Stategic National Arts Alumni Project
  • Latest
    • Overview
    • Mission and History
    • Leadership
    • Research Advisory Board
    • Board of Directors
    • Funders
  • Contact
  • Sponsor
  • SNAAP Pulse
Tableau
Interface
    • Casebook
    • Benefits
    • Our Approach
    • Sample Reports & Codebooks
    • Pricing
    • Eligible Majors
    • Participation Agreement
    • 2022 Questionnaire
    • Past Participants
    • 2022 Participants
    • FAQ
    • FAQ National Survey of Artists
    • For the Field
    • For Institutions
    • For Researchers
    • Research Fellowship
    • Reports
    • DataBriefs
    • Publications
    • Presentations
    • SnaapShot

Publications

  • Music, Higher Education, and Society: Leading Change Through Music's Essential Goodness

    Myers, D. E.

    This volume asserts that institutional teaching, study, administration, and performance of music should derive from essential goodness: the transcendent value embodied in meaning-making that is manifest through holistic cognitive, creative, kinesthetic, productive, and expressive reality. Contextualizing music higher education within wider ecosystems of teaching and practice, this book shows how leaders can embrace strategic change as a positive opportunity and offers new models for addressing contemporary challenges in a mission-driven way, including preparing musicians for careers and engaging communities.

    Chapter 5: Transformation, cites SNAAP Board President Doug Dempster’s work on ROI in Arts Education.

    In advocating music’s essential goodness as a core value for the Western classical music ecosystem, this chapter draws on examples of how that value is playing out, being explored through research, and may be influencing broader interest. However, such examples remain limited and are often viewed as interesting diversions irrelevant to the existing ecosystem’s assumptions and practices. Reinforcing the necessity of transformational change if the ecosystem is to achieve any of its frequently stated yet unachieved aims, the chapter offers a portrait of how sectors of the ecosystem may evolve if they adopt essential goodness as a core value and how they may, in turn, contribute to the experience of music’s essential goodness for a vastly expanded array of constituents. The potentially enhanced sense of value perceived among diverse communities and societies will further the sustainability of Western classical music as a societal norm.

    March 2025

    Music, Higher Education, and Society
  • Digging Deeper Into Arts-Intensive High Schools: Experiences, Outcomes, and Other Reflections From Artistically Gifted Alumni

    Miller, A. L. & Ibrahim, D. A.

    Arts-intensive high schools offer a unique learning environment for artistically gifted students, but relatively little is known about the long-term impacts of attending these schools. Using data from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP), this mixed-methods study explores the educational experiences and career outcomes of over 2,900 alumni from arts-intensive high schools. Descriptive statistics, inferential regression models, and a grounded theory, inductive coding, qualitative analysis reveal important connections among acquired skills, experiential learning activities, and several career and community outcomes. Overall, the findings suggest that skills learned while at arts-intensive high schools are relevant to a variety of careers, and that certain high-impact practices are positive predictors of later outcomes. However, curricular revisions to address areas such as entrepreneurial and business skills may be needed. Implications for curricular improvements, programming support, and advising are also discussed.

    January 2025

    Gifted Child Quarterly
  • Arts Entrepreneurial Work in Changing Contexts: Sustaining Creative Life and Work after COVID-19

    Skaggs, R., Burke, M. J., Guo, K., Hoppe, E. J., & Cooksey, E. C.

    The COVID-19 pandemic significantly shifted the context of artistic and creative work, forcing individuals to adapt to wide-reaching changes in the way they operated in both work and life. Relying on interviews with data from 66 U.S.-based arts graduates, this article speaks to needs in sustaining creative life and work after the first year of the pandemic. Interviewees related that their needs for a sustainable creative work and life were primarily that they needed the social and physical distancing restrictions of the pandemic to end, more time and capacity to be creative, and monetary support. Ultimately, we argue that the changing context of the pandemic required substantial entrepreneurial ability toward being adaptable, superseding capacity for creativity during the first year of the pandemic. Our findings reflect that when arts entrepreneurs’ self-structured careers required new or intensified effort toward non-arts aspects of their work, their feelings of, or capacity for, creativity may be diminished.

    January 2025

    Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts
  • Agglomeration and the Success of Arts Majors Working in Entrepreneurship and Innovation

    Paulsen, R. J., Wassall, G., & Alper, N.

