Every occupation the official NCES/BLS crosswalk connects to art programs, with BLS pay, the education each job usually needs, what the work involves, and where to go next.
Art · CIP 50.07 series · 13 codes · 11 careers · Check one exact major, e.g. 50.0701 Art/Art Studies, General, in the major to career finder
The official NCES/BLS crosswalk maps art programs to 11 occupations that such programs typically prepare people for, including High School Teacher, Craft Artist and Fine Artist. BLS median pay across them runs from $44,660 (Photographer) to $114,850 (Creative Director) in May 2025. The crosswalk describes preparation, not what graduates actually go on to do.
Data Program → related occupations: these are jobs art programs typically prepare people for (NCES/BLS crosswalk). Not a guaranteed outcome, and not a record of what graduates do.
Data Filter by the education the job usually needs or its preparation level; sort by pay or by number employed.
| Occupation | Most common education | Job Zone | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High School Teacher | $72,040 | 1,065,210 | Bachelor's Degree | 4 |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, PostsecondaryPostsecondary teaching | $78,620 | 93,560 | Master's Degree | 5 |
| Creative Director | $114,850 | 53,070 | Bachelor's Degree | 4 |
| Photographer | $44,660 | 51,760 | Some College Courses | 3 |
| Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers | $52,540 | 22,440 | High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 3 |
| Animator | $102,030 | 19,970 | n/a | 4 |
| Museum Technicians and Conservators | $51,440 | 12,310 | n/a | 5 |
| Curator | $63,420 | 12,150 | Master's Degree | 5 |
| Fine Artist | $55,490 | 11,220 | n/a | 3 |
| Archivist | $64,550 | 7,970 | Master's Degree | 5 |
| Craft Artist | $46,080 | 4,580 | High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 3 |
No occupations match these filters.
Data The education column shows a typical entry level only where O*NET data supports one answer. Check the typical education for High School Teacher, one of the art jobs above.
Data BLS national median annual wage, May 2025. These are pay levels of the occupations, not earnings of graduates.
Data The largest related occupations by employment (postsecondary teaching shown in the explorer).
Prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies.
Instructing · Reading Comprehension · Active Listening
Mapped from CIP 50.0701Select materials for use based on strength, color, texture, balance, weight, size, malleability and other characteristics.
Create functional or decorative objects by hand, using a variety of methods and materials.
Critical Thinking · Reading Comprehension · Active Listening
Mapped from CIP 50.0701, 50.0705Use materials such as pens and ink, watercolors, charcoal, oil, or computer software to create artwork.
Integrate and develop visual elements, such as line, space, mass, color, and perspective, to produce desired effects, such as the illustration of ideas, emotions, or moods.
Critical Thinking · Active Learning · Active Listening
Mapped from CIP 50.0701, 50.0702Adjust apertures, shutter speeds, and camera focus according to a combination of factors, such as lighting, field depth, subject motion, film type, and film speed.
Create artificial light, using flashes and reflectors.
Active Listening · Speaking · Service Orientation
Career guide Salary How to become
Mapped from CIP 50.0701Organize archival records and develop classification systems to facilitate access to archival materials.
Provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials.
Reading Comprehension · Active Listening · Writing
Mapped from CIP 50.0703Plan and organize the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of collections and related materials, including the selection of exhibition themes and designs, and develop or install exhibit materials.
Develop and maintain an institution's registration, cataloging, and basic record-keeping systems, using computer databases.
Reading Comprehension · Speaking · Active Listening
Mapped from CIP 50.0703Data Related occupations grouped by government career field, with their pay range.
Data Other programs whose crosswalk occupations overlap with these.
Data A national median for federal-aid graduates of this field: a separate measure from the BLS job pay above.
See earnings by degree level, college spread and federal debt.
The NCES/BLS crosswalk relates instructional programs (CIP 2020) to occupations (SOC 2018) when programs in the CIP category typically prepare individuals directly for jobs in the occupation. This page uses the CIP program series below and shows every non-residual occupation mapped to them that has BLS wages and O*NET data; each occupation lists the CIP codes that map to it.
Searches this page answers include “what can you do with an art degree”, “what jobs can i get with associates of arts degree”, “art degree jobs” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
