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Art dealer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an art dealer. Art dealers usually study fine arts, business, or management. 61% of art dealers hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 74 real art dealer resumes to see exactly what art dealer education sections show.

The most common colleges for art dealers are the University of Nevada - Las Vegas and the University of Nevada - Las Vegas.

There are also many online art dealer courses to help get the education required to be an art dealer.

What education do you need to become an art dealer?

What degree do you need to be an art dealer?

The most common degree for art dealers is bachelor's degree, with 61% of art dealers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 24% and master's degree degree at 11%.
  • Bachelor's, 61%
  • Master's, 24%
  • Associate, 11%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become an art dealer?

You should major in fine arts to become an art dealer. 21% of art dealers major in fine arts. Other common majors for an art dealer include business and management.

Most common colleges for art dealers

Art dealers often get their degrees at University of Nevada - Las Vegas, Vassar College, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for art dealers in the US based on their resumes.
Art dealer common collegePercentages
University of Nevada - Las Vegas8.70%
Vassar College8.70%
Pennsylvania State University8.70%
The Art Institute of Houston4.35%
Santa Monica College4.35%

Best majors for art dealers

RankMajorPercentages
1Fine Arts21.4%
2Business11.9%
3Management7.1%
4Communication7.1%
5Philosophy4.8%

Best colleges for art dealers

The best colleges for art dealers are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

An art dealer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for art dealers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become art dealers.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

3. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

6. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

7. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

8. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

9. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

10. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,360

Enrollment

3,142

20 best online courses for art dealers

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1. Agent-based Generative Art | NetLogo

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2. Modern Art & Ideas

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Welcome to Modern Art & Ideas! This course is designed for anyone interested in learning more about modern and contemporary art. Over the next five weeks, you will look at art through a variety of themes: Places & Spaces, Art & Identity, Transforming Everyday Objects, and Art & Society. Each week kicks off with a video that connects works of art from The Museum of Modern Art’s collection to the theme. You will hear audio interviews with artists, designers, and curators and learn more about...

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5. Leading Innovation in Arts and Culture

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Developed by David Owens at Vanderbilt University and customized for the cultural sector with National Arts Strategies, this course is designed to help arts and culture leaders create an environment where new ideas are constantly created, shared, evaluated and the best ones are successfully put to work. One of the toughest challenges for any leader is getting traction for new ideas. Winning support can be a struggle. As a result, powerful new ideas often get stuck. This is especially true in...

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This course is aimed to give you the tools and knowledge you need to start creating simple art for video games made in the Unity game engine. Through the aesthetic of pixel art we will explore artistic principals like shape language, color theory, and composition as well as show you a step by step workflow for creating assets that you can use to make your own games. The course is broken into 4 main modules, props, environments, characters, and animation. Each of these courses will have a series...

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9. Low Poly Art For Video Games

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This course is aimed to give you the tools and knowledge you need to start creating simple 3D art for video games made in the Unity game engine. Through the aesthetic of pixel art we will explore artistic principals like shape language, color theory, and composition as well as show you a step by step workflow for creating assets that you can use to make your own games. The course is broken into 4 main modules, props, environments, characters, and animation. Each of these courses will have a...

10. ART of the MOOC: Activism and Social Movements

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This course is for activists, artists, and thinkers who wish to better understand and participate in social change. We will focus on the prolific and exciting overlap between socially engaged art and cultural practices generated by recent social movements around the world. Rather than assess the political efficacy of activities like mourning, listening, organizing, dancing, or partying, the lectures examine such cultural activities next to, and within, contemporary art practice. Included in the...

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14. Sell Your Art Masterclass

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15. Learn Pixel Art for Games

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17. How To Sell Your Art Online With ETSY

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19. Learn to Create Pixel Art for your Games

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20. Complete Beginner's Guide to Digital Art

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Master the foundations of digital drawing and illustration and create art like a pro...

Top 10 most affordable universities for art dealers

The most affordable schools for art dealers are SUNY Farmingdale, baruch college of the city university of new york, and university of florida.

If the best universities for art dealers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for art dealers.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for art dealers

The hardest universities for art dealers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for art dealers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for art dealers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

6. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for art dealers

The easiest schools for art dealers to get into are Barry University, notre dame de namur university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an art dealer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for art dealers.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

7. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

8. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

9. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

10. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,065

Average art dealer salary by education level

Art dealers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $100,504 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, art dealers earn a median annual income of $86,049 compared to $68,468 for art dealers with an Associate degree.
Art dealer education levelArt dealer salary
Master's Degree$100,504
High School Diploma or Less$64,722
Bachelor's Degree$86,049
Some College/ Associate Degree$68,468

Art dealer education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.