16+ jobs you can get with a degree from NAU’s College of Arts and Letters
If you’re considering pursuing a degree in the humanities or arts, you might be wondering about your job prospects after graduation.
Choosing a college and degree is no easy task. After all, it’s an important decision that will influence the course of your life. The good news is, majoring in subjects like fine arts, interior design, history, music, and theatre can lead to exciting career opportunities in a variety of fields.
At Northern Arizona University’s College of Arts and Letters, you’ll learn skills highly valued by employers that can be leveraged in any career, including critical thinking, communication, and teamwork. In this post, we’ll highlight programs available at the college, specific career readiness competencies you’ll develop through them, and real-world jobs you can get with each degree.
So, read on! Whether your interest is art, English, languages, history, music, or theatre, this post will give you information and inspiration to help choose the degree and program that’s perfect for you.
Explore your career possibilities with liberal arts
1. Fine arts
If you have a passion for creativity and an active imagination, a degree in fine arts can lead to many opportunities. You’ll learn critical skills like visual communication, interdisciplinary thinking, and creative problem-solving.
Art director, fine artist, gallery owner, graphic designer, photographer, and UX designer are just a few job possibilities that await you in the field.
2. Interior design
Interior designers are highly sought after by architects, real estate companies, and interior design firms. You’ll learn key competencies like critical thinking, leadership, professionalism, technical skills, and adapting to diverse environments.
With a degree in interior design, you can design living spaces, retail stores, and public spaces. Interior designers become project managers, exhibition designers, event planners, and production designers.
3. Art history
Art history majors work in a variety of settings, from schools to museums to auction houses to corporate environments. They can teach, analyze, create, and appreciate art. You’ll learn to identify areas of professional growth while applying feedback, effective communication, gathering and analyzing information from diverse sources, and professionalism.
You can use your degree in art history to become a K–12 art teacher, community center instructor, museum interpreter, art appraiser, and corporate gallery manager.
4. Music
With a degree in music, you’ll have the skills necessary to practice, perform, and teach music. You’ll learn career competencies like communication, leadership, teamwork, cultural fluency, and appreciation.
As a NAU graduate with a music degree, you could become a professional musician, music teacher, audio engineer, composer, data analyst, media coordinator, or non-profit administrator.
5. English and English education
Communication is a highly sought skill in many fields. You’ll gain skills in written and verbal communication, research, analysis, and leveraging multiple cultural perspectives to make inclusive, equity-driven decisions.
A degree in English or English education could land you a job as a professional copywriter or technical writer, editor, librarian, literary agent, city council member, songwriter, or lawyer.
6. Modern languages
Exploring global languages will enable you to push your cultural boundaries, gain fluency in languages such as French, German, or Japanese, and develop an understanding of region-specific cultures. You’ll gain key competencies in global cross-cultural interactions and experiences, communication for diverse learning styles, and multitasking.
A degree in modern languages opens the possibility of becoming a translator or interpreter for businesses or the government, intelligence analyst, or tour guide, to name a few.
7. History
With a bachelor’s degree history, you’ll analyze and interpret historical events and trends to better understand the present and future by looking back at the past. Transferrable skills you’ll gain include communication, critical thinking, flexibility, and professionalism.
With a degree in history, you could become a teacher, park ranger, archivist, economist, or researcher.
8. Philosophy
As a philosophy major, you’ll use critical thinking skills and explore how philosophical thinking applies to politics, law, and society. You’ll learn to gather and analyze information from a diverse set of sources and individuals to fully understand problems. You’ll gain skills in communication, critical thinking, leadership, and professionalism.
As a graduate in philosophy, you can end up working in public service, marketing, politics, or even law.
9. Theatre
You may aspire to be an actor in the movies or on Broadway, but that’s just one of many careers you can pursue with a theatre degree. You’ll gain competencies in verbal and non-verbal communication, critical thinking, leadership, teamwork, and advocacy.
As a graduate with a degree in theatre, you could become a theatre technician, teacher, production designer, corporate trainer, and writer.
Now it’s up to you
So, now you know. There are many careers and jobs you can pursue with a degree from NAU’s College of Arts and Letters. Whether you choose to become an artist, teacher, performer, designer, writer, or marketer, the skills you’ve gained in communication, critical thinking, professionalism, and technology will serve you well. So don’t hesitate to pursue your passions—there are countless ways to turn them into a profitable and fulfilling career.