Art & Design

Introduction to Art and Design Studies:

Art and Design studies is an interdisciplinary major that can lead to a wide range of occupations. This major generally appeals to students with an interest in design, but whose career interests may not involve studio work or exclusively design-focused professions. For instance, those wishing to go into advertising, business, historic presevation, journalism, publishing, education, or other liberal arts field could benefit from the design history and theory overview that a design studies education provides.

What Is Involved in an Art & Design Education?

Unlike the practical applications often covered in professional schools’ graphic or multimedia design programs, design studies examines the historical, psychological, or social impact that design makes on our society. Your studies will help you to understand how design communicates ideas or makes important statements about our world. Your coursework may include a history of design or aesthetics, an overview of architecture, a history of graphic design, industrial design, or landscape architecture. Skills emphasized include critical thinking, visualizing concepts, communication, and research. While earning your degree (usually a bachelor’s degree), you may be encouraged, or even required, to select a complementary, approved minor that reflects your career goals–for example, anthropology, history, communications, etc.

While the career possibilities for design studies majors are too numerous to list, common occupations include the following (listed with career projections for the 2008-2018 period and median annual salaries in May 2009):
Museum curator: 23 percent growth (much faster than average); $47,930
Marketing manager: 14 percent (faster than average; $110,030
Arts agent or manager: 13.7 percent; $61,890
Editor: 0 percent (flat); $50,800

Find out more about what a design studies major can do for you here on w3Education.