General Design & Visual Communications

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2022

6,039

growing 4.75%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$7,997

declining 1.16%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$37,592

growing 3.5%

Average Wage

$70,742

growing 8.97%

People in Workforce

2.28M

growing 3.24%

Average Employee Age

41.2

growing 0.215%

About

In 2023, the locations with the highest concentration of General Design & Visual Communications degree recipients are University of California-Davis, CA, Indianapolis city (balance), IN, and Orem, UT. In 2022, the locations with a relatively high number of General Design & Visual Communications degree recipients are Suquamish, WA, Lakewood, OH, and Cazenovia, NY. The most common degree awarded to students studying General Design & Visual Communications is a bachelors degree.

Visual & Performing Arts Design & Applied Arts

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in General Design & Visual Communications and the types of students that study this field. University of California-Davis awards the most degrees in General Design & Visual Communications in the US, but Northwest College of Art & Design and Miami Ad School-Atlanta have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in General Design & Visual Communications.

Tuition costs for General Design & Visual Communications majors are, on average, $7,997 for in-state public colleges, and $37,592 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers General Design & Visual Communications programs are Public, 4-year or above institutions (103 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (2,474 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in General Design & Visual Communications (2023)

University of California-Davis
240 degrees awarded
Ivy Tech Community College
221 degrees awarded
Utah Valley University
218 degrees awarded

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in General Design & Visual Communications, is Public, 4-year or above (2,474 completions in 2023).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer General Design & Visual Communications programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$7,997

Median In-State Public

$37,592

Median Out of State Private

University of California-Davis has the most General Design & Visual Communications degree recipients, with 240 degrees awarded in 2023.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in General Design & Visual Communications.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Out of all institutions that offer General Design & Visual Communications programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Northwest College of Art & Design has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in General Design & Visual Communications, with 100%.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in General Design & Visual Communications

Utah County, UT
243 degrees awarded
Yolo County, CA
240 degrees awarded
Marion County, IN
221 degrees awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in General Design & Visual Communications by year.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Visual & Performing Arts graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Visual & Performing Arts majors is $70,742 and the most common occupations are Graphic designers, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Other managers.

The industry that employs the most Visual & Performing Arts majors is Elementary & secondary schools, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Design & Visual Communications is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

$70,742

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,232

8.97%

1 Year Growth

± 2.27%

The average salary for Visual & Performing Arts majors is $70,742 and the most common occupations are Graphic designers, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Other managers.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Visual & Performing Arts majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Design & Visual Communications is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Visual & Performing Arts majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Visual & Performing Arts majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Design & Visual Communications is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

The most common occupations Visual & Performing Arts majors, by number of employees, are Graphic designers, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Other managers.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Design & Visual Communications is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Visual & Performing Arts majors working as Graphic designers, Commercial and industrial designers, and Interior designers.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Design & Visual Communications is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Visual & Performing Arts majors are Physicians, Surgeons, and Magnetic resonance imaging technologists.

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Design & Visual Communications is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

2.28M

2022 Workforce

± 36,762

3.24%

1 Year Growth

± 2.23%

The number of Visual & Performing Arts graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.24%, from 2.2M in 2021 to 2.28M in 2022.

The largest single share of Visual & Performing Arts graduates go on to work as Graphic designers (4.71%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Visual & Performing Arts by share of the total number of graduates.

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Design & Visual Communications is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

The most common industries that employ Visual & Performing Arts majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & secondary schools, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and Specialized design services.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Design & Visual Communications is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

The highest paying industries of Visual & Performing Arts majors, by average wage, are Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals, Computer & peripheral equipment manufacturing, and Petroleum refining.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Design & Visual Communications is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

2.28M

2022 Workforce

± 36,762

3.24%

1 Year Growth

± 2.23%

The number of Visual & Performing Arts graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.24%, from 2.2M in 2021 to 2.28M in 2022.

The industry which employs the most Visual & Performing Arts graduates by share is Elementary & secondary schools, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Visual & Performing Arts.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Design & Visual Communications is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Visual & Performing Arts majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Visual & Performing Arts majors.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Visual & Performing Arts in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Visual & Performing Arts is 41.2.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Visual & Performing Arts degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Visual & Performing Arts (2,868 students).

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Design & Visual Communications is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

41.2

Average Age in 2022

± 0.211 Years

0.215%

1 Year Change

± 0.73%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Visual & Performing Arts. The most common ages of employees with this major are 30 and 29 years old, which represent 3.4% and 3.31% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in General Design & Visual Communications are Bachelors Degree, Associates Degree, and Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Design & Visual Communications is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Visual & Performing Arts are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (67.6%)

Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in General Design & Visual Communications.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
2,868 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
844 degrees awarded
Black or African American
620 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in General Design & Visual Communications for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination

White Female
1,071 degrees awarded
White Male
403 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino Female
309 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in General Design & Visual Communications.

White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Design & Visual Communications is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

Most Common Countries of Origin

Korea
27,165 degree recipients
Mexico
21,333 degree recipients
China
16,314 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Korea
4.63 times more than expected
Iceland
4 times more than expected
Northern Ireland
3.99 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Korea that hold Visual & Performing Arts degrees (4.63 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is Korea (27,165 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the General Design & Visual Communications field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. General Design & Visual Communications majors need many skills, but most especially Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that General Design & Visual Communications majors need more than the average amount of Technology Design, Operations Analysis, and Programming.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for General Design & Visual Communications majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Technology Design is very distinctive for majors, but the Speaking, Critical Thinking, and Active Listening are the three most important skills for people in the field.