    In this study, the authors look to understand whether living or working in a ​‘hub’ increases the likelihood that college graduates with degrees in the arts are working in entrepreneurial occupations or innovative industries, and whether it increases their success in such occupations/industries. While the share of arts graduates working in the arts is low, recent empirical evidence suggests that large shares of arts graduates are working in occupations/industries that can be classified as entrepreneurial or innovative, potentially because of their creative education/training. Using American Community Survey data, the authors find that living or working in a ​‘hub’ has positive impacts on the likelihood arts graduates are working in occupations/industries that are entrepreneurial/innovative and on earnings in such areas.

    Disclaimer: This study is related to SNAAP’s research mission but does not include SNAAP data.

    June 2024

    Economics of Innovation and New Technology
  • Exploring the Relationship Between Higher Education Experience and Self-Reliant Career Intentions Among Arts Alumni

    Guo, W.

    The high rate of self-employment among artists compared to the U.S. workforce on average highlights the distinct features of artists’ careers, characterized by a lack of stable employment. It emphasizes the shift in higher education towards creatively addressing professional employment in the arts through entrepreneurship. The author used 2015 – 2017 SNAAP survey data to investigate the skills provided by academic institutions and their relationship with the self-reliant career choices of 77,798 arts alumni from 193 different colleges and universities across the US. This article is intended to provide insights regarding the career development of arts students.

    Fall 2023

    Journal of Performing Arts Leadership in Higher Education
  • Emerging Artist Resilience Needs: Transitional Education for a Post-COVID Creative Sector

    Peters, J. J., Booth, S. B., & Clague, M.

    This study investigated the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on recent arts graduates from three universities in the United States. The authors present evidence of shifting definitions of adaptability, resilience, transformation, excellence, and success in arts training. Based on surveys and interviews, it reinforces findings from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP). The experiences of recent arts and arts administration graduates affirms some current pedagogies and suggests others. The authors synthesize these findings to amplify some models, propose new ones, rebalance traditional outcomes toward a social mission, and consider the need for an expanded notion of excellence in the arts.

    December 2023

    The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society
  • Student Loan Debt and the Career Choices of College Graduates with Majors in the Arts

    Paulsen, R. J.

    This study looks to test the impact of student loan debt on the career choices of college graduates with majors in the arts in the USA. The author found that for arts graduates, owing on student debt decreases the likelihood of working in jobs closely related to their major fields by over 25% and decreases the likelihood they work as artists by over 30%. For all college graduates, the negative impact of student debt on working in closely related jobs to their major fields is only 3%. Student debt may have potential distributional impacts on who works as artists, as Black and Hispanic graduates and those whose parents did not attend college are more likely to have student debt and less likely to be working in jobs closely related to their major field of study. Policies that help to alleviate the debt burden on arts graduates, like debt relief, could help to mitigate these negative distributional impacts.

    Disclaimer: This study is related to SNAAP’s research mission but does not include SNAAP data.

    March 2023

    Journal of Cultural Economics
  • Diversity in Leadership Among Arts Graduates: Aiming for an Inclusive Leadership

    D'Andrea, M.

    This research explores the multiplicity of diversity based on gender, ethnicity, and age, and how it is reflected among leaders with an arts degree. They include leaders who are managers, arts administrators, curators, arts educators, theatre producers, and stage directors. In this quantitative study, the aggregated data of arts alumni, nearly 65,000 respondents from three consecutive years (2015, 2016, and 2017) from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP), are analyzed. The study shows that nearly half of art alumni are in management positions, of whom 78.5% are white, and the remaining 21.5% are fairly evenly distributed among other ethnicities. Therefore, there is a lack of diversity in the positions of leadership. This paper suggests the need for inclusive leadership, in which diversity is encouraged.

    April 2023

    Journal of Underrepresented & Minority Progress
  • Polyoccupationalism: Expertise Stretch and Status Stretch in the Postindustrial Era

    Hénaut, L., Lena, J. C., & Accominotti, F.

    In this article, the researchers explore polyoccupationalism by taking advantage of the Strategic National Arts Alumni (SNAAP) survey data on creative workers in the United States — which uniquely allowed respondents to identify with as many occupations as they deemed necessary from a list of nearly two dozen categories. The researchers theorize the relation of polyoccupationalism to postindustrial forms of work and work organization, and to workers’ position in the occupational hierarchy. 

