Table of Contents
What is Art
A bachelor in arts is fundamental arts degree in arts. Art is an expression of creativity, where emotion, imagination, and skills are used to create works that portray ideas intended to provoke, be considered, and be appreciated.
Art as a field of study
Art in schools shouldn’t be side-lined. It should be right there, right up in the front, because I think art teaches you to deal with the world around you. It is the oxygen that makes all the other subjects breathe” Alan Parker, filmmaker.
A bachelor in arts is a popular choice for a degree course. For one, art is something that can be appreciated by everyone, regardless of socio-economic background, education, or beliefs. By using a diverse variety of skills, artists can create works (sculptures, sketches, and paintings) designed as an expression that can affect the wider world.
Secondly, art has a diverse range; It is interlinked with many other subjects, including history, theology, and music. A degree in art can give you the flexibility to study several subjects. You’ll gain expertise in your chosen major as well as a breadth of knowledge in many subjects. Education in arts is considered a way to become a free thinker and life-long learner.
Bachelor in arts graduates can become curators, archaeologists, interior designers, financial planners, and writers. Many animation artists, political leaders, marketing directors, Academy Award winners, lawyers, poets, and stage managers are art graduates or have some form of art training.
For academic training in the field, there are multiple options available. Top institutes and universities worldwide provide various options, from diplomas and certificates to doctoral degrees in Arts.
Online Certification / Diplomas
An online certificate is an excellent educational option for those who wish to learn more about a chosen field. Certificates and Diplomas have a shorter duration and can be done either before or after a bachelor in arts degree to broaden a student’s portfolio.
- Online course providers such as Coursera, edX, and others offer both free and paid courses that can help you acquire basic-level knowledge. These types of programs are provided via the Internet so that students can take classes at their convenience.
- Drury University, USA, offers a post-graduate diploma in Graphic Design (Design Arts Major). It can make a good addition or alternative to a traditional degree program.
- The Johns Hopkins University Certificate in Digital Curation, offered through the online graduate program in Museum Studies, advances museum professionals’ education and training worldwide in this emerging field.
Bachelor in Arts
It usually takes three or four years to complete a Bachelor in Art (BA) degree as a full-time student. Many universities also offer a part-time degree. The total duration for a part-time degree would, of course, depend on how many classes you manage each semester.
Degree programs for this field of study differ significantly. It’s better to do proper research before entering a program. Some art degrees provide a broad syllabus at this level, while others are more specialized, particularly design-focused courses.
Bachelor in arts course work often contains courses on theoretical and historical study, which helps to understand the history, influence the students, and broaden students’ awareness of the different styles and techniques that exist.
Studying art at school before going to university is an obvious recommendation. Still, other subjects, such as photography, design technology, textiles, and the history of art, are all useful qualifications and often help to develop a better understanding of the study of art.
University of the Arts London, UK, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), USA, Politecnico di Milano, Italy, and Concordia University, Canada are some of the top-rated art schools.
Each institute offers a range of degrees such as Jewellery Design (BA Hons.), Anthropology & Sociology (BA), Communication & Cultural Studies (BA), Interior and Spatial Design (BA Hons.), Design for Art Direction (BA Hons.), Film Practice (BA), Games Design (BA Hons.), and many many more.
Fee Structure of Bachelor in Arts
The yearly tuition cost for a bachelor’s program is £9,250 per year in the UK (£22,000 for international students), around 17,500 CAD to 52,000 CAD per annum in Canadian universities, and $13000 to $23,000 per semester in the United States.
Master’s and Doctoral degree
After pursuing a Bachelor in Arts, you can start working for an organization or go for higher studies, ie. MA or Mphil.
Specialized arts subjects such as Humanities, Social Sciences, and sometimes Business and Law fall within the realm of post-graduate academics in Arts. Candidates at this level are often required to complete research and present a thesis paper before completion of their degree.
- Columbia University School of the Arts awards the Master of Fine Arts degree in Film, Theatre, Visual Arts, and Writing and the Master of Arts degree in Film and Media Studies; it also offers an interdisciplinary program in Sound Art. The tuition fee for one academic year at Columbia University is $65,116.
- Royal College of Art, UK ranks no. 1 in the world in arts and design education. The RCA is wholly post-graduate, offering a Graduate Diploma conversion program and Master’s, MPhil, MRes, and Ph.D. degrees. It is based around the four Schools of Architecture, Arts & Humanities, Communication, and Design.
Since these programs differ in length and the classes required for course completion, post-graduate degree costs vary significantly between universities.
Career Options and Earning Potential
Bachelor in arts graduates have a broad range of employment options once they finish their degree. They can opt to be painters, graphic designers, animators or printmakers, etc. Also, many graduates find themselves using their skills in media and marketing roles. Teaching is also a way to use some of the polished creativity to inspire others.
The earning potential naturally varies with the experience and type of job a candidate can secure. Graphic and digital designers are pretty high in demand these days due to everything shifting online.
The average salary for an art graduate in the US is $50,000. In the UK, the starting graduate salary ranges between £15,000–£19,000.
A graphic designer’s pay scale is around the $45,000 mark, whereas an art director can make around $65,000 (United States) and £47,290 (United Kingdom) annually.
