The numbers tell a story that any prospective student or their parent should hear. Across the College of Fine Arts and its four schools, University of Arizona arts graduates are finding work, building careers and making an impact in some of the most competitive creative industries in the world.
And they’re doing it at a remarkable rate.
Graduating Into the Field
According to SNAAP data from 2022, 75% of College of Fine Arts graduates had a full-time job within one year of graduation. In some programs, that number is even higher. The School of Music’s Music Education degree boasts a 100% graduate placement rate right after commencement. In spring 2025, 80% of graduating dancers — 28 out of 35 — earned positions in the dance industry through performing, teaching, agency representation or choreography.
The School of Dance’s placement story is particularly striking over time. Over the past three graduating classes, 83% of Arizona dance graduates — 86 out of 104 — landed professional jobs in the field, working as performers, choreographers, teaching artists, company members and creative leaders. Arizona dancers have placed at Giordano Dance Chicago for four consecutive years, and Cirque du Soleil’s talent department ranks Arizona among its top university casting sources. Recent graduates have also landed with Saint Louis Dance Theatre, Visceral Dance Chicago, Rochester City Ballet, Graham 2, Royal Caribbean, Walt Disney World Entertainment and Laufey’s North American tour, among many others.
This year, the School of Dance launched its inaugural Dance Careers Week, bringing companies and agencies to Tucson for auditions, workshops and direct student engagement — with most covering their own travel to be here.
Internships That Open Doors
Professional placement doesn’t start at graduation. Across Arizona Arts, students are building their resumes and their networks long before they walk across the stage. Students across all four schools have interned at museums, festivals, recording studios, arts organizations and professional companies locally and nationally.
School of Theatre, Film & Television students are landing some of the most high-profile placements in the college, including internships at ABC Network, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Film Independent, Beacon Pictures in Santa Monica, Primary Wave in Los Angeles, iHeart Media and the Glimmerglass Opera Company. Several have also worked with Arizona Theatre Company as performers and understudies, and with Disney World’s education division.
Each year, the College of Fine Arts hosts an Arts Administration Internship Fair, connecting students with Tucson-area organizations and introducing them to the Arts Administration minor — a cross-disciplinary program that prepares students to lead and manage in the arts world.
Investing in Students
Behind these outcomes is a significant institutional and donor commitment to student success. This past academic year, 362 College of Fine Arts students received donor-funded scholarship support, which is nearly 24% of the college’s student population of 1,535. The dollar amount represents a combined investment of more than $1 million in their futures. Signature programs like the Medici Scholars and the JustArtsFellowship extend that investment further, funding summer study experiences around the world and student-led projects that expand access to the arts.
Where It All Leads
From the rehearsal room to the recording studio, from Tucson internships to Los Angeles agencies, Arizona Arts students are building creative lives that last. The question isn’t whether an Arizona arts education leads somewhere.
The question is where you want to go.