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Restoration artist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a restoration artist. Restoration artists usually study photography, fine arts, or graphic design. 61% of restoration artists hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 120 real restoration artist resumes to see exactly what restoration artist education sections show.

The most common colleges for restoration artists are the Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia Commonwealth University.

There are also many online restoration artist courses to help get the education required to be a restoration artist.

What education do you need to become a restoration artist?

What degree do you need to be a restoration artist?

The most common degree for restoration artists is bachelor's degree, with 61% of restoration artists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 20% and associate degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 61%
  • Associate, 20%
  • Master's, 10%
  • High School Diploma, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a restoration artist?

You should major in photography to become a restoration artist. 25% of restoration artists major in photography. Other common majors for a restoration artist include fine arts and graphic design.

Most common colleges for restoration artists

Restoration artists often get their degrees at Virginia Commonwealth University, The Art Institute of California - Hollywood, and Santa Monica College. Here are the most common colleges for restoration artists in the US based on their resumes.
Restoration artist common collegePercentages
Virginia Commonwealth University9.52%
The Art Institute of California - Hollywood4.76%
Santa Monica College4.76%
Montclair State University4.76%
National University4.76%

Best majors for restoration artists

Best colleges for restoration artists

The best colleges for restoration artists are Harvard University, Northwestern University, and Stanford University.

A restoration artist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for restoration artists. 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 restoration artists.

1. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

5. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

20 best online courses for restoration artists

Advertising disclosure

1. Business Model Innovation for Sustainable Landscape Restoration

coursera

Land degradation is a widespread problem across the globe with serious consequences for the environment and all of society. Worsening land degradation caused by human activities is undermining the well-being of two-fifths of humanity, driving species extinctions and intensifying climate change. But there’s a huge potential for restoring landscapes: around two billion hectares of land, about two times the size of China, can be restored. In this MOOC we focus on the potential of business model...

2. Tropical Forest Landscapes 101: Conservation & Restoration

coursera

Conserving and restoring tropical forest landscapes offers an opportunity to address pressing environmental and social challenges. Effective conservation and restoration initiatives support multiple objectives, including ecosystem functioning, climate change mitigation and adaptation, food security, and economic growth. This seven-week course explores the technical, social, and funding aspects of this timely topic. You will learn: 1. The importance of tropical forest landscapes and the actors...

3. The Art of Seeing Photography training for the Artist in you

udemy
4.5
(1,262)

Discover how to see like an artist & take the best photos of your life...

4. Movies: The Art of Film

udemy
4.1
(324)

The Ultimate and Complete Art of Filmmaking Course With Practical Examples From Movies...

5. Agent-based Generative Art | NetLogo

coursera

"Generative art refers to any art practice where the artist creates a process, such as a computer program, which is then set into motion with some degree of autonomy contributing to or resulting in a completed work of art." - Wikipedia In this guided project you will develop an agent-based computer program capable of generating visual art pieces. By doing so you will be introduced to the basics of ABM and NetLogo. Furthermore, at the end of this journey you will be able to share such pieces...

6. Modern Art & Ideas

coursera

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...

7. Photoshop and Photography Digital Art Compositing Course

udemy
4.5
(478)

Learn Adobe Photoshop CC and photography by designing levitation digital art composites from four photoshoots...

8. Premiere Pro Lumetri: Color Correct like a Pro

udemy
4.5
(1,245)

Learn the essentials of color philosophy and perform technical color correction and grading tasks...

9. Pixel Art for Video Games

coursera

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...

10. Photoshop for Digital Art: The Complete Course

udemy
4.2
(523)

Learn how to use Photoshop to draw and paint, understand the software and the tools you need to create today...

11. Premiere Pro Lumetri 2020: Color Correct & Color Grade

udemy
4.7
(331)

Start learning Color Correction and Color Grading in this complete beginners class...

12. Digital Painting in Photoshop: Create Amazing Concept Art

udemy
4.7
(410)

Create stunning concept art with Adobe Photoshop and learn the features to aid in that process...

13. Digital Creations

udemy
4.8
(408)

Concept Art & Effects with Photoshop...

14. The Beginner's Guide to Color Theory for Digital Artists

udemy
4.7
(1,794)

Let's go beyond the color wheel. Learn how to practically apply color theory to your art & stop being afraid of color!...

15. NFT Artist Masterclass: Join The New World Of Digital Art!

udemy
4.5
(535)

Join The Non-Fungible Token Revolution That Is Finally Giving The Power Back To The Artists, and Creators...

16. Line Art Master

udemy
4.8
(720)

Create stunning drawings with Adobe Photoshop...

17. Master Adobe Photoshop Elements 15 the Easy Way

udemy
4
(261)

The Easiest, Most Convenient and Surefire Way to Master Adobe Photoshop Elements 15 With 14-Hours of Training Videos...

18. Learn to Become a Digital Artist using Corel Painter

udemy
4
(259)

Do you have what it takes to become a digital artist? You will after taking this course...

19. Digital Landscapes: Painting Environments with Photoshop

udemy
4.7
(1,623)

A step by step guide to create amazing digital environment paintings using adobe photoshop...

20. The Beginner's Guide to Digital Art with Procreate on iPad!

udemy
4.6
(2,550)

Learn the basics of digital art on your i Pad with these step-by-step lessons for Procreate, a powerful digital art app!...

Top 10 most affordable universities for restoration artists

The most affordable schools for restoration artists are University of Florida, fashion institute of technology, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for restoration artists 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 restoration artists.

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. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

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 State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

9. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

10. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for restoration artists

The hardest universities for restoration artists to get into are Harvard University, Northwestern University, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for restoration artists 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 restoration artists 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. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

9. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for restoration artists

The easiest schools for restoration artists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, notre dame de namur university, and cardinal stritch university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a restoration artist 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 restoration artists.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

6. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

7. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

8. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

9. Centenary University

Hackettstown, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

67%

SAT average

987

10. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

Average restoration artist salary by education level

Restoration artists with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $65,821 annually. With a Master's degree, restoration artists earn a median annual income of $65,569 compared to $49,507 for restoration artists with an Associate degree.
Restoration artist education levelRestoration artist salary
Master's Degree$65,569
High School Diploma or Less$41,568
Bachelor's Degree$65,821
Some College/ Associate Degree$49,507

Restoration artist 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.

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