Career outcomes for Master of Fine Arts graduates

The information on this page was extracted from raw data collected from LinkedIn in early 2022 by the University of Waterloo’s Alumni Relations office. The visualizations and lists represent the careers of alumni who graduated between 2002 and 2021. The salary amounts have been extrapolated based on relevant submissions to Glassdoor.


Roles held by Master of Fine Arts (MFA) graduates: 

  • Artist 
  • Arts Instructor 

  • Carpenter  

  • Professor (in fine arts) 

  • Recreation Aid 

  • Website Operator 

Employers of MFA graduates: 

  • Draw to Perform 

  • Post-secondary institutions (Brock University, Conestoga College, Lakehead University, Northern College of Applied Arts and Technology, McGill University, Sheridan College, University of Waterloo  

  • Self-employed 


Employment location for MFA graduates

master of fine arts graph by employment location

dark purple

Outside the Greater Toronto Area - Ontario, 86.9%

dark green

Quebec, 4.3%

light orange

Inside the Greater Toronto Area - Ontario, 4.3%

light blue

New Brunswick, 4.3%

Chart data: Employment location

Employment location

Percentage

Outside the Greater Toronto Area - Ontario 86.9%
Quebec 4.3%
Inside the Greater Toronto Area - Ontario 4.3%
New Brunswick 4.3%

Career outcomes for MFA graduates by industry

career outcomes for MFA graduates by industry pie graph

dark purple

Self-employed (artist, president, director/curator), 43.5%

dark green

Trades (carpentry), 4.3%

light orange

Educational Services (professor of fine arts and visual arts, art instructor, fine arts studio technician), 43.5%

light blue

Private Sector (long term care and retirement aid, program manager), 8.7%

Chart data: Employment industry

Employment industry Percentage
Self-employed (artist, president, director/curator) 43.5%
Trades (carpentry) 4.3%
Educational Services (professor of fine arts and visual arts, art instructor, fine arts studio technician) 43.5%
Private Sector (long term care and retirement aid, program manager) 8.7%

Mean salary by industry for MFA graduates

light orange

Educational Services, $74,100

light blue

Private Sector, $62,200 

View larger image.

dark purple

Self-employed, $62,700

dark green

Trades, $64,600

Chart data: Mean salary by industry

Industry Canadian dollars per year
Educational Services $74,100
Private Sector $62,200
Self-employed $62,700
Trades $64,600
Non-profit Organization $70,200
Oil and Energy $102,900
Technology Services $82,100
Telecommunications $121,500

Median salary by industry for MFA graduates

light orange

Educational Services, $62,400

light blue

Private Sector, $62,200

View larger image.

dark purple

Self-employed, $61,600

dark green

Trades, $64,600

Chart data: Median salary by industry

Industry Canadian dollars per year
Educational Services $62,400
Private Sector $62,200
Self-employed $61,600
Trades $64,600

Relation between career and field of study for MFA graduates

dark purple

Not related at all, 2 MFA graduates

light blue

Somewhat related, 3 MFA graduates

light orange

Closely related, 18 MFA graduates

View larger image.

Chart data: Relation between career and field of study

Relation Number of MFA graduates
Not related at all 2
Somewhat related 3
Closely related 18