Reflections: Alumni Perspectives on their Postsecondary Experiences in Arts and Design

Arts Alumni Postsecondary Experiences SnaapShot

This report was supported in part by an award from the Research: Art Works program of the National Endowment for the Arts: Grant 1891787 – 38-22 with matching funds provided by the University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts, and the University of Illinois Investment for Growth Fund, in partnership with the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP).

Suggested Citation:
Novak-Leonard, J. L., and Bigelow, S. (2024). Reflections: Alumni Perspectives on their Postsecondary Experiences in Arts and Design, Strategic National Arts Alumni Project Report. Austin, TX: Arts + Design Alumni Research, SNAAP.

SNAAP is supported by Arts + Design Alumni Research, the nonprofit that oversees the management of SNAAP, and its institutional partnerships with the University of Texas at Austin’s College of Fine Arts and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s College of Fine and Applied Arts.

SNAAP’s 2022 survey administration was made possible by the dedicated efforts of the SNAAP staff — Lee Ann Scotto Adams, Executive Director; Deanna Ibrahim, Director of Research Services; and Angie L. Miller, Data Consultant — and through support from The Mellon Foundation, The Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, and sponsorships supplied by:

• ArtCenter College of Design
• College of Art & Media at University of Colorado Denver
• College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State University
• College of Fine Arts at University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• Eastman School of Music at University of Rochester
• Emerson College
• Herb Alpert School of Music at University of California, Los Angeles
• Indiana University, Bloomington
• Institute of American Indian Arts
• Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts at the University of Houston
• Maryland Institute College of Art
• Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University
• Pratt Institute
• School of the Art Institute of Chicago
• Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts at University of North Carolina School of the Arts
• Tyler School of Art & Architecture at Temple University
• University of Southern California
• Yale University

Questions? Email: info@snaaparts.org

AUTHOR Affiliations

Dr. Jennifer L. Novak-Leonard, Research Associate Professor, College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; SNAAP Research Director and SNAAP Board Vice President (2019 – 2023) 

Dr. Shanita Bigelow, 2022 – 2023 Postdoctoral Fellow, Arts Impact Initiative, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

Higher education is amid a period of significant change and perspectives from alumni on their educational experiences can contribute to shaping improved pathways forward. The Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) survey collects data on the perspectives and experiences of alumni from arts, design, and adjacent fields and this report provides insights stemming from the 2022 SNAAP survey data. Specifically, we explore alumni reflections on the quality of their postsecondary arts or design experience and satisfaction with it, connection to their alma mater, and the likelihood of alumni to recommend their alma mater. The 2022 SNAAP survey data offer evidence-based insights to help inform the important work being undertaken by postsecondary institutions offering studies and training in arts and design amid shifts and changes affecting higher education. 

Highlights:

• 86% of alumni of arts and design programs report having ​‘excellent’ or ​‘good’ overall experiences during their arts and design postsecondary education.
  • Approximately 1 in 2 alumni (51%) more than 10 years out from their degree rated their experience as ​‘excellent’, while about 1 in 3 alumni from the last 10 years rated their experience as ​‘excellent’.
  • 64% of alumni from arts education programs and 56% from music programs, on average, report having had an ​‘excellent’ overall experience during their postsecondary education; these rates are relatively high compared to those reported for other areas of study.
  • 60% of alumni who studied arts or design at an associate’s or two-year college reported an overall ​‘excellent’ experience.

• About 40% of alumni who graduated within the last 25 years were ​‘very satisfied’ with their opportunities to take classes across different arts and design fields, opportunities to take non-arts classes, and opportunities to share their design or artistic work.
  • In looking at satisfaction levels with specific opportunities experienced during postsecondary education, alumni of HBCUs and associates’ colleges report relatively high rates of being ​‘very satisfied’ across each opportunity measured in the 2022 SNAAP survey. Specifically, alumni of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) report the highest rates of being ​‘very satisfied’ with opportunities to network, both with artists, designers, and other creative professionals (56%), and with alumni (54%).

• The most recent alumni—those who were two or fewer years out from graduation at the time of the 2022 SNAAP survey administration, and those whose studies and training were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and related public health safety measures — have different levels of satisfaction with their postsecondary arts or design experience compared to other arts and design alumni; they report:
  • relatively high rates of being ​‘very satisfied’ with ​‘opportunities to integrate their artistic or design work with other subjects of interest’ (34%) and with ​‘opportunities to network with alumni’ (16%), and
  • relatively low rates of being ​‘very satisfied’ with ​‘opportunities to perform, exhibit, or present’ (34%) and with ​‘opportunities for internships and other relevant work-training’ (24%).