    September 2023

    Sage Journals
  • Campus Connections for Creative Careers: Social Capital, Gender Inequality, and Artistic Work

    Martin, N., Frenette, A., and Gualtieri G.

    In this study, Martin et al. examined how social capital developed during college years is connected to subsequent career outcomes for arts alumni. The researchers analyzed data from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) survey. Results show that college social capital is associated with shorter and more successful first job searches post-graduation. However, there were significant disparities between men and women in terms of access to social capital and the impacts of social capital. Women report fewer and less influential connections to college social networks, with high levels of social capital being more strongly linked to career advantages for men than for women.

    February 2023

    ScienceDirect
  • Does Creative Coursework Predict Educational, Career, and Community Engagement Outcomes for Arts Alumni?

    Miller, A.L.

    This study explored how exposure to creative coursework during one’s education can influence a variety of educational, career, and community involvement outcomes for arts alumni. Data were drawn from over 40,000 undergraduate-level arts alumni from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) surveys. Results suggest that exposure to creative coursework is a significant predictor of several desirable outcomes, including creative skills gained during time at institution, sense of connection to one’s institution, and others. These findings can help to support curricular changes that encourage the increased use of creative activities and assignments in higher education.

    November 2022

    Taylor & Francis Online
  • The Arts Alumni Have Spoken: The Impact Training in Higher Education on Entrepreneurial Careers

    Guo, W. and McGraw, D.J.

    Using analysis of datasets from the 2015 – 2017 administrations of the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP), a multi-institution online alumni survey, this paper divides the skills most relevant to arts entrepreneurship training into four latent categories: critical thinking, leadership, business management, and artistic specialty. Results revealed significant associations between the variables with alumni’s propensity for freelancing and new venture creation. Researchers also identified that race interacts with both student loan amount and family social and cultural capital. 

    August 2022

    SAGE
  • When Debt Deters: Student Loans as a Predictor of Education-Job Match Among Arts Bachelor's Graduates

    Smith, K.N. and Albana, H.F.

    As research increasingly suggests that student loan debt may influence college graduates’ access to lower-paying industries and careers, this study uses a cross-sectional dataset from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) to investigate how student loan debt predicts education-job match (entry into an arts position) among arts bachelor’s graduates. Results show that arts bachelor’s graduates with over US$10,000 in undergraduate student loan debt are less likely to enter arts careers than those with no loans. Findings suggest that arts careers may be less accessible for college graduates who are most dependent on student loans.

    August 2022

    SAGE
  • Out of Office: The Broader Implications of Changing Spaces and Places in Arts-Based Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic

    Skaggs, R., Hoppe, E. J., and Burke, M.J.

    This chapter considers the impact of COVID-19 on alumni of higher education arts degrees in the United States with an analysis of 66 interviews conducted November 2020 through March 2021. Interviews demonstrate that adapting to a compulsory transition of work space has rippling impacts on creative workers’ larger ecosystem. Major factors affecting interviewees’ experiences during COVID include acquiring new workspace, accessing equipment and technical needs, balancing work and domestic life, and the intensification of the digital aspects of work. 

    June 2022

    Remaking Culture and Music Spaces: Affects, Infrastructures, Futures,
  • High-Impact Educational Practices in the Arts and Post-College Community Engagement

    Hwang, J., Kim, J.

    This study explores how arts alumni’s high-impact educational practices (HIEPs) during college and the local arts infrastructure affect post-college community engagement outcomes. The results combine data from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) surveys. The Local Arts Index highlights the significant positive effects of the HIEPs on post-college volunteering. Thus, arts alumni’s community engagement can be significantly increased through HIEPs, particularly from service-learning or work with a local artist during college.

    May 2022

    Taylor & Francis Online
  • Social Exclusion in the Arts: The Dynamics of Social and Economic Mobility Across Three Decades of Undergraduate Arts Alumni in the United States

    Whitaker, A., Wolniak, G. C.

    This chapter presents a broad interdisciplinary literature review linking artists’ economic precarity and need for but resistance to entrepreneurial skills, alongside colonial histories, structural racism, and hierarchies of taste in arts organizations. These themes are complemented empirically by engaging data from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) to demonstrate indicators of attrition and privilege of arts alumni relative to their participation in the arts workforce.

