Career and Professional Development

Careers in the visual arts

Our world-class faculty in the Department of Art produce skilled and versatile artists and scholars who are flexible, innovative leaders with global perspectives and outstanding people skills. To be successful in the visual arts, students must hone exceptional artistic and technical abilities and develop a range of analytical, communication, and organizational skills. All academic programs offered in the Department of Art help students develop these and other valuable transferable proficiencies that employers are seeking—including critical thinking, interpersonal and teamwork skills, and a strong work ethic.

With an estimated value of nearly $70 billion, the global visual art industry provides countless career opportunities for aspiring artists. Graduates from the YSU Department of Art earn a degree in an area about which they're passionate, and their skills are applicable to many careers, including those in other professions as well as in the visual arts.
 

Study of the visual arts provides students with skills in:  

Analysis

  • Comparing and contrasting ideas/information
  • Critical thinking
  • Detailed and accurate work
  • Forming perceptions and seeing connections
  • Problem solving
  • Understanding ideas within historical/social contexts

Communication

  • Communicating ideas creatively
  • Gathering, analyzing, and interpreting information
  • Integrating diverse ideas from others 
  • Making keen observations
  • Speaking articulately and listening introspectively

Interpersonal relations

  • Adapting techniques
  • Attaining a high level of craftsmanship
  • Creativity
  • Interacting collaboratively with colleagues in a team setting
  • Project planning and management
  • Self-discipline
  • Working under pressure and meeting
    deadlines

Organization

  • Ability to concentrate and work intensely for long periods of time
  • Networking
  • Time management
  • Utilizing available resources
  • Working independently

Career opportunities for creatives  

The roles of creatives continue to be redefined, and artists are influencing the world in nearly every industry. This means your opportunities with a degree from the Department of Art at Youngstown State University are greater than ever. Your education gives you one of the most competitive skills in today’s job market: creativity. Combined with your abilities to approach problems with unique perspectives, collaborate with others, and think critically, you will be desirable to employers in any field you pursue. Our graduates successfully establish careers in numerous professions, such as:

  • App Developers
  • Animation Artists
  • Art Directors
  • Art Educators
  • Art Therapists
  • Arts Administrators
  • Brand Specialists
  • Ceramicists 
  • Concept Artists
  • Costume Designers
  • Creative Directors
  • Design Consultants
  • Digital Artists
  • Editors
  • Entertainment Attorneys
  • Entrepreneurs
  • Furniture Designers
  • Graphic Designers
  • Interior Designers
  • K-12 Educators
  • Landscape Designers
  • Merchandising Analysts
  • Museum Curators
  • Painters
  • Photographers
  • Printmakers
  • Product Designers
  • Resident Artists
  • Sculptors
  • Set Designers
  • University Faculty
  • UX/UI Designers
  • Videographers

Where our alumni work

Our talented and versatile alumni become cultural influencers and entrepreneurs and are making their mark locally, nationally, and globally. Department of Art alumni regularly earn national ane international recognition—they are Emmy® Award winning designers, studio artists, academic faculty across the globe, and more.  Our graduates may be found in every segment of today's creative industries, including as: 

  • Amazon 
  • American Greetings 
  • Apple 
  • Artix Entertainment 
  • Art Inst. of Chicago 
  • Bank One Corp. 
  • Bath & Body Works 
  • Canon Solutions American 
  • Carnegie Mellon Univ. 
  • Coca-Cola 
  • Comedy Central 
  • Converse 
  • Dartmouth College 
  • Delphi 
  • DORÉ
  • DreamWorks Animation  
  • ESPN
  • Hallmark Cards 
  • Hobby Lobby 
  • JPMorgan Chase & Co. 
  • MCF Architecture 
  • Michael Kors 
  • Microsoft 
  • Nationwide Ins. 
  • NBC LA/KNBC-TV 
  • Palantir Tech.
  • Rutgers University 
  • Siemens 
  • Southwest Airlines 
  • Toyota
  • University of Chicago 
  • The Walt Disney Co. 
  • The Weather Channel
  • University of Pittsburgh 
  • Verizon 
  • Vitamix 

Next steps

YSU Office of Career Exploration and Development 
Jones Hall, Room 2022 
330.941.3515
oced@ysu.edu 
 

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