• In terms of alumni perspectives on the quality of aspects of their experiences:
  • 88% of alumni from the last 25 years felt satisfied with the quality of their instructors (50% ​‘very satisfied’ and ​‘38%’somewhat satisfied’).
  • The most recent alumni reported significantly higher rates of being ​‘very satisfied’ with exposure to a broad view of career options, both in and out of the arts and design (22%) compared to earlier alumni.
  • Recent alumni—those 5 or fewer years out from graduation — report higher rates of being ​‘very satisfied’ with the quality of advising about academics, career, or further education (26%) compared to those 6 to 25 years out from their degree (21%).

• Significantly larger portions of more recent alumni report having ​‘often’ engaged with aspects of more diverse and inclusive learning environments. For example, approximately 2 in 5 (39%) alumni 0 – 2 years out from their alma mater at the time of the 2022 SNAAP survey report learning about matters of racial justice and social equity, compared to 12% of alumni more than ten years out.

• Overall, 18% of arts and design alumni feel ​‘very much’ connected to their postsecondary institution and an additional 40% feel ​‘somewhat’ connected.
  • Just over a third (35%) of alumni of HBCUs and of associate’s degree programs report feeling ​‘very much’ connected to their alma mater.
  • The most recent alumni have the highest rate of feeling ​‘very much’ connected to their alma mater, however, the percent of alumni that feel ​‘very much’ connected to their alma mater decreases the more years out from receiving the degree: 27% for those 0 – 2 years out, 20% for those 3 – 5 years out, and 16% for alumni 6 or more years out from their completion of their postsecondary arts or design program.

• 80% of alumni say they would recommend their postsecondary alma mater to another student like themselves.

Higher education is amid a period of substantial change. Institutions offering postsecondary degrees are facing an enrollment cliff based on demographic shifts in the college-age population (Grawe, 2018, 2021), an increased need to demonstrate the value of a postsecondary education and return on investment, and pressing needs to address inequitable practices and policies catalyzed by reinvigorated calls for racial and social justice — these are some of the key matters and dynamics that are bringing about the current period of change. And, with this period of change, comes the need for information to help postsecondary institutions develop pathways forward for them and their students. While these dynamics are affecting higher education broadly, some matters acutely impact arts, design, and related fields within higher education. These matters call for renewed, informed thinking from within institutions and from their stakeholders. Insights stemming from the experiences of alumni are a critical means for helping to inform renewed thinking.

The Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) survey collects data on the perspectives and experiences of alumni from arts, design, and adjacent fields and this report provides insights stemming from the 2022 SNAAP survey. Specifically, this report provides alumni reflections on the quality of their postsecondary arts or design experiences and satisfaction with them, connection to their alma mater, and the likelihood of alumni to recommend their alma mater. The 2022 SNAAP survey data offer evidence-based insights to help inform the important work being undertaken by postsecondary institutions that offer arts and design training amid shifts and changes affecting higher education.

The 2022 SNAAP data uniquely enable national-level insights from arts and design alumni based on notable technical changes made to the 2022 SNAAP survey administration, which are detailed in the 2022 SNAAP Technical Report (Novak-Leonard et al., 2023). The 2022 SNAAP survey sample included 118 postsecondary institutions within the United States that offer training in arts, design, or adjacent fields, an approximate average institutional response rate of 11%, and over 61,000 respondents. For the analyses in this report, we use weighted 2022 SNAAP survey data to enable national insights on the perspectives of alumni of institutions awarding arts, design, and related degrees across the United States. The changes made to the 2022 SNAAP survey administration enable insights on alumni perspectives and postsecondary experiences in arts or design in terms of differences among them based on how recently they earned their degree or credential, the level of degree or credential earned, the primary field of study, and the type of postsecondary institution from which the degree or credential was earned.

How arts and design alumni feel about their alma mater can be influenced by a multitude of factors. Alumni perspectives are shaped by aspects of their overall postsecondary educational environments while enrolled in an arts or design program, as well as an array of circumstances an individual experienced during and since their enrollment. The 2022 SNAAP survey inquired about alumni’s overall ratings of their postsecondary arts and design experiences and their levels of satisfaction with specific aspects of their training and studies. This section presents insights on alumni ratings of their overall experiences and levels of satisfaction with aspects of their experiences while enrolled at their postsecondary institution, and variation across these measures by institutional factors that significantly predict variation in those ratings.

How do alumni generally feel about their postsecondary experience?