    April 2022

    SAGE
  • Survey of Current Financial Needs of Undergraduate Music Therapy Students

    Thorn, A. C., Iwamasa, D. A., Gooding, L. F.

    Research has suggested positive and negative relationships between students’ socioeconomic status and their academic outcomes. As this relationship has yet to be explored in music therapy, the primary purpose of this study was to explore the current financial needs and economic diversity of American undergraduate music therapy students. A survey was sent in April of 2020 for dissemination to undergraduate music therapy majors. Key findings included (a) most music therapy students took out student loans during the 2019 – 2020 academic year and expect substantial levels of debt upon graduation; (b) about one-third of respondents received the Pell Grant, a needs-based grant, in the past year; © a considerable majority were employed during school; and (d) 97% of students received additional financial assistance from their families.

    March 2022

    Oxford Academic
  • Teaching artist? Re-considerations

    Parkes, K.A.

    This article incorporates Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) survey data to reconsider the term teaching artist from a variety of angles, exploring the ways in which the term teaching artist has developed, and the ways it remains nebulous. The notion that the teaching artist model presents an extension of the traditional master-apprentice model is presented. Observations are made about the pathways toward becoming a teaching artist and the systemic barriers to becoming a teaching artist are illustrated. Reconsideration is given to the professional developments available to teaching artists. Finally, the outcomes achieved by students of teaching artists are questioned and suggestions for research and policy are given.

    February 2022

    Taylor & Francis Online
  • Unpacking High-Impact Practices in the Arts: Predictors of College, Career, and Community Engagement Outcomes

    Miller, A.L., Martin, N.D. & Frenette, A.

    Research on high-impact practices (HIPs) demonstrates positive links to student learning and development, but generally does not focus on discipline-specific activities, such as working with an artist in the community and portfolio completion. Using data from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP), this study seeks to identify beneficial HIPs for arts training through an analysis of 23,916 arts alumni from 77 postsecondary institutions. A series of regression models suggest that HIP participation was associated with gains in academic abilities and career skills, higher levels of college satisfaction, more successful job searches, greater likelihood of employment in the arts and avocational arts practice, and more frequent arts community involvement.

    February 2022

    Taylor & Francis Online
  • Ethnomusicology and Higher Education: Challenges, Trends, and Lessons from the Humanities

    Moore, R., Silva Queiroz, L. R., Bimbiras, J., Rohm, C. & Thornton, A.

    This essay synthesizes literature on trends within the humanities and considers its potential relevance for ethnomusicology. Then, based on interviews with faculty, as well as a 2018 survey circulated to current and former ethnomusicology students, it briefly considers the state of our discipline in terms of core training, student support, student placement, and other topics. The data suggest that many issues confronting ethnomusicologists resonate with those in other disciplines and that we would benefit from engagement with nationwide dialogues involving the future of graduate studies. Suggestions proposed are many and include an orientation of research toward issues impacting communities near one’s university, greater focus on team-based inquiry rather than individual scholarship, more active collaborations across disciplines, diverse professional training, more attention to shaping the content of K – 12 education, communication with diverse audiences, and a research focus on areas of broad public concern whenever possible.

    Fall 2021

    JSTOR
  • "What Difference Does It Make? Assessing the Effects of Arts-based Training On Career Pathways." In R. Comunian & A. Gilmore (Eds), Beyond the campus: Higher education and the creative economy. Routledge.

    Frenette, A. & Tepper, S.

    This study analyzes how creativity can be used to benefit the economy and society, looking at the key components of creative careers that maximize the chances for robust ​“creative economic outcomes”. Researchers also investigate the ways in which the workforce can attract, nurture, and connect, individuals across the creative industries. 

    July 2018

    Routledge
  • An Asymmetrical Portrait: Exploring Gendered Income Inequality In the Arts. Social Current

    Lindemann, D.J., Rush, C.A., & Tepper, S.J.

    Using SNAAP data, the authors explore gendered income inequalities and assess the gendered earnings gap for artists and for nonartists. The gendered earnings gap is found to be comparable for artists and nonartists, with evidence suggesting that artistic careers are subject to similar social forces that drive disparity in other occupational realms. Broader implications for scholarship on gender and work, as well as suggestions for further research and policy, are discussed.

