by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 210 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Fine & Studio Arts Master's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,984 master's degrees in fine & studio arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of fine & studio arts for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality fine arts program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for fine & studio arts students working on their master's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Fine & Studio Arts Master's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in fine & studio arts. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in fine & studio arts needs to look into Yale University. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of New Haven.
Soon after graduating, fine arts master's recipients generally earn an average of $26,661 in their early careers.
More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from Yale University
Duke University is a wonderful decision for students interested in a master's degree in fine & studio arts. Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from Duke University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a good decision for students pursuing a master's degree in fine & studio arts. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from Columbia University in the City of New York
University of Notre Dame is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in fine & studio arts. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from University of Notre Dame
NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.
Fine & Studio Arts master's degree recipients from New York University earn a boost of approximately $7,477 over the typical income of fine & studio arts graduates.
More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from New York University
Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from University of Southern California
Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from Northwestern University
Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Atlanta.More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from Emory University
UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.
Students who graduate with their master's from the fine arts program report average early career wages of $21,683.
More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from University of Pennsylvania
UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Madison.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the fine arts program earn an average of $26,063 in their early career salary.
More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Located in the large suburb of Medford, Tufts is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
After graduating, fine arts master's recipients generally earn an average of $32,034 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from Tufts University
Located in the large city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Master's students who receive their degree from the fine arts program earn about $32,156 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from Boston University
Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Located in the city of Providence, RISD is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Master's students who receive their degree from the fine arts program earn about $30,365 for their early career.
More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from Rhode Island School of Design
Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from Ohio State University - Main Campus
Located in the city of New Orleans, Tulane is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from Tulane University of Louisiana
Academy of Art University is a moderately-sized private for-profit university located in the large city of San Francisco.
Students who graduate with their master's from the fine arts program state that they receive average early career wages of $32,379.
More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from Academy of Art University
WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the fine arts program earn about $17,973 for their early career.
More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from Washington University in St Louis
UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.
Master's students who receive their degree from the fine arts program earn about $18,900 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from University of California - Los Angeles
TCU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Fort Worth.More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from Texas Christian University
UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign.More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from University of California - Berkeley
MICA is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Baltimore.
Fine & Studio Arts master's degree recipients from Maryland Institute College of Art get an earnings boost of approximately $4,057 over the typical earnings of fine & studio arts graduates.
More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from Maryland Institute College of Art
Located in the city of Savannah, SCAD is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Fine & Studio Arts master's degree recipients from Savannah College of Art and Design earn a boost of about $9,413 over the average income of fine & studio arts graduates.
More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from Savannah College of Art and Design
UF is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville.
Soon after graduation, fine arts master's recipients generally make an average of $21,297 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a master’s in fine & studio arts from University of Florida
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Fine & Studio Arts Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | University of California - Davis | Davis, CA |
| 33 | Massachusetts College of Art and Design | Boston, MA |
| 34 | George Washington University | Washington, DC |
| 35 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD |
| 36 | Indiana University - Bloomington | Bloomington, IN |
| 37 | American University | Washington, DC |
| 38 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 39 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 40 | University of California - Irvine | Irvine, CA |
| 41 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL |
| 42 | The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX |
View the Best Fine & Studio Arts Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Fine & Studio Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine Arts | 1,196 |
| Art History | 764 |
| Art Studies | 512 |
| Other Fine Arts & Art Studies | 165 |
| Painting | 132 |
| Sculpture | 42 |
| Printmaking | 40 |
| Ceramic Arts & Ceramics | 40 |
| Fiber, Textile & Weaving Arts | 31 |
| Jewelry Arts | 24 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Music | 5,778 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 1,931 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 1,611 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 1,610 |
| Arts & Media Management | 1,115 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 343 |
| Dance | 245 |
| Other Visual Art | 215 |
| Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry | 13 |