To garner insight into alumni’s overall satisfaction with their postsecondary arts or design alma mater, the 2022 SNAAP survey asked alumni to rate their overall experience while pursuing their degree or credential. The vast majority of alumni gave positive overall ratings of their postsecondary experience; 45% had ​‘excellent’ experiences and an additional 41% had ​‘good’ experiences (Figure 1). The overall ratings, however, vary based on when an alumni graduated from their institution. An estimated 1 in 2 alumni more than 10 years out (51%) rated their experience as ​‘excellent’, while approximately 1 in 3 more recent alumni rated their experience as ​‘excellent’ (specifically, 33% of alumni 0 – 2 years, 36% of alumni 3 – 5 years, and 37% of alumni 6 – 10 years out from degree or credential).

There are also notable differences in alumni’s overall ratings of their postsecondary experience by the level of degree or credential pursued (Figure 2). Sixty-two percent (62%) of alumni who earned a doctorate in an arts, design, or related field rated their experiences as ​‘excellent’ which is significantly greater than the 47% of masters-level alumni who rated their experience as ​‘excellent’. Furthermore, both of these percentages are significantly greater than the 43% of bachelors-level alumni who rated their experience as ​‘excellent’. Approximately half of alumni who earned associate’s degrees, as well as those who pursued certificates or other non-degree credentials rated their experiences as ​‘excellent — 52% and 53% respectively — which is also significantly greater than the overall average reported by alumni who earned bachelor’s degrees.

In addition to degree or credential, the 2022 SNAAP survey also collected information on the primary area of study within arts and design. In Figure 3, the highest rate of ​‘excellent’ experiences is reported by alumni of arts education programs, 64% on average; while some of the lowest rates for an ​‘excellent’ experience are reported by alumni of creative writing programs, 32% on average. 

Alumni earn their degrees from a broad range of postsecondary institutional types that offer different learning environments to their students. Based on data from the National Center for Education Data’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), there are approximately 2,400 institutions awarding degrees in arts or design across the United States that span an array of institutional types, including associate’s or two-year colleges, doctoral and masters colleges, four-year colleges that specialize in arts, music, or design, and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Examining overall ratings of alumni experience in the 2022 SNAAP survey data by institution type, we see that alumni of associate’s or two-year colleges report higher rates of an overall ​‘excellent’ experience (60%) on average, compared to alumni from doctoral and masters colleges (45%) and from art, design, or music-focused four-year colleges (42%). Approximately half of alumni (55%) who earned their degree from an HBCU reported an ​‘excellent’ overall experience; however, given the smaller sample size of alumni from HBCUs within the 2022 SNAAP, this estimate is not statistically distinguishable from the rates reported by alumni of other institution types.

What aspects of the experience were satisfying to alumni?

The 2022 SNAAP survey inquired about alumni satisfaction with an array of specific aspects of their arts or design studies. These questions focused on the types of opportunities offered to alumni during their studies — such as opportunities to network, to integrate their creative studies with other types of coursework, to present their creative work, and to find opportunities for career-related training beyond coursework — and with the quality of key components of their studies — such as the quality of their instructors and of academic and career advising, as well as exposure to a variety of career opportunities and meeting overall expectations. This set of questions was asked of alumni who were last enrolled at their postsecondary arts or design institution within the last 25 years.

Satisfaction with opportunities

Approximately 40% of alumni who graduated within the last 25 years reported being ​‘very satisfied’ with opportunities to take non-arts classes, work or take courses across different artistic or design disciplines, and perform, exhibit, or present their design or artistic work. Smaller percentages of alumni were ​‘very satisfied’ with opportunities to integrate artistic or design work with other subjects or issues of interest (29%) and opportunities to find an internship or other professional work-training relevant to their career interests (26%).

Notably, however, another quarter (24%) of alumni who graduated within the last 25 years were ​‘very dissatisfied’ with opportunities to find internships or similar career-advancing opportunities. Less than 1 in 5 alumni who graduated within the last 25 years felt ​‘very satisfied’ with networking opportunities; 19% felt ​‘very satisfied’ with opportunities to network with creative professionals and 14% felt ​‘very satisfied’ with opportunities to network with alumni, regardless of their profession.

The most recent alumni—those who were two or fewer years out from graduation at the time of the 2022 SNAAP survey administration — reported significantly higher rates of being ​‘very satisfied’ with ​‘opportunities to integrate their artistic or design work with other subjects of interest’ (34%, compared to 29% of alumni who graduated 6 – 10 years ago and 27% of those who graduated 10 – 25 years ago). Additionally, these most recent alumni reported a slightly higher rate of feeling ​‘very satisfied’ with opportunities to network with alumni compared to alumni who graduated 10 – 25 years earlier (16% vs. 14%). However, the effects of the pandemic on these most recent alumni are also apparent in the 2022 SNAAP data.

