University Named No. 1 in the Nation Among Best Value Colleges for Art Careers by PayScale.com
05/05/2017
Media contacts: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. – “An arts degree? What are you going to do with that?”
At UMass Lowell, just ranked No. 1 (and No. 2!) among the Best Value Colleges for Art Careers in the nation by PayScale.com, we’re so glad you asked.
UMass Lowell alumni are winning Grammys, helping to broadcast the Super Bowl and other national events, creating graphic, web and digital designs for organizations like National Geographic, NASA, Converse, Adidas, iRobot and Motivis Learning. They’re promoting and managing top musicians, becoming music teachers and working at video game companies.
“UMass Lowell has been making transformational strides in the last decade to increase the value of our degrees while working to keep our students’ investment in higher education low,” said Chancellor Jacquie Moloney. “Our arts alumni are in prestigious positions across the globe and many are now giving back and helping new graduates as they start their careers.”
“Creativity is big business,” said Luis M. Falcón, dean of the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. “UMass Lowell faculty are working every day with incredibly talented and passionate students to ensure they have the knowledge and resources to turn their artistic gifts into successful careers.”
In the Art and Design Department, faculty said required student coursework ensures students have experience working in complex design systems, including focuses such as graphic design, animation, and web and app design.
“This integration, combined with mandatory internships, have made UMass Lowell design graduates a lot more desirable to employers,” said Regina Gardner Milan, a lecturer with more than 30 years of professional design experience who helps guide students through their senior capstone projects.
Alan Williams, chairman of the Music Department and the coordinator of UMass Lowell’s Music Business program, told a similar story.
“Unlike many music programs across the country, our degrees are professionally oriented. Our graduates fully intend to earn their living with music and our educational programs are designed to ensure they achieve that goal,” Williams said.
Additional outstanding students, faculty and alumni in the arts come from UMass Lowell programs in sound recording technology, digital media, studio art, creative writing, and theater arts.
According to PayScale.com, its Best Schools for Art Jobs category incorporates everything from art directors to audio and video technicians to copywriters to graphic designers. It ranks No. 1 UMass Lowell’s return on investment for in-state students and No. 2 UMass’s Lowell’s ROI for out-of-state students.
PayScale.com also ranks UMass Lowell No. 1 among New England public research universities for its 20-year return on investment.
UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 17,750 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu