Home Schools Brown University Fine Arts
Visual & Performing Arts · Fine Arts Rank #289 of 385

Fine Artsat Brown University

Graduates earn $23,180/yr in their first year — about 9.0% below the national Fine Arts average. Base-case 10-year earnings $754K; scenarios range from $676K to $779K depending on AI disruption.

Providence, RI Private nonprofit Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
26 AT RISK
27
Optimistic
24
Pessimistic
Earnings
$23,180
1-year post-graduation
ROI
1.7x
Earnings : tuition
10-yr Base
$754K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
Moderate
40% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at Brown University

Brown's esteemed Fine Arts program, embedded within a rigorous liberal arts environment, cultivates critical thinking and conceptual depth rather than solely vocational skills. This often means graduates forge diverse, less linear career paths than those from purely specialized art schools. Your degree signals intellectual rigor and a unique perspective, which are highly valued in adjacent creative industries. You'll find alumni leveraging their artistic problem-solving in fields like UX/UI design, marketing, or even tech, where aesthetic sensibility meets product development. The strong alumni network can open doors, but success hinges on building a robust portfolio and demonstrating how your artistic vision translates into marketable skills. Actively seek out internships and interdisciplinary projects to showcase the breadth of your capabilities.

AI Outlook Integration

Three scenarios, ten years out

Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.

Pessimistic
Mass Automation
$676K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score24/100
Earnings Multiple2.5x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$754K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score26/100
Earnings Multiple2.8x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$779K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score27/100
Earnings Multiple2.9x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Brown University's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.

Career Paths

Where Fine Arts graduates typically work

Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.

1
Art directors
+4.2% 10-yr growth · 12,300 openings/yr
$111,040/yr
High
2
Special effects artists and animators
+1.6% 10-yr growth · 5,000 openings/yr
$99,800/yr
High
3
Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary
+1.7% 10-yr growth · 9,000 openings/yr
$80,190/yr
Moderate
4
Artists and related workers, all other
+0.8% 10-yr growth · 1,200 openings/yr
$72,760/yr
Low
5
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
-1.6% 10-yr growth · 66,200 openings/yr
$64,580/yr
Moderate
6
Curators
+7.0% 10-yr growth · 1,800 openings/yr
$61,770/yr
High
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Fine Arts

How Brown University stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
Columbia University in the City of New York
NY · Private nonprofit
37
DW Score
$51K
1-yr earn
1.0x
ROI
University of Southern California
CA · Private nonprofit
38
DW Score
$50K
1-yr earn
1.2x
ROI
Ramapo College of New Jersey
NJ · Public
45
DW Score
$45K
1-yr earn
6.7x
ROI
University of Nebraska at Kearney
NE · Public
46
DW Score
$41K
1-yr earn
12.2x
ROI
Barnard College
NY · Private nonprofit
36
DW Score
$40K
1-yr earn
0.5x
ROI
Also at Brown University

Other top programs at Brown University

Other highest-scoring programs offered at Brown University, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

Consider the trade route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Fine Arts offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Compare Fine Arts trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →
FAQ

Frequently asked about Fine Arts at Brown University

What does a 26/100 DegreeOutlook Score mean for Fine Arts at Brown University?

At 26/100, the financial outlook is modest. Higher-scoring Fine Arts programs exist, though non-financial factors may justify this choice.

What do students actually pay for Fine Arts at Brown University?

The 61% gap between sticker price and net cost means most students pay far less than $272,920. At a net cost of $106,288, the earnings multiple improves substantially.