Online Associates Degree in Fine Arts & Design Programs

Before you enroll in an Online Associates Degree in Fine Arts and design programs, you might want to make sure it could be a good program for you. It might take a sizable amount of knowledge, expertise, and work-related skills and talent to work as a graphic designer. Some features that you might want to have or focus on developing may include: 

  • Originality
  • Visualization
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Fluency of Ideas

If this sounds like it could describe you, you might want to keep reading to find out more about earning an associate’s degree in fine arts and design.

Some Essentials of an Online Associates Degree in Fine Arts

Typically, associate’s degree programs are designed to last 2 to 4 years, comprising 60 to 120 credits.  Generally, you might come across 2 types of associate’s degrees: occupational degrees, which may prepare people to pursue certain careers, or transfer degrees, which may be designed to be applied later toward a bachelor’s degree program.  

In the field of fine arts and design, there may be a number of different areas that you might be able to focus on. Some possible fields for degrees could include: [iii]

  • Desktop publishing
  • Multimedia
  • Graphic arts
  • Interior design
  • Computer-aided design
  • Drafting

Common Coursework for Online Associates Degree in Fine Arts in Graphic Design

The coursework required to earn an associate’s degree in graphic design depends on the institution where the degree is earned. However, classes may cover topics in a variety of areas, such as the following:

  • Web design
  • Drawing
  • Design history
  • Art history
  • Visual arts
  • Communications
  • Typography

Associate’s degree programs in fine arts and design may also feature general education requirements. This means, depending on the program, you might be required to take coursework in subjects such as history, science, math, or writing. Make sure when researching different fine arts associate’s programs that you look into what exactly the curriculum might be.

Career Outlook

Arts and design may cover a wide range of industries and disciplines. One example of a career you might be able to pursue with an associate’s degree is as a web developer. Web developers tend to be accountable for the appearance of a website. They may also be in charge of its technical aspects, including capacity and performance, which are measures of how much traffic it may support and speed. 

In any profession, salaries are controlled by many factors, including education, expertise, employer, and skills. The following salary is a median annual average for the year 2016 as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is meant to provide an overview of potential earnings and projected job growth for workers.

  • Web developers: $66,130 (14% growth from 2014 to 2024, much faster than average)

Some careers in design and fine arts may require a bachelor’s degree as an entry-level education, so make sure to research whichever fields you may be interested in. You should also reach out to your school to see if their program might be able to be transferred into an applicable bachelor’s degree program. Some professions for which it might help to earn a bachelor’s degree could include:

  • Interior designer [vi]
  • Graphic designer [vii]
  • Industrial designer [viii]

Getting Started

To start looking into earning an online associate’s degree in fine arts and design, get started right here on eLearners.com by checking out our sponsored listings. Be sure to reach out to any schools you are interested in to get more specifics about their programs. Good luck!


[i]onetonline.org/link/details/27-1024.00 [ii]ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/associate.doc [iii]bls.gov/careeroutlook/2002/winter/art01.pdf [iv]bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/web-developers.htm#tab-1 [v]onetonline.org/link/summary/15-1134.00#WagesEmployment [vi]bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/interior-designers.htm#tab-1 [vii]bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/graphic-designers.htm [viii]bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/industrial-designers.htm