The best college majors for creative students

Creative people pursue all sorts of careers, from the arts to engineering. If you consider yourself a person who likes to think with all of your senses, is inspired by sound, color, or design, and is excited by integrating creativity with technology – these majors may be your calling.

Digital and Media Arts

What? Whether you’re most into the visual arts, how sound works or learning about animation and interactive media, digital arts will give you the opportunity to use the power of technology to express yourself. You’ll learn skills in drawing, photography and design, and study everything from music production to the history of digital media. Digital artists work in areas like animation, architectural modeling, illustration, motion or sound design, filmmaking, and more.

Where? You can study at universities like Northeastern and University of Florida, or at art schools like the Pratt Institute and School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Game & Interactive Media Design

What? Animation, coding, story writing, sound design, psychology – all of these are important for game designers. You’ll learn creative thinking, and skills that will prepare you to work in the growing gaming industry, from at-home gaming to educational software design.

Where? You can study game & interactive media design at private universities like University of Southern California, polytechnic universities like Rochester Institute of Technology, or art schools like Savannah College of Art and Design.

Graphic Design

What? You’ll combine your artistic and technical side to interpret concepts and bring them to life. You’ll learn all kinds of skills, from using color to employing multimedia design applications. Graphic designers work across industries as freelancers or for design firms, individual companies, advertising and public relations agencies, multimedia publishing companies, universities, museums, hospitals and more.

Where? You can study graphic design at four-year universities like Carnegie Mellon, or at art schools like Rhode Island School of Design or CalArts.

Music and Music Technology

What? You’ll not only enhance your singing, instrumental or composition skills, you’ll also learn how technology integrates with sound, music history, theory and the importance of music across a variety of industries, from filmmaking to counseling. The discipline that studying music requires will prepare you for a variety of careers. Music majors are often found working as performers, arts administrators, teachers, business managers, music therapists, producers, sound designers, and more.

Where? You can study at performing arts schools like Juilliard or Berklee College of Music, and find music technology programs at large universities like University of Michigan or liberal arts institutions like Connecticut College or Belmont University.

Theatre Design and Technology

What? Work behind-the-scenes to bring theatre productions to life. You’ll learn set design, sound and lighting, costuming, theatre history, and how it all comes together to create the world of a production. Majors go on to work with theatre companies, in the film industry, in arts and entertainment management, and more.

Where? You can study at universities like Boston University and Syracuse, or colleges like Emerson.