    March 2016

    SAGE Journals
  • Are Those Rose-Colored Glasses You Are Wearing?: Student and Alumni Survey Responses. Research and Practice in Assessment, 10, 5-14.

    Dumford, A.D., & Miller, A.L.

    Combining data from SNAAP and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), this study examines self-reported college experiences and skill development of seniors and alumni who majored in the arts. Results suggest that alumni rate their overall experience higher, while students judge specific aspects of their institutional experience and their skill development more positively. Given these differences, it is recommended that institutions survey both students and alumni to achieve a more complete picture of the educational experience.

    Winter 2015

    RPA Journal
  • The Influence Of Institutional Experiences On the Development Of Creative Thinking In Arts Alumni. Studies in Art Education, 56(2), 168-182.

    Miller, A.L., & Dumford, A.D.

    Using data from SNAAP, this study explores whether satisfaction with aspects of the institutional experience contributed to the perceived development of creative thinking in arts alumni, and whether there are differences in these patterns between undergraduate and graduate alumni across a variety of academic majors. The results of several regression analyses indicated a greater number of significant predictors for creative thinking in undergraduate alumni when compared to graduate alumni. The two strongest, most consistent predictors across all models were satisfaction with their freedom and encouragement to take risks and instructors in classrooms, labs, and studios. Differences across majors are also discussed.

    November 2015

    Taylor & Francis Online
  • Assessing Alumni Success: Income Is NOT the Only Outcome! Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, vol and pp TBD. doi: 10.1080/02602938.2015.1098587.

    Dumford, A.D., & Miller, A.L.

    Utilizing data from SNAAP, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis indicated that there are two distinct components of job satisfaction for arts graduates: intrinsic satisfaction and extrinsic satisfaction. The results of ordinary least squares regression analyses for these two factors provide some relationships concerning demographic and occupational characteristics with these two areas of satisfaction. In considering overall job satisfaction, intrinsic satisfaction may play a larger role in how alumni perceive their career outcomes and success.

    October 2015

    Taylor & Francis Online
  • Living With Smartphones: Does Completion Device Affect Survey Responses? Research in Higher Education (AIR Forum issue), 56(2), 166-177. doi: 10.1007/s11162-014-9354-7

    Lambert, A.D., & Miller, A.L.

    With the growing reliance on tablets and smartphones for internet access, understanding the effects of completion device on online survey responses becomes increasing important. This study uses data from SNAAP to explore the effects of what type of device (PC, Mac, tablet, or smartphone) a respondent uses has on their responses. Differences by device type in the characteristics of survey respondents, survey completion, time spent responding, willingness to answer complex and open-ended questions, and lengths of open-ended responses are discussed.

    March 2015

    Springer Link
  • The Internship Divide: The Promise and Challenges of Internships in the Arts. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University and Arizona State University, Strategic National Arts Alumni Project.

    Frenette, A., Dumford, A. D., Miller, A. L., & Tepper, S. J.

    In the context of an intern economy that appears to be rapidly changing, this SNAAP Special Report focuses on the experiences of 10,698 of the most recent undergraduate arts alumni who graduated between 2009 and 2013 and whose experiences reflect current economic realities. Comparisons to older cohorts are also included to help examine trends and provide historical context.

    2015

    SNAAP Special Report
  • Open-Ended Survey Questions: Item Nonresponse Nightmare or Qualitative Data Dream? Survey Practice, 7(5), 1-11.

    Miller, A.L., & Dumford, A.D.

    This research explores whether those with certain demographic and personal characteristics, including gender, age, cohort, number of children, marital status, citizenship, race, current employment status, income, and institutional satisfaction level, are more or less likely to respond to open-ended questions placed at the beginning, middle, and end of an online alumni survey. Using data from SNAAP, a series of chi-squared and means comparisons analyses were done to compare whether or not respondents provided an answer to three different open-ended questions throughout the survey. Findings suggest that there are some group differences in likelihood of response, which could be explained by time burden, negativity bias, and self-identification as ​“other.”

    September 2014

    Survey Practice
  • Living With Smartphones: Does Completion Device Affect Survey Responses? Paper presented at the Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, Orlando, Florida (2014).

