What careers can you do with a Fine Art degree?

Your guide to creative and cultural careers.

03 February 2026

Susan Jessop, MA Fine Art, UCA Canterbury

A Fine Art degree develops far more than artistic technique.

It encourages critical thinking, creative experimentation, visual communication, and independent practice. These are all skills that are highly valued across the creative industries and beyond.

There's a common misconception that Fine Art graduates struggle to find meaningful work or spend years pursuing an unrealistic artistic dream. This is a really outdated stereotype. In reality, many Fine Art graduates go on to build sustainable careers in a variety of industries whilst also pursuing their own artistic practice.

Whether you specialise in painting, sculpture, installation, printmaking or digital art, a Fine Art degree can lead to a wide range of rewarding career opportunities.

In this guide, we explore some of the main career paths available to Fine Art graduates and how you can turn your creative passion into a sustainable profession.

Jobs for Fine Art graduates

Artists and independent creative careers

  • Fine artist: create original works for galleries, collectors and cultural institutions. You'll be developing long-term creative projects, applying for grants and residencies and selling your work through galleries and online platforms. Being a full-time artist requires persistence and resilience, as well as strong self-promotion skills.
  • Public artist: create work for outdoor spaces and community projects such as murals and sculptures. You may find yourself engaging in large-scale projects and commissions, such as a community or cultural regeneration scheme.
Ranga Bandara, MA Fine Art, UCA Farnham

Creative and applied art careers

  • Illustrator: use your artistic skills to visually communicate stories and brands. Common illustration work includes advertising visuals, book covers, comic art and digital content.
  • Set/Prop designer: design sets, build props and create scenic backgrounds as you apply your artistic skills to the world of theatre, film and television production.
  • Digital artists: combine artistic techniques with digital skills to create online exhibitions, immersive installations, multimedia artwork and virtual experiences.
  • Community artist: deliver creative projects in schools, hospitals, prisons and community centres as you help promote wellbeing, social inclusion and skills development.
  • Cultural producer: oversee artistic projects from concept to delivery, working with artists and institutions.

Arts management and art publishing careers

  • Gallery curator: research, select and exhibit artwork for exhibitions and private collections. You'll be developing exhibition concepts, working directing with artists (and art lenders), interpreting the artwork and managing the collection.
  • Museum education officer: deliver learning programmes to schools and adult learners. In this role you'll be creating workshops and developing relevant resources, leading talks and engaging the community to promote the importance of cultural arts.
  • Art writer/art critic: review exhibitions, interview artists and analyse artwork. These roles are most commonly found at magazines, web publishers and journals
Tati Haslett, BA (Hons) Fine Art, UCA Canterbury

More advice for Fine Art applicants 

Related courses

Undergraduate

Postgraduate