What do creative arts graduates do?

Jo Hadler, careers manager at BIMM Music Institute, and What do graduates do? editor Laura Greaves provide an overview of how this cohort of creative arts graduates fared 15 months after leaving university

The data is based on responses from over 18,000 creative arts graduates, who made up 10% of all survey respondents. Among them, 79% identified as female and 20% as male. The employment rate for creative arts graduates (82.7%) was marginally higher than the overall average for all subjects (80.3%). However, only 49.8% were in full-time employment, which is lower than the average for all subjects.

In contrast, around 25% worked part time, a rate notably higher than the average for other disciplines (10.8%). This reflects the nature of the creative arts industry, where many professionals take on freelance or project-based roles, leading to a higher rate of part-time work. A third of creative arts graduates said they were developing a creative, artistic or professional portfolio when surveyed.

The unemployment rate among creative arts graduates (6.6%) stood slightly above the overall average for all subjects (5.6%), with media studies graduates experiencing the highest rate (7.9%).

Types of work

The top occupations for creative arts graduates were in creative fields, with 28.6% employed in arts, design, and media, followed by 19.6% in retail, waiting, and other customer service roles. The most common creative roles were graphic designer, photographer, arts officer, actor and artist. Others found work in clerical, secretarial and admin roles (10.7%), as well as marketing, PR and sales (10.1%).

Creative arts graduates had a professional-level employment rate of 58.6%, which is well below the average of 74.9%, but this lower rate might be attributed to the way graduates report their employment. Those with portfolio careers in creative fields may list their more stable jobs (like retail, catering, waiting, and bar staff) instead of emphasising their creative projects. Design graduates had the highest rate of professional-level employment at 64.6%, whereas fine arts graduates had the lowest at 46.9%.

However, 75% of creative arts graduates felt their activities were meaningful, reflecting a sense of positivity about their outcomes.

Further study

Just 3.4% of creative graduates pursued full-time further study 15 months after graduation, while an additional 7.8% balanced work and study. Graduates from fine arts (15.1%) and performing arts (15.3%) were the most likely to continue their studies, whereas design graduates (7.9%) were the least likely to do so.

The majority of those in further study were working towards a Masters (53.3%), while others were working towards a Doctorate (17.7%) or a professional qualification (17.2%).

Salaries

Salaries for creative arts graduates ranged from £21,929 to £30,952, with the highest earnings reported by females in the cinematic and photography sectors. Female graduates from performing arts backgrounds, and graduates with a fine arts degree, reported the lowest salaries. Those who pursued further study reported higher average salaries than those who did not, but most creative arts graduates still earned a salary below average (£28,731).

This article was first published in the 2024/25 edition of What do graduates do?