    Lambert, A.D., & Miller, A.L.

    This paper uses data from SNAAP to explore the effects of what type of device (PC, Mac, tablet, or smartphone) a respondent uses has on their responses.

    May 2014

  • Why Do I Need To Know This? Skills and Competencies From Institution To Workplace. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

    Miller, A.L., & Lambert, A.D.

    This study uses factor analysis to identify two types of institutional and workplace skill sets (transferable skills and business-based skills), and then uses regression analysis to explore which occupational, institutional, and demographic characteristics are predicators of each type of skill set.

    April 2014

  • For The Money? For The Love? Reconsidering the ‘Worth’ Of A College Major. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning.

    Tepper, S.J. & Lindemann, D.

    Using SNAAP data, the authors suggest that arts graduates use multiple lenses to view the worth of their education.

    April 2014

    Taylor & Francis Online
  • Who Is An Artist? New Data For An Old Question. Poetics. Special issue: Art at the Crossroads.

    Lena, J.C. & Lindemann, D.J.

    This study explores the ​“professional artist” as the outcome of an identity process, rendering it the dependent rather than the independent variable. In their responses to the 2010 SNAAP survey (N = 13,581), substantial numbers of respondents gave seemingly contradictory answers to questions asking about their artistic labor. These individuals indicated that they simultaneously had been and had never been professional artists, placing them in what we have termed the ​“dissonance group.” An examination of these responses reveals meaningful differences and patterns in the interpretation of this social category. A significant correlation is found between membership in this group and various markers of cultural capital and social integration into artistic communities. A qualitative analysis of survey comments reveals unique forms of dissonance over artistic membership within teaching and design careers.

    April 2014

    ScienceDirect
  • Lower Response Rates On Alumni Surveys Might Not Mean Lower Response Representativeness. Educational Research Quarterly, 37(3), 38-51.

    Lambert, A.D., & Miller, A.L.

    In this study, the authors investigate potential differences between responses on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) from the cohorts of graduating seniors from 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 and those same cohorts of alumni responding to SNAAP in 2010, at six diverse institutions. A series of chi-squared analyses were done for each of the six cohort years. Findings indicate that the demographic characteristics and institutional satisfaction of alumni respondents closely mirror those of the graduating seniors. The results from this study suggest that even though response rates on alumni surveys might be lower, the results may be just as representative as studies with much higher response rates.

    March 2014

    ERIC
  • Artful Living: Examining the Relationship between Artistic Practice and Subjective Wellbeing Across Three National Surveys.

    Tepper, S.J.

    This report represents an initial exploration of the thesis that the arts are essential to a high quality of life. Using three national datasets, researchers examine the correlation between artistic practice and wellbeing among a representative national sample of adults, a sample of undergraduate seniors, and a sample of former arts graduates. Findings suggest that artistic practice is associated with higher levels of life satisfaction, a more positive self image, less anxiety about change, a more tolerant and open approach to diverse others, and, in some cases, less focus on materialistic values and the acquisition of goods. A range of artistic and creative practices are examined, including fine arts, video, music, theater, dance, crafts, gardening, artful cooking, creative writing, designing clothes and composing music.

    February 2014

    Vanderbilt University
  • Making it Work: The Education and Employment of Recent Arts Graduates. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University, Strategic National Arts Alumni Project.

    Lena, J.C., Gaskill, S., Houghton, R.F., Lambert, A.D., Miller, A.L., & Tepper, S. J.

    For the 2014 SNAAP Annual Report, this study uses data from the Fall 2011, 2012, and 2013 surveys, which garnered the responses of more than 88,000 undergraduate and graduate alumni. Researchers focus on the satisfaction and value of recent graduates’ education and on their experiences after graduation as they enter the workforce. There is also a comparison between the experiences and outcomes for recent and non-recent graduates. 

    2014

    SNAAP Annual Report 2014
  • The Changing Nature of Creative Work In the 21st Century. Special issue of Work & Occupations.

    Tepper, S.J. Co-edited with Lingo, E.

    As catalysts of change and innovation, artistic workers face special challenges managing ambiguity, developing and sustaining a creative identity, and forming community in the context of an individually based enterprise economy.

