Courses offered by the Art Department at Harper College transfer to state universities
in Illinois and most private institutions, colleges and universities nationally, with
few or no lost credits. Students who transfer and earn a bachelor's degree in art
(B.A. or B.F.A.) prepare themselves for a wide variety of careers in the creative arts field, including the fine arts, the design industry, art education, and museum work.
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Planning for your future begins here.
It only takes 20 seconds to get started!
Start at Harper. Finish at a four-year university.
The Associate in Arts (A.A.) or Associate in Fine Arts (A.F.A.) degrees prepare you to transfer to a four-year college or university to complete
a bachelor's degree in art or related careers. Speak with your advisor about the best
courses to take to meet your academic goals.
Harper also offers institution-specific transfer information to help prepare you to
transition to a four-year university. To learn more, visit our Transfer Information page or see your advisor.
Explore Art and Design Careers
Learn more about career outcomes for Harper's Art and Design degree programs. Each
career profile offers a complete picture on the local job market, including salaries,
open positions, top local employers and more. To learn more, visit our Art and Design Careers page.
Art Directors
Art Directors
* Data sampled April 2025. Visit the Art Directors career profile for most current data.
$83,863 Median Salary
0.3% Projected Job Growth (2025-2032)
157 Job Postings
Description:
Formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual productions and media,
such as print, broadcasting, video, and film. Direct workers engaged in artwork or
layout design.
Core tasks:
Work with creative directors to develop design solutions.
Present final layouts to clients for approval.
Manage own accounts and projects, working within budget and scheduling requirements.
Confer with creative, art, copywriting, or production department heads to discuss
client requirements and presentation concepts and to coordinate creative activities.
Quick facts:
Art Therapists
Art Therapists
* Data sampled April 2025. Visit the Art Therapists career profile for most current data.
$69,344 Median Salary
10.9% Projected Job Growth (2025-2032)
13 Job Postings
Description:
Plan or conduct art therapy sessions or programs to improve clients' physical, cognitive,
or emotional well-being.
Core tasks:
Observe and document client reactions, progress, or other outcomes related to art
therapy.
Design art therapy sessions or programs to meet client's goals or objectives.
Conduct art therapy sessions, providing guided self-expression experiences to help
clients recover from, or cope with, cognitive, emotional, or physical impairments.
Assess client needs or disorders, using drawing, painting, sculpting, or other artistic
processes.
Teach courses in drama, music, and the arts including fine and applied art, such as
painting and sculpture, or design and crafts. Includes both teachers primarily engaged
in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Core tasks:
Explain and demonstrate artistic techniques.
Evaluate and grade students' class work, performances, projects, assignments, and
papers.
Prepare students for performances, exams, or assessments.
Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
Quick facts:
Graphic Designers
Graphic Designers
* Data sampled April 2025. Visit the Graphic Designers career profile for most current data.
$55,370 Median Salary
-2.5% Projected Job Growth (2025-2032)
248 Job Postings
Description:
Design or create graphics to meet specific commercial or promotional needs, such as
packaging, displays, or logos. May use a variety of mediums to achieve artistic or
decorative effects.
Core tasks:
Key information into computer equipment to create layouts for client or supervisor.
Review final layouts and suggest improvements, as needed.
Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style
and size of type.
Develop graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and Web sites.
Quick facts:
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
Create original artwork using any of a wide variety of media and techniques.
Core tasks:
Use materials such as pens and ink, watercolors, charcoal, oil, or computer software
to create artwork.
Integrate and develop visual elements, such as line, space, mass, color, and perspective,
to produce desired effects, such as the illustration of ideas, emotions, or moods.
Confer with clients, editors, writers, art directors, and other interested parties
regarding the nature and content of artwork to be produced.
Maintain portfolios of artistic work to demonstrate styles, interests, and abilities.
Quick facts:
Photographers
Photographers
* Data sampled April 2025. Visit the Photographers career profile for most current data.
$39,394 Median Salary
-3.1% Projected Job Growth (2025-2032)
127 Job Postings
Description:
Photograph people, landscapes, merchandise, or other subjects. May use lighting equipment
to enhance a subject's appearance. May use editing software to produce finished images
and prints. Includes commercial and industrial photographers, scientific photographers,
and photojournalists.
Core tasks:
Adjust apertures, shutter speeds, and camera focus according to a combination of factors,
such as lighting, field depth, subject motion, film type, and film speed.
Create artificial light, using flashes and reflectors.
Transfer photographs to computers for editing, archiving, and electronic transmission.
Determine desired images and picture composition, selecting and adjusting subjects,
equipment, and lighting to achieve desired effects.
For more information about starting your college education at Harper, please contact
Admissions Outreach at 847.925.6700 or fill out our request information form.
Art & Design Program News
Get the latest news and updates from the Harper Art & Design department.
Faculty Exhibition 2025
Harper College has an active studio art faculty. In addition to teaching, they are dedicated to making and exhibiting their own work. Collectively, they represent a wide range of concept and material approaches. This biennial exhibition provides an important opportunity for art faculty members to share their work with students, colleagues, and the community.
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