Careers in the Arts

Our students aim to make a life in the arts, as creative practitioners and arts professionals. Many of our alumni have developed outstanding careers in a variety of arts fields - from animation to editorial cartooning, website design to set design, museum curating to theater administration. Our alumni exhibit in major museums and galleries and perform on the stages of theaters, symphonies, and opera companies around the world.

Developing a career in the arts is a very individual process - there's no one template or single pathway to success. At UConn SFA, our students begin their professional development by creating close mentoring relationships with our faculty and professional staff; taking a variety of classes to insure a well-rounded education; actively pursuing internships and independent creative research projects; and staying informed about professional development opportunities and different arts careers.

UConn's Center for Career Development provides many services to our students and alumni, including assistance with resumes and cover letters, interviewing, career counseling, and career and internship fairs.

The Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) is a major source of information about careers in the arts. Based on interviews with over 92,000 arts alumni across the nation, SNAAP provides data about:

  • satisfaction with curricular and extracurricular experiences
  • current and past education and employment
  • relevance of arts training to work and further education
  • types of art practiced and how often
  • support and resource needs following graduation
  • experiences as teachers
  • income and support, student debt and other financial issues