    November 2013

    SAGE
  • Are Those Rose-Colored Glasses You Are Wearing?: Student and Alumni Survey Responses. Paper presented at the Association for the Study of Higher Education Conference, St. Louis, Missouri.

    Dumford, A.D., & Miller, A.L.

    This study matched SNAAP and NSSE institutions and majors using an experimental NSSE item set consisting of SNAAP questions. Alumni were found to rate their overall experience higher, while students more positively judge aspects and skill development. 

    November 2013

  • SNAAP Annual Report 2013: An Uneven Canvas: Inequalities In Artistic Training and Careers. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research.

    Strategic National Arts Alumni Project.

    A postsecondary arts education affords some unique advantages for women, minorities, and disadvantaged students. However, significant gaps remain and inequalities persist related to school debt, racial diversity within artistic occupations, and disparities in earnings by gender.

    July 2013

    SNAAP Annual Report 2013
  • Innovations In Collecting and Reporting Complex Survey Data. Session presented at the Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, Los Angeles, California.

    Lambert, A. D., & Miller, A.L.

    Online data collection allows for the implementation of several complex processes, such as skip logic and conditional response options. However, these components can complicate data management and the reporting of results. Presenters use experiences from five years of administering SNAAP to discuss effective practices.

    May 2013

  • Open-Ended Survey Questions: Non-Response Nightmare Or Qualitative Data Dream? Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, California.

    Miller, A.L., & Lambert, A.D.

    Using SNAAP data, this research explores whether those with certain demographic and personal characteristics are more or less likely to respond to open-ended questions placed at the beginning, middle, and end of an online alumni survey. Findings suggest that there are some group differences in likelihood of response, which could be explained by time burden, negativity bias, and self-identification as ​“other.”

    April 2013

  • Assessing Alumni Success: Income Is Not the Only Outcome! Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, California.

    Lambert, A.D., & Miller, A.L.

    Using SNAAP data, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis indicate there are two distinct components of job satisfaction among arts alumni: intrinsic satisfaction and extrinsic satisfaction. Results indicate that intrinsic satisfaction may play a larger role in how alumni perceive their career outcomes and success. 

    April 2013

  • The Influence Of Institutional Experiences On the Development Of Creative Thinking In Artistically Gifted Individuals. Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the National Association for Gifted Children, Denver, Colorado.

    Miller, A.L. & Lambert, A.D.

    Using SNAAP data, this study explores whether satisfaction with aspects of institutional experience contributes to perceived development of creative thinking for artistically gifted individuals. The two strongest, most consistent predictors across all models are satisfaction with freedom and encouragement to take risks and instructors in classrooms, labs, and studios. 

    November 2012

  • Comparing Skills and Competencies For High School, Undergraduate, and Graduate Arts Alumni. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 13(5) 1-13.

    Miller, A.L. & Lambert, A.D.

    Using data from the 2009 SNAAP survey, alumni perceptions of institutional contributions to the development of certain skills and competencies across high school, undergraduate, and graduate arts training programs are analyzed. High school alumni report significantly greater perceived institutional contributions to their development of artistic technique, communication skills, social skills, and personal growth. Graduate alumni report significantly greater perceived institutional contributions to their development of research and technological skills.

    June 2012

    International Journal of Education & the Arts
  • Lower Response Rates On Alumni Surveys Might Not Mean Lower Response Representativeness. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Vancouver, British Columbia

    Lambert, A.D., & Miller, A.L.

    Comparing responses from six cohorts of NSSE and SNAAP, results suggests that the demographic characteristics and institutional satisfaction of alumni respondents closely mirror those of graduating seniors. 

    April 2012

  • Painting with Broader Strokes: Reassessing the Value Of An Arts Education (SNAAP Special Report No. 1). Bloomington, IN: Indiana University and Vanderbilt University, Strategic National Arts Alumni Project.

    Lindemann, D.J., Tepper, S.J., Gaskill, S., Jones, S.D., Kuh, G.D., Lambert, A.D., Lena, J., Miller, A.L., Park, K., Rudolph, E.B., & Vanderwerp, L.