The most recent alumni report the lowest rates of being ​‘very satisfied’ with ​‘opportunities to perform, exhibit, or present’ (34%, compared to 38% of alumni who graduated 3 – 5 years ago); this lower percentage likely reflects the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on these alumni in particular, as the two years of the national public health emergency in the United States (March 13, 2020 – May 11, 2023), coincided with some portion of their studies being affected by closures, cancellations, and challenges to gathering related to public health safety measures. Additionally, these most recent alumni reported a lower rate of being ​‘very satisfied’ with opportunities for internships and other relevant work-training than alumni who graduated 10 – 25 years earlier (24% vs. 28%). 

There are significant differences in how satisfied alumni are with opportunities during their postsecondary experience across different degree levels. Within the rates shown in Figure 5, we see associate’s-level alumni report rates of being ​‘very satisfied’ that are amongst the highest for each opportunity measured within the 2022 SNAAP survey; however, it is important to note that this is largely driven by these degrees being earned at an associate’s or two-year college, as opposed to the degree level in and of itself. For most of the opportunities measured, the reported rate of being ​‘very satisfied’ significantly increases from bachelors‑, to masters‑, and to doctoral-level alumni, we see this for opportunities to:

• perform or show artistic or design work (36%, 40%, 55% respectively),
• integrate artistic or design work with other courses (28%, 31%, 37% respectively),
• find internships or other work-training opportunities (25%, 28%, 35% respectively),
• network with creative professionals (17%, 22%, 28% respectively), and
• network with alumni, regardless of profession (12%, 16%, 23% respectively)

Alumni who earned a master’s degree in an art, design, or related field report significantly lower rates of being ​‘very satisfied’ compared to bachelors- and doctoral-level alumni for opportunities to:

• take non-arts classes (30% compared to 43% and 44% respectively), and 
• work or take courses across artistic or design disciplines (33% compared to 40% and 42% respectively)

In looking at satisfaction with specific opportunities during postsecondary education, alumni of HBCUs and associates’ colleges report relatively high rates of being ​‘very satisfied’ across each opportunity measured in the 2022 SNAAP survey (Figure 6). Alumni of HBCUs report the highest rates of being ​‘very satisfied’ with opportunities to network, both with artists, designers, and other creative professionals, and with alumni (56% and 54% respectively).

There are also some differences across fields of study for certain opportunities. Table 1 lists each field of study in which alumni reported above-average rates of feeling ​‘very satisfied’ for the enumerated opportunities measured on the 2022 SNAAP survey. Notably, alumni of arts education programs report above average rates of feeling ​‘very satisfied’ in five of seven opportunities measured on the 2022 SNAAP survey. 

Satisfaction with quality

The 2022 SNAAP survey included four measures of alumni satisfaction with the quality of specific aspects of their postsecondary experience (Figure 7). Half (50%) of alumni from the last 25 years felt ​‘very satisfied’ with the quality of their instructors, and the vast majority felt at least satisfied (88%, very and somewhat satisfied combined).

The most recent alumni—alumni 2 or fewer years out from graduation at the time of the 2022 SNAAP survey administration — reported significantly higher rates of being ​‘very satisfied’ with exposure to a broad view of career options, both in and out of the arts and design (22%) compared to earlier alumni. Recent alumni—those 5 or fewer years out from graduation — report higher rates of being ​‘very satisfied’ with the quality of advising about academics, career, or further education (26%) compared to those 6 to 25 years out from their degree (21%). Conversely, alumni at least 10 years out from their degree report higher rates than alumni 10 or fewer years out from their degree of being ​‘very satisfied’ with the overall quality of instructors (53%) and their arts or design alma mater institution meeting their expectations (35%).

On average, alumni of doctoral- and masters-level programs report higher rates than bachelors-level alumni of being ​‘very satisfied’ with the quality of instructors, of their program meeting their expectations, and the quality of academic and career advice received; bachelors-level alumni reported rates higher than those reported by alumni of associate’s degree programs (Figure 8). Notably, alumni of associate’s programs reported higher rates of being ​‘very satisfied’ with exposure to a broad view of career options, both in and out of the arts and design (28%) compared to bachelors- (15%) and masters-level (17%) alumni. 

Furthermore, alumni of associate’s and two-year colleges report relatively high rates of being ​‘very satisfied’ across the measures of quality in the 2022 SNAAP survey compared to rates reported by alumni of doctoral/master’s and specialized colleges.

