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You Don’t Need to Be a Starving Artist

Graduates from the FHSU Department of Art and Design are highly sought after graphic designers, Web designers, interior decorators, educators and more. Your options are only as limited as your imagination and your ambition. With an excellent academic program, strong faculty mentorship and connections throughout education, industry and the non-profit world, you’ll be more than ready to pursue a career in art.

Possible careers in art and design include:

  •  Interior Designer
  • Artist
  • Art Director
  • Art Instructor
  • Video industry designer
  • Advertising designer
  • Art appraiser
  • Gallery owner
  • Graphic Designer
  • Gallery Manager
  • Design Manager
  • Motion Picture design affiliate
  • Publication designer
  • Illustrator
  • Art Consultant
  • Exhibition manager

Still not sure what to do with a degree in art or design? Contact the Department of Art and Design to speak with a faculty advisor or visit FHSU’s Academic Advising and Career Exploration web site for lots of information about other possible careers.

Our Art and Design graduates - out in the world
Jessica Finger (2004)
Admissions Counselor
Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX
I chose FHSU because it had the best graphic design program. Because I wanted to study abroad and speak another language, I also majored in Spanish. I loved FHSU! I know that I could walk on to campus today and all my professors would still know not only know my name, but would probably know what I’ve been up to over the past 5 years. They were always way more interested in making sure I did well than worrying about what was going on with them. At FHSU I was involved in Everything! Alpha Gamma Delta, Panhellenic, Order of Omega, Student Activities Board, Intramurals, TigerWild, Student Government Association…and I’m sure I’m leaving something out. I wanted a job where I could travel, meet people, discover new places, use my graphic design skills and speak some Spanish……working in higher ed allows me to do all of these. I was constantly challenged in all of my classes and pushed to think of every possibility. Being involved also helped me to figure out who I was as a person. When I graduated, I honestly felt like I could do anything – like we were told when we were little!


Brian Simpson (2003, 2006)
Motion Graphics Artist
Barkley Evergreen & Partners Inc.
Kansas City, KS
As a motion graphics artist at a top advertising agency in Kansas City, I am one of a three-man team devoted to broadcast work for several clients. We work with several other effects houses and production houses to gather all of the assets we need to complete whatever a commercial might call for. My experiences in the graphic design department at FHSU were absolutely essential in the development of both my creative and professional skill set. Fort Hays was able to provide several opportunities to produce work for the school itself which was mutually beneficial for the low cost we could provide, and the high-end product the university received. A fellow graduate student and I were commissioned to create a set of DVDs as promotional material for the nearby Fort Larned School System, and we created an all-new identity as well. Through a fellow student, I also acquired two internships at Hatch Show Print in Nashville. These internships and the abundant experience provided by the school and staff prepared me for the rigorous schedules and environment anyone faces working in the creative sector.