    Findings from the 2010 SNAAP survey highlights three broad ways in which arts students continue to flex their creative muscles after graduation: (1) using their artistic skills in their jobs whether or not they work within arts-related fields; (2) teaching the arts; and (3) contributing to the arts in their non-work time, through volunteering, artistic consumption, and making and performing art. Both those evaluating the impact of arts degrees and those in a position to influence arts training must learn to paint with broader strokes, looking beyond narrow employment measures as the sole defining features of educational success and expanding the scope of arts training to provide students with the resources necessary to help them move forward in their careers. 

    2012

    ERIC
  • A Diverse Palette: What arts graduates say about their education and careers—annual report 2012. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research.

    Strategic National Arts Alumni Project

    Findings from the 2011 SNAAP survey conclude that (1) Americans with arts degrees are employed at rates equivalent to other college graduates; (2) Variations on satisfaction and performance can be seen within majors; (3) Findings have implications for current college advising; (4) Teaching plays a crucial role for many arts graduates; (5) Factors including socioeconomic status, gender, and race, must be considered; (6) The worth of an arts degree must be measured by both pecuniary and non-pecuniary benefits. 

    2012

    ERIC
  • Inequality in the creative economy: An empirical investigation of barriers in the careers of art school graduates. Presentation at the Social Theory, Politics, and the Arts Conference; Lexington, KY.

    Rush, C. & Tepper, S.J.

    Using 2010 SNAAP data, the presenters demonstrate that barriers exist post-graduation for those seeking careers in the creative industries. 

    October 2011

  • Let’s Get Serious About Cultivating Creativity. Chronicle of Higher Education.

    Tepper, S.J. & Kuh, G.D.

    This article addresses how findings from SNAAP research are helping educational institutions, the government, and industry, to measure the impact of an arts education on maximizing talent across the ​“creative-work-force pipeline”. 

    September 2011

    Chronicle
  • Accountability and The Iron Cage. Inside Higher Education.

    Dempster, D. & Tepper, S.J.

    Using SNAAP data, the authors demonstrate that arts schools, while expensive, provide good value for education. 

    July 2011

    Inside Higher Ed
  • Using the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) survey data for improvements to arts curriculum and programs. Presentation at the International Art Education Association Assessment for the Arts Conference, Denver, Colorado.

    Lambert, A.D., & Miller, A.L.

    Using 2010 SNAAP data, this presentation focuses on potential ways that administrators and faculty at educational institutions can use results from alumni surveys to assess and improve curriculum. 

    July 2011

  • Forks In the Road: The Many Paths Of Arts Alumni—Annual Report 2011. Bloomington, IN: Center for Postsecondary Research, Indiana University, School of Education.

    Strategic National Arts Alumni Project.

    Using data from the 2011 SNAAP survey, findings indicate that arts alumni are happy with their training and have few regrets. They went to arts school to learn art and, by and large, they are satisfied with the quality of instruction they received concerning their artistic craft. More than half have worked as professional artists at some time in their careers. 

    June 2011

  • An analysis of mode effects in three survey modes in the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project. Paper presented at the 2nd International Workshop on Internet Survey Methods, Daejeon, South Korea.

    Kennedy, J., Tepper, S., & Lambert, A. D.

    Internet surveys are steadily replacing both postal and telephone surveys. Internet surveys are easier to conduct, require fewer resources, and are less costly. However, replacing traditional survey modes can create data quality and analysis challenges if the differences across modes are not adequately analyzed and documented. In 2009, SNAAP administered a questionnaire in three modes (paper, telephone, and Internet), and found that most responses did not change between modes.

    September 2010

Mailing List

Sign up for the latest news from SNAAP

sign up

In Partnership With

UT Austin Fine Arts

Contact

© 2025 SNAAP.

Photo Credits.

Footer snaap
    • Casebook
    • Benefits
    • Our Approach
    • Sample Reports & Codebooks
    • Pricing
    • Eligible Majors
    • Participation Agreement
    • 2022 Questionnaire
    • Past Participants
    • 2022 Participants
    • FAQ
    • FAQ National Survey of Artists
    • For the Field
    • For Institutions
    • For Researchers
    • Research Fellowship
    • Reports
    • DataBriefs
    • Publications
    • Presentations
    • SnaapShot
Bg nav blue
  • Latest
    • Overview
    • Mission and History
    • Leadership
    • Research Advisory Board
    • Board of Directors
    • Funders
  • Contact
  • Sponsor
  • SNAAP Pulse
Tableau
Interface
BG black 02