Art History, Criticism and Conservation Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Art History, Criticism and Conservation maps to BLS occupations averaging about $219,469, with roughly 1,007,900 workers nationwide in those roles. About 2,381 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median in-state published tuition is about $8,092.
Key Statistics
Art History, Criticism and Conservation: what the data shows
Common questions about art history, criticism and conservation degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a art history, criticism and conservation degree?
A Art History, Criticism and Conservation program is classified under NCES CIP 50.0703 in the Fine and Studio Arts field family (50.07).
A program that focuses on the study of the historical development of art as social and intellectual phenomenon, the analysis of works of art, and art conservation. Includes instruction in the theory of art, art history research methods, connoisseurship, the preservation and conservation of works of art, and the study of specific periods, cultures, styles, and themes
IPEDS counted 2,381 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of art history, criticism and conservation degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 50.07 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Art/Art Studies, General (CIP 50.0701)
- Ceramic Arts and Ceramics (CIP 50.0711)
- Drawing (CIP 50.0705)
- Fiber, Textile and Weaving Arts (CIP 50.0712)
- Fine & Studio Arts (CIP 50.0702)
- Intermedia/Multimedia (CIP 50.0706)
- Jewelry Arts (CIP 50.0713)
- Metal Arts (CIP 50.0714)
- Painting (CIP 50.0708)
- Printmaking (CIP 50.0710)
- Sculpture (CIP 50.0709)
How long does it take to get a art history, criticism and conservation degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 50.0703 in our file:
- 143 Associate (4.3% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 2,381 Bachelor's (72.2% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 768 Master's (23.3% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 4 Doctorate (0.1% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Lawyers (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 50.0703, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a art history, criticism and conservation degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Art History, Criticism and Conservation to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyers | 747,750 | $151,160 |
| Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance | 3,320 | $50,280 |
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education | 114,410 | $61,430 |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | 97,890 | $80,190 |
| Floral Designers | 40,160 | $36,120 |
| Craft Artists | 4,370 | $38,480 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a art history, criticism and conservation degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Fine and Studio Arts bachelor's program family: median debt $30,451, median earnings $41,367 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 1.24.
About 8.3% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $8,092 and median net price is $16,670.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Art History, Criticism and Conservation and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$8,092 Median In-State Public
$42,432 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Art History, Criticism and Conservation majors are, on average, $8,092 for in-state public colleges, and $42,432 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Art History, Criticism and Conservation programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Art History, Criticism and Conservation from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Art History, Criticism and Conservation.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 2 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 3 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 4 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 5 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,615 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Art History, Criticism and Conservation programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tohono O'odham Community College | AZ | $932 |
| 2 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 3 | Taft College | CA | $1,108 |
| 4 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 5 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Art History, Criticism and Conservation programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada College | CA | $32 |
| 2 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 3 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 4 | College of San Mateo | CA | $536 |
| 5 | Henry Ford College | MI | $660 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Art History, Criticism and Conservation programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Art History, Criticism and Conservation programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Art History, Criticism and Conservation is in CA (363 completions). That state represents about 15.2% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is VT (0.16% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 363 | 15.2% | 0.08% |
| NY | 302 | 12.7% | 0.11% |
| MA | 161 | 6.8% | 0.13% |
| PA | 130 | 5.5% | 0.08% |
| TX | 123 | 5.2% | 0.04% |
| FL | 99 | 4.2% | 0.04% |
| OH | 94 | 4.0% | 0.07% |
| IL | 82 | 3.4% | 0.06% |
| NC | 81 | 3.4% | 0.07% |
| MI | 60 | 2.5% | 0.05% |
| WA | 59 | 2.5% | 0.09% |
| GA | 55 | 2.3% | 0.05% |
| CT | 54 | 2.3% | 0.11% |
| VA | 52 | 2.2% | 0.04% |
| UT | 46 | 1.9% | 0.04% |
| MN | 44 | 1.9% | 0.05% |
| IN | 40 | 1.7% | 0.04% |
| OR | 40 | 1.7% | 0.09% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 50.07 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Art/Art Studies, General CIP 50.0701
- Ceramic Arts and Ceramics CIP 50.0711
- Drawing CIP 50.0705
- Fiber, Textile and Weaving Arts CIP 50.0712
- Fine & Studio Arts CIP 50.0702
- Intermedia/Multimedia CIP 50.0706
- Jewelry Arts CIP 50.0713
- Metal Arts CIP 50.0714
- Painting CIP 50.0708
- Printmaking CIP 50.0710
- Sculpture CIP 50.0709
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 50.0703 in the survey year used in our extract (3,296 total across levels below).
- 143 Associate (4.3% of IPEDS total)
- 2,381 Bachelor's (72.2% of IPEDS total)
- 768 Master's (23.3% of IPEDS total)
- 4 Doctorate (0.1% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $219,469. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Art History, Criticism and Conservation graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyers | $261,078 | 747,750 |
| Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance | $122,805 | 3,320 |
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education | $91,347 | 114,410 |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | $130,318 | 97,890 |
| Floral Designers | $49,284 | 40,160 |
| Craft Artists | $88,430 | 4,370 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Fine and Studio Arts CIP family (90 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Art History, Criticism and Conservation graduate.
- $30,451 median federal loan debt among completers
- $41,367 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 1.24 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 8.3% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$219,469 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Art History, Criticism and Conservation majors is $219,469.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Art History, Criticism and Conservation majors.
Occupations by Share
1,007,900 2023 Workforce
The number of Art History, Criticism and Conservation graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Art History, Criticism and Conservation by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Art History, Criticism and Conservation in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Art History, Criticism and Conservation.
Age distribution for Art History, Criticism and Conservation degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
2,381 Total Degrees Awarded
379 Male (15.92%)
2,002 Female (84.08%)
Gender distribution of Art History, Criticism and Conservation degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
1,409 White (59.18%)
391 Hispanic or Latino (16.42%)
167 Asian (7.01%)
134 Two or More Races (5.63%)
72 Black or African American (3.02%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Art History, Criticism and Conservation degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Art History, Criticism and Conservation are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Art History, Criticism and Conservation.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Art History, Criticism and Conservation field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Art History, Criticism and Conservation majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Art History, Criticism and Conservation majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Art History, Criticism and Conservation majors.
About
A program that focuses on the study of the historical development of art as social and intellectual phenomenon, the analysis of works of art, and art conservation. Includes instruction in the theory of art, art history research methods, connoisseurship, the preservation and conservation of works of art, and the study of specific periods, cultures, styles, and themes
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Art History, Criticism and Conservation.
CIP Code
50.0703 - Art History, Criticism and Conservation
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $30,451 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $41,367, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.24. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Art History, Criticism and Conservation graduate.
About 8.3% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians. That is a program-level mobility signal, not a national underemployment rate.
Women earned 82.5% of 3,557 Art History, Criticism and Conservation completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $219,469. The largest mapped role by headcount is Lawyers (747,750 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $8,092 in-state at public colleges and $42,432 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.