BFA, BM, BArch, MFA will these credentials be worth anything?

Time and again I am asked by nervous parents about the career opportunities their students will have if they pursue a major in the visual arts.  "But will they find a job when they graduate?" is a common lament.  I can talk about the students that I have worked with who have gone on to be the happiest group of college students I have known.  I can describe the myriad of creative internships and opportunities for growth that are a direct correlation to the relationships creative students form with their professors.  I can list the places that students I know are now working professionally. But, people like statistics.  And data.  And graphs.  So, I am happy to refer you to the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP), a research effort led by Indiana and Vanderbilt Universities.  SNAAP surveyed over 13,000 graduates from 154 U.S. public and private college arts programs, conservatories and arts high schools.  These graduates have willingly responded to questions about access to jobs, satisfaction with their professions and the all important ability to support themselves doing something that they love.

Steven J. Tepper, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Vanderbilt University, writes in an article for the Huffington Post, "Arts graduates might not be rich, on average, but the vast majority is gainfully employed, piece together satisfying careers, and would go to art school again if given the choice."

So, for more detailed information about the valuable data that SNAAP has gathered, go to their website:  http://snaap.indiana.edu/snaapshot/ and see for yourself why a degree in the arts just might be the ticket to success and long-term career satisfaction.  Oh yes, and a job when you graduate!