Visual and Performing Arts Major: Internships & Job Salary 10 Tips

Visual and Performing Arts Major: Internships & Job Salary 10 Tips

As a visual and performing arts major, as explained over at runrex.com, you will be undertaking a program that is aimed at preparing you in any of the visual artistic media or performing disciplines. This program combines creative talent with the practical aspects of self-promotion and arts management and is a popular choice in colleges according to guttulus.com. This article should be a great resource for visual and performing arts majors as it will highlight important tips on internships and job salaries.

Importance of internships for visual and performing arts majors

As is highlighted in discussions over at runrex.com, over 85% of visual arts students have reported that internships have helped them find employment directly after graduation given that employers are usually looking for candidates with real-world experience. According to the subject matter experts over at guttulus.com, with an internship, visual ad performing arts majors gain valuable experience working in a professional atmosphere as well as the opportunity to add published clips to their portfolio which is why internships are so important to them.

Considerations when looking for internships

As is covered over at runrex.com, there are several things you should consider when looking for internships as a visual and performing arts major. The first thing is your qualifications. When looking for internships, you should make sure that you qualify and that you also meet the specified deadlines. You should also be aware of the time of the year the internship takes place. Here, it is worth noting that most internships in this field occur in the summer, although some are available during the school year.

Are visual and performing arts internships paid?

As pointed out by the gurus over at guttulus.com, internships in this field are no different than those from the other fields. This means that you can find both paid and unpaid internship opportunities. Paid internships usually offer a stipend or salary, although most internships will pay money to cover transportation and food. Unpaid internships in this field also come with lots of perks such as discounts, tickets to shows, and many others.

How much do visual and performing arts interns get paid?

There are several paid opportunities as far as internships for visual and performing arts majors go, each of which pays differently. For example, as highlighted over at runrex.com, paid internships at a museum pay about $9.30 per hour, with this being the pay offered to interns at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. If you get a paid internship with a university, you can expect to earn a stipend of about $300 per week, with such programs lasting for about 9 months or so.

Types of internships for visual and performing arts majors

As per guttulus.com, there are lots of internship opportunities to explore as a visual and performing arts major, some of which include:

Art gallery intern

Art therapy intern

Graphic design intern

Photography intern

Marketing intern

Internships in the fashion industry, among others

The annual average salary for visual and performing arts majors

As is outlined in discussions on the same over at runrex.com, the average annual salary for a visual and performing arts major graduate in the US is about $50,000, which translates to about $24 per hour. How much you will earn, however, will depend on your education level with those with advanced educational qualifications being able to land more attractive positions and, therefore, earning way above the average salary.

High-paying jobs for visual and performing arts majors

As the subject matter experts over at guttulus.com point out, the following are some of the most lucrative careers for visual and performing arts major graduates:

Art director – These are the upper-level executives who design and direct layouts, artwork, graphs, graphics, illustrations, and visual styles or images for productions. Earnings range from $42,840 to $163,430 annually

Art agents/business managers – These are the experts of the art industry who remain current on industry trends and represent artists to prospective clients and employers. Earnings range from $41,740 to $116,370 annually

Art professor – They offer specialized instruction and advanced expertise based on art to students within colleges and universities and generally earn salaries of between $45,370 and $88,290 annually

Animator – They are responsible for the development, creation, and production of moving images used for websites, video games, film, and television projects and earn between $45,750 and $82,860 annually

Entry-level jobs for visual and performing arts majors

Given that most of the above-listed jobs may be out of your reach when you have just graduated college, it is important to highlight some entry-level positions to get you started. As covered over at runrex.com, they include:

Freelance writer

Advertising designer

Art gallery dealer

Graphic designer

Interior designer

Choreographer

Dancer

Music therapist

Actor, among others

Earning potential for visual and performing arts majors

As is the case for many fields, the more qualified you are in terms of education as a visual and performing arts graduate, the more your earning potential. As explained over at guttulus.com, the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that a typical high school graduate in this field earns between $30,000 and $58,000 annually, the average person with a bachelor’s degree in this field makes between $45,600 and $99,000 annually, while advanced degree holders in this field make between $55,600 and $125,400 annually.

Job outlook

As articulated over at runrex.com, the job outlook in this field is pretty positive with most careers here set to see positive job growth rates. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, art directors have job growth prospects of about 5.4%, art, drama, and music professors 12%, artists and related workers 5.5%, and graphic designers 4.2%, with the trend being positive for many other careers in this field for the next decade or so.

These are some of the things you should know about as a visual and performing arts major as far as internships and job salaries go, with more on this topic to be found over at the excellent runrex.com and guttulus.com.