helping organizations establish effective online presences.