In terms of the field of study, alumni of arts education, music, and dance programs reported higher rates of being ​‘very satisfied’ across each measure of quality measured in the 2022 SNAAP survey compared to the average rate of being ​‘very satisfied’ across all alumni (Table 2). Alumni of art history and curatorial programs, architecture, as well as arts, entertainment, and media management programs also reported higher than average alumni reported rates of being ​‘very satisfied’ with a specific measure of quality (Table 2). 

How were alumni engaged during their postsecondary experience?

The 2022 SNAAP survey asked alumni who graduated within the past 25 years about several aspects of their postsecondary program in arts or design. About 1 in 3 alumni reported ​‘often’ learning about creative works from diverse cultures and creators, as well as learning from faculty who represent a diversity of identities (Figure A). Nearly a third (29%) of alumni from the last 25 years reported that they often learned about artistic or creative practices from cultural backgrounds different from their own within their coursework. Around half or less of alumni from the last 25 years reported ​‘often’ or ​‘sometimes’ learning about matters of racial justice or social equity (53%), having worked with an artist in the local community (43%), or on a creative project serving the local community (37%).

Five of these measured offerings emphasize aspects of learning environments that are recognized as helping to make them more diverse and inclusive and, within each of these shown in Figure B, we see that significantly larger portions of more recent alumni report having ​‘often’ engaged with the identified aspects of more diverse and inclusive learning environments.

Several high-impact practices have been deemed important to student outcomes, including the completion of a portfolio and of an internship (for example, see Miller, Martin, & Frenette, 2022). Amongst alumni 25 or fewer years out from being enrolled, 68% completed a portfolio during their postsecondary experience. Almost half (49%) of alumni 25 or fewer years out completed an internship or other professional work training experience that was relevant to their degree. Approximately 1 in 3 (34%) of these alumni report having used career service offerings from their postsecondary institution.

The 2022 SNAAP survey asked all alumni about the relationship they currently have with their arts or design alma mater. Specifically, the 2022 SNAAP survey inquired about how connected alumni feel to their postsecondary institution and would they recommend their alma mater to a prospective student. These measures serve as important indicators of graduates’ willingness to engage with the institution, its students, and fellow alumni.

How connected do alumni feel?

Overall, 18% of arts and design alumni feel ​‘very much’ connected to their postsecondary institution and an additional 40% feel ​‘somewhat’ connected (Figure 10). The percent of alumni that feel ​‘very much’ connected to their alma mater is lower the more years out alumni are from their degree: 27% for those 0 – 2 years out, 20% for those 3 – 5 years out, and about 16% for alumni 6 or more years out from the completion of their postsecondary program.

Considering differences across degree, field of study, and institutional type, alumni of bachelors-level programs in arts and design report the lowest rates of feeling ​‘very much’ connected to their alma mater, at 17%, compared to all degree types. While alumni of arts education and music programs each report statistically higher than average rates of feeling ​‘very much’ connected to their alma mater, 26% and 23% respectively. Just over a third (35%) of alumni of HBCUs and of associate degree programs report feeling ​‘very much’ connected to their alma mater, which is greater than rates reported by alumni of doctoral and masters’ colleges and by alumni of specialized four-year schools (18%).

Would alumni recommend their alma mater?

Overall, 80% of arts and design alumni report that they would recommend their postsecondary institution to another student like themselves. While 82% of alumni who graduated more than 10 years ago said they would recommend their alma mater, a slightly smaller portion (78%) of alumni within two or fewer years from their degree completion said that they would recommend their alma mater.

In terms of institutional type, those who pursued and earned degrees from two-year institutions reported the highest rate (93%) for being in favor of recommending their educational institution to someone like themselves. 

In terms of the field of study, the areas of study from which alumni tended to report relatively high rates of being ​‘very satisfied’ (see Table 2) are generally reflected in relatively high rates of alumni reporting that they are ​‘likely to recommend’ their alma mater (Table 3).

Large portions of alumni from arts, design, and adjacent fields of postsecondary study in the United States report very satisfying and enriching experiences during their education and training. Unsurprisingly, the reflections on those experiences and the feelings that alumni hold of their arts and design alma mater vary, both by aspects of the educational experience — when the alumni was enrolled, the kind of program, the degree type, and the institution’s environment and offerings — and by who they are, their expectations, and their goals for applying the skills, knowledge, networks, and experiences gained through their arts and design studies. This report offers initial national-level insights stemming from the 2022 SNAAP survey data and provides evidence to inform the important work and considerations being undertaken by postsecondary institutions in arts and design and their stakeholders amid vast changes affecting higher education.