MFA Degree Careers

Masters in Fine Arts (MFA) counts as a reputable degree in the field of Fine Arts. Offering tons of specializations, MFA degree can be your go-to option if you are willing to take your designing skills to a level up. MFA degree can give your career in Arts stream a great push. The course is usually 1 to 2 year long in duration and is perfect to polish your existing skills to the advanced level. So are you are ready to spill your creativity on the world? Let’s explore what it takes to earn a Masters of Fine Arts degree!

What is an MFA Degree?

A master’s degree in fine arts, design, or creative writing is a graduate degree that focuses on visual and performing arts, design, or creative writing. It appeals to people who are enthusiastic about a certain art form or creative profession and wish to broaden their knowledge. Students in an MFA programme learn by doing, getting hands-on experience in their profession as well as knowledge of its history, facts, and famous works.

Authors, editors, playwrights, dancers, actors, painters, and sculptors are among the many people who choose to earn an MFA. Others utilise their postgraduate degrees to instruct college students.

An MFA degree can take up to four years to finish, however the most frequent time frame is two to three years. An expedited one-year degree will almost certainly include year-round effort and some credit from prior education or job experience. A professional internship, such as employment in a film studio or a fashion design studio, may be included in a four-year curriculum.

What Can You Do with an MFA Degree? 

The career scope after an MFA degree is immense but it totally depends upon the specialisation that you have chosen. Since designing is a broad field, some of its specialisations are prominent and others are still finding their way to the mainstream industry. Often graduates with MFA degree, tend to practice on their own, however, mention below are some common job profiles stating what to do with an MFA degree-

Commercial Artist 

Being a commercial artist you can work on your own, get associated with an agency or can be fully employed in an organisation to design or create either graphics or art consignments. 

Graphic Designer

The work of a graphic designer is to creatively design or assemble pictures to make out an alluring design. You can choose to work with advertising agencies, electronic or print media, etc. 

Capturing the Photography Career the Right Way!

Art Director 

With an MFA degree in Set and Art Design, you can opt to work as a set or art designer for a film production house. You can even explore the option of working as a set designer with theatres on media houses. 

Animator 

If you have chosen animations as your specialisation in MFA course, you will be entitled to working as an animator. You can get associated with an organisation and can design cartoons, caricatures or graphics as per their choice. Media houses, production houses as well as advertising agencies are often in search of Animators.

Now that you have a broad understanding of what to do with an MFA degree, let us emphasize on particular specialisation and analyse what all career options fo they entail. 

MFA Degree Specializations and Career Options

As you know that there are tonnes of sub-fields or specializations available under the MFA degree programme, you will be eligible for pursuing a career in the chosen field. Mentioned below are the popular fields along with suitable options for what to do with an MFA degree. 

Master of Fine Arts: Painting and Drawing 

It is one of the most commonly pursued fields under fine arts. If you choose to pursue this specialization, you will be thoroughly equipped with all the detailing involved in creating those jaw-dropping pieces of work worth crores! Popular job profiles available in this field are-

• Artist
• Instructor or Teacher
• Independent Curator

Master of Fine Arts: Sculpture Making 

The art of sculpting refers to the process of creating 3-D objects using hard wooden or plastic materials. During your MFA course in this field, you may also learn to carve POP based sculptures. Your answer for what to do with an MFA degree in this field are-

• Sculpturist 
• Sculpting Instructor 
• Sculpture Designer 

Master of Fine Arts: Ceramic Designing

This field is an ideal option for those who are fascinated by those meticulously designed show pieces. If you believe that you can mould some clay into beautiful objects or show pieces, then, you can easily go for seeking a professional degree in ceramic designing. The creation of sculptures or decorative objects by pottering or firing clay refers to ceramic designing. Have a look at famous career options after it-

• Ceramic Designer 
• Ceramic Designing Instructor 

Master of Fine Arts: Performing Arts

Performing arts refers to the use of body, objects or voice to convey feelings and expressions. Usually, those who want establish a career in singing, dancing, mimicry opt for attaining professional skills through MFA in Performing Arts course. As per the genre of your interest, you can select the industry. Mainly, the profiles in answer to what to do with an MFA degree are-

• Dancer 
• Classical Dancer 
• Singer 
• Comedian 
• Mime Artist 
• Theatre Artist 

Skillset for MFA Candidates

Creativity	Realistic and constructive drawing
Composition skills	Colour techniques
Organisation skills	Decision-making skills
Research skills	Attention to detail
Interpretive skills	Teamwork

Course curriculum for MFA

Aesthetics & Principles of Art Appreciation	History of Indian Art
History of European Art	History of Indian Architecture
History of Indian Painting and Sculpture	Principles and Sources of Art
History of Oriental Art	Sociology
Mechanism of Artistic Perception	–

Eligibility Criteria for MFA

• To fulfil MFA eligibility standards, candidates must meet the following criteria:
• Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) or an equivalent degree from a recognised institute or university is required.
• Obtain the minimal aggregate percentage required by the institution to which an applicant is asking for admission (typically 50 percent to 60 percent).
• Candidates with a bachelor’s degree in humanities may also be considered.

Master of Fine Arts: Course Comparison

Parameters	MFA	MA
Focus	There are a variety of Fine Arts disciplines available, including photography, oil painting, painting, and much more.	History, English, Sociology, Philosophy, and other liberal arts disciplines are available.
Practicals	The majority of the themes, such as sculpting, painting, poster colours, oil painting, and water colours, are practical in nature.	They include more theoretical subjects than practicals, such as philosophy, sociology, and history.
Career Scope	If you wish to enrol and follow the conventional path of painting, drawing, sculpture, and so on, you should seek an MFA.	Diverse job options in Humanities and Liberal Arts topics, in both government and commercial organisations, in a range of sectors.

MFA Books Recommendations

Book Name	Author
Making a Good Layout	Lorisieber & Lisa Balla
Air Brushing and Photo Retouching	Brett Breckon
Applied Art Handbook	Prof. S.K. Luthra
Sign Design: Graphics, Materials & Techniques	Mitzi Sims
A History of Fine Arts in India and the West	Edith Tomory

MFA Jobs & Salary

Job Position	Average Salary
Artist	INR 3.5 LPA
Graphic Designer	INR 3 LPA
Art Teacher	INR 3.1 LPA
Art Historian	INR 4.8 LPA
Curator	INR 4.2 LPA
Animator	INR 3.7 LPA
Creative Director	INR 13.2 LPA
Photographer	INR 3.6 LPA
Art Restorer	INR 3.9 LPA

Master of Fine Arts Future Scope

Many young individuals nowadays are pursuing their artistic dreams by pursuing an MFA in order to work in the creative profession. In the preceding part, we reviewed some of the primary job descriptions that may be obtained after completing an MFA study.A student with an MFA degree can work with the following organisations:

• Museums
• Art galleries
• Dance academies
• Music studios
• Gaming industry
• TV channels

Thus, we hope that through this blog, you now have an idea for what all you can do with an MFA degree. Do you want to know more about the scope of career opportunities in your chosen field of specialisation for MFA course, get in touch with our experts at Leverage Edu and they will guide you the best. Hurry Up! Book an e-meeting now.