Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Creative specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a creative specialist. Creative specialists usually study graphic design, fine arts, or communication. 76% of creative specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 10% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 491 real creative specialist resumes to see exactly what creative specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for creative specialists are the The Art Institute of Pittsburgh and the The Art Institute of Pittsburgh.
There are also many online creative specialist courses to help get the education required to be a creative specialist.
What education do you need to become a creative specialist?
What degree do you need to be a creative specialist?
- Bachelor's, 76%
- Master's, 10%
- Associate, 9%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a creative specialist?
- Graphic Design, 22%
- Fine Arts, 12%
- Communication, 11%
- Business, 8%
- Other Majors, 47%
Most common colleges for creative specialists
| Creative specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| The Art Institute of Pittsburgh | 7.02% |
| Ohio State University | 7.02% |
| School of Visual Arts | 7.02% |
| Central State University | 5.26% |
| Columbia College Chicago | 5.26% |
Best majors for creative specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphic Design | 22.3% |
| 2 | Fine Arts | 11.7% |
| 3 | Communication | 11.3% |
| 4 | Business | 7.9% |
| 5 | Marketing | 5.7% |
Best colleges for creative specialists
The best colleges for creative specialists are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.
A creative specialist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for creative specialists. 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 creative specialists.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
8. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
10. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
20 best online courses for creative specialists
Advertising disclosure
1. User Experience Design Immersive (Full-time)
Launch a future-proof career designing digital experiences that power revenue, user loyalty, and product success. Distinguish yourself as a designer by compiling a portfolio to showcase solo, group, and client projects to employers based on UI design and Agile methodologies...
2. User Experience Design (Part Time)
Translate user wants and needs into intuitive digital experiences that power revenue, loyalty, and product success. Build confidence and credibility to tackle complex design problems on the job. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
3. UX Designer
Design impactful user experiences for products in today’s digital world. Build a portfolio that showcases your ability to transform user research to high-fidelity interactive designs...
4. Product Design
Learn the steps you need to turn an idea into reality. By the end of this course you’ll learn how to bring an idea from concept to hand off for development and onto creation of a prototype...
5. Learning Final Cut Pro X - Video Editing Mastery
Learning Final Cut Pro X. A detailed course aimed at teaching users how to use FCP X on the Mavericks or Yosemite OS...
6. 47 Graphic Design Projects for Photoshop Beginners
Photoshop graphic design for beginners! Includes 47 Photoshop projects for your graphic design portfolio...
7. Visual Design (Part Time)
Gain the vocabulary and tools to tackle diverse design challenges on the job. Kickstart your portfolio and create beautiful, responsive designs for the web. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
8. Intro to UX Design
Are you interested in UX Design, but have no prior experience or an idea of where to start? You’ve come to the right place! In this two-hour livestream, we’ll explore the decision-making process that separates a good user experience from a great one, and learn some tools that you can implement in your own UX process today. All in real time, taught by an industry professional. Come learn the basics and gain the skills you need to begin your UX Design journey!...
9. Business Card design with Photoshop CC - for beginners
An easy step by step guide on how to design a professional business card on Photoshop CC for complete beginners...
10. Final Cut Pro X Tutorial
Learn how to edit video in Final Cut Pro X...
11. Graphic Design Mastery- AI, Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign
Graphic Design for beginners including Graphic Design Theories, Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, AI & Creative Thinking...
12. Materialize CSS From Scratch With 5 Projects
Master HTML 5 & the Materialize CSS framework by building 5 real world responsive material design based themes...
13. Project Charter Specialist (Accredited) Project Management
What is Project Charter? Components? Template? Example? Document Project Charter? Project Charter Specialist Earn PDUs...
14. Graphic Design Masterclass: Design 40+ Projects in Photoshop
Use Photoshop to create YT thumbnails, banners, catalogues, Instagram & Facebook Graphics, Cards, CV, Newsletters & more...
15. The Complete Final Cut Pro X Video Editing Crash Course
In this Final Cut Pro X Video Editing Course you will go from beginner to pro in under 4 hours! Filmmaking & Video Prod...
16. The Complete Final Cut Pro X Course Beginner To Intermediate
Learn how to edit videos using Final Cut Pro X with easy-to-follow Final Cut Pro tutorials From Beginner to Intermediate...
17. 27 Photoshop CC Projects + 547 Photoshop Essentials Template
Photoshop for busy business owners, includes 27 projects, 547 Photoshop essentials templates or learn tocreate your own...
18. Graphic Design Bootcamp: Advanced Training Using Adobe CC
Project-Based Learning For Intermediate Designers: Use Photoshop, Lightroom, and Other Adobe Creative Cloud Programs...
19. Salesforce Marketing Cloud Email Specialist Practice Tests
Email Specialist Practice Exams - 100 Questions - Answers & Explanations - Exam Simulated Environment...
20. Video Editing in Final Cut Pro: Learn the Basics in 1 Hour
Learn editing with Final Cut Pro in the shortest time. Perfect for the beginning editor or new content creator...
Top 10 most affordable universities for creative specialists
The most affordable schools for creative specialists are University of Florida, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and lehman college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for creative specialists 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 creative specialists.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
3. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
6. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
10. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for creative specialists
The hardest universities for creative specialists to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.
Some great schools for creative specialists 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 creative specialists 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
5. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,434
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for creative specialists
The easiest schools for creative specialists to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, wayland baptist university, and curry college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a creative specialist 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 creative specialists.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
3. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. Marymount University
Arlington, VA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,065
6. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
7. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
8. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
9. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
10. Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, KY • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,099
Average creative specialist salary by education level
| Creative specialist education level | Creative specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $77,360 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $67,284 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $56,614 |
Creative specialist education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common arts, entertainment, sports, and media questions.
Search for creative specialist jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025