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Artist assistant education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an artist assistant. Artist assistants usually study fine arts, graphic design, or photography. 71% of artist assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 3,001 real artist assistant resumes to see exactly what artist assistant education sections show.
The most common colleges for artist assistants are the School of Visual Arts and the School of Visual Arts.
There are also many online artist assistant courses to help get the education required to be an artist assistant.
What education do you need to become an artist assistant?
What degree do you need to be an artist assistant?
- Bachelor's, 71%
- Associate, 12%
- High School Diploma, 8%
- Master's, 6%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become an artist assistant?
- Fine Arts, 41%
- Graphic Design, 12%
- Photography, 7%
- Business, 5%
- Other Majors, 35%
Most common colleges for artist assistants
| Artist assistant common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| School of Visual Arts | 11.07% |
| School of the Art Institute of Chicago | 9.69% |
| Savannah College of Art and Design | 7.61% |
| Fashion Institute of Technology | 7.61% |
| Pratt Institute | 6.57% |
Best majors for artist assistants
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fine Arts | 40.7% |
| 2 | Graphic Design | 12.4% |
| 3 | Photography | 6.6% |
| 4 | Business | 4.8% |
| 5 | Psychology | 4.0% |
Best colleges for artist assistants
The best colleges for artist assistants are Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.
An artist assistant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for artist assistants. 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 artist assistants.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
6. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
20 best online courses for artist assistants
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Top 10 most affordable universities for artist assistants
The most affordable schools for artist assistants are University of Florida, fashion institute of technology, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for artist assistants 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 artist assistants.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
6. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
7. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
9. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
10. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for artist assistants
The hardest universities for artist assistants to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for artist assistants 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 artist assistants 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. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for artist assistants
The easiest schools for artist assistants to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, university of the incarnate word, and grand view university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an artist assistant 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 artist assistants.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
3. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
4. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
5. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
6. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
7. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
8. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
9. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
10. Marymount University
Arlington, VA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,065
Average artist assistant salary by education level
| Artist assistant education level | Artist assistant salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $84,116 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $60,416 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $81,622 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $67,302 |
Artist assistant education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025