<p>I'm deciding whether to major in visual art or not. However I feel that its a risky thing to do because I heard that I would have difficulty finding a job afterwards and the pay doesnt start off good. (My other major option is business.) If I do study art in college should I do graphic design, fine art, or what? Would art marketing/advertisement also be a good choice?</p>
<p>You need to provide a little more info but even if you do, you will not find an easy answer from this board on “Should I do this”? </p>
<p>Are you taking art classes now in HS?
What kind of art are you doing now? </p>
<p>Yes, art is considered more “risky” in the job market than business, and that’s why it is important that you have the passion. For many kids, there is no other choice, that is the only thing they are interested in. My very wise college adviser once said “First you have to love what you do - then the money will follow”. </p>
<p>On the other hand, if you are being pressured by others (parents, guidance counselors, friends) to go into something that will make you money, there are programs that combine art and business (marketing/advertising).</p>
<p>[MCAD</a> / BSc in Branding, Marketing, and Public Relations](<a href=“http://www.mcad.edu/academic-programs/branding-marketing-and-public-relations]MCAD”>http://www.mcad.edu/academic-programs/branding-marketing-and-public-relations)
[MCAD</a> / BSc in Entrepreneurship and Project Management](<a href=“http://www.mcad.edu/academic-programs/entrepreneurship-and-project-management]MCAD”>http://www.mcad.edu/academic-programs/entrepreneurship-and-project-management)</p>
<p>I am only familiar with these programs because my D goes to MCAD, but I know there are others out there.</p>
<p>Just make sure you don’t mind having your art “judged”. My daughter considered studying graphic design, but just decided she wasn’t up for the sometimes harsh criticism. She’s going to study marketing with an advertising concentration.</p>
<p>Art, as a major, I think tends to be perceived like most non-direct leading majors(i.e. the humanities, etc). The thing most people fail to realize is that you do learn a lot of the same practical skills that other design majors learn. Depending on the concentration you decide to go, and the electives you choose, you can gain the skills in software programs that are in demand by employers(I’m mainly speaking of those in graphic design, film editing, illustration/animation). </p>
<p>I do think advertising would be a great choice for you. It combines both business and art classes(assuming the advertising concentration has a design requirement).</p>
<p>Based on what you have written, I would advise you not to look at art schools or colleges. Look at research universities that offer strong art programs so that you can explore both interests in art and in business before making a choice of major. Schools like USC and Carnegie Mellon come to mind.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. </p>
<p>I’m not taking any art classes in high school. (I’m in the social science major.) Basically, I just spend my free time drawing and designing, which is why I feel I’m at a disadvantage to other students who has more experience and skill. However, it’s something I really enjoy doing, which is why I’m considering it as college major choice and I feel I could improve. No one has a problem with whatever I choose, but I’m a cautious person so I’m afraid that if it doesn’t work out, I’ll end up as a starving artist.</p>
<p>I have no problems having my art harshly criticized. I think I’ll be able to take it…</p>
<p>I’m more interested in graphic design, conceptual art, game art, digital media and animation rather than fine art and painting. Advertising is somewhere in between.</p>
<p>I like the advice that you look at universities with art programs. If you want to get a BA, even in business, you will have lots of electives which you could fill in with art classes, and perhaps even get a minor in art or a double major. A university with a BA program may not even require a portfolio to become part of the major (I know this is true at Pitt, for instance), so you would not be at any disadvantage vis-a-vis other students.</p>
<p>hey liek kid above, how you been?
would you care to summarize what happened after fashion BFA?
have you gone MBA or what?
you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.
just that
us moms of art kid just done first year or about to start are rather curious of outcome of older kids done following passion!!! years after.</p>
<p>u should pick mba over art, when u still having a chance to choose your path. cause’ Let face the reality, u can find a decent job with mba degree</p>
<p>If you take a look at the Business Forum, you’ll see they have the same concerns about getting jobs as the art students do. If you pick something you can excel in and which can result in great grades, you have a BETTER chance at a job - whether it is art, marketing, accounting, etc. If it is something you love, you will be happier. </p>
<p>So let’s look at your interests: graphic design, digital media, advertising - for sure you will find this at some universities.(I am building on the earlier suggestion you choose a school with business, humanities and art/design.) Not sure what universities offer game art, animation, but I am sure someone on this forum does.</p>
<p>S1 will be double majoring in fall in fine art and ?? (to be decided…btw, Psych, Physics, English…who knows yet). D1 plans to double major in fine art and Japanese. It’s really common now to be able to double major, so don’t feel you have to limit your goals. Their Dad majored in art and is now in top management at a national museum in DC (photo and printmaking major, but always was great with computers). I guess what I’m trying to say is, do what you really enjoy and try as much as you can to remove others opinions about what they feel you should be majoring in. I don’t know if you’re already heading to college, but if you are deciding on the list of schools you are applying to just check to see if a dual major is an option. Most liberal arts schools actually will encourage it for fine arts majors, so keep that in mind. Good luck and make use of this summer by taking local arts classes of any kind to build a portfolio for applications (photo, painting, what ever interests you).</p>
<p>These are the some of the top ranked art & design colleges. But this list was from VCU, so keep in mind that there are lots of other fantastic art colleges with business degrees available as dual major:</p>
<p>Top Art and Design</p>
<h1>1 Rhode Island School of Design $38,295</h1>
<h1>2 Yale University 38,300</h1>
<h1>3 School of the Art Institute of Chicago 34,600</h1>
<h1>4 Virginia Commonwealth U. arts 21,536</h1>
<p>(tie) Maryland Institute College of Art 35,690
(tie) Cranbrook Academy of Art (graduate only) 28,545</p>
<h1>7 California Institute of the Arts 36,742</h1>
<p>(tie) Carnegie Mellon University 41,940 (top for game design)
(tie) University of California: Los Angeles 33,660</p>
<h1>10 Alfred University 25,976</h1>
<p>Top Public </p>
<h1>4 VCUarts $21,536</h1>
<h1>7 University of California: Los Angeles 33,660</h1>
<h1>14 Temple University 22,252</h1>
<h1>15 University of California: San Diego 33,351</h1>
<p>(tie) University of Texas at Austin 31,218</p>
<h1>21 Ohio State University: Columbus 22,278</h1>
<p>(tie) University of California: Davis 34,863
(tie) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 27,238
(tie) University of Iowa 23,713
(tie) University of Wisconsin – Madison 23,059</p>
<p>The advice I’d give anyone when choosing a major is to choose an area that you WANT to study rather than an area that you think you SHOULD study. If you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, you won’t do well. </p>
<p>I’ve been in college for a long time because I couldn’t decide what I really want to do. I’ve always been an “arts” person but started college by studying business because I thought that would be best for me. After researching my future job prospects, I realized that a career in finances or marketing would’ve provided me with a miserable existence. (No offense to anyone in those fields.)</p>
<p>Digital art would be a good choice, and I don’t know if you’d be interested in web design, but that’s a pretty lucrative line of work.</p>