STEM Majors and Degrees

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STEM + ART = Your STEAM-powered Education

Traditionally, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors offer some of the best educational pathways toward exciting job opportunities and high-paying salaries.

But in today’s swiftly evolving world, more is being asked of those pursuing these careers. STEM professionals must be able to work collaboratively on cross-disciplinary teams, consider the social implications of their work, and address problems with real-world solutions.

Average Salaries for Representative STEM Jobs

Job TitleAverage Annual Salary
Advertising Manager$147,050*
Animator$111,130*
Digital Interface (UX/UI) Designer$101,740*
Architect$96,510*
Makeup Artist$93,850*
Industrial Designer$81,740*
Game Developer$79,149**
Landscape Architect$77,820*
Graphic Designer$64,500*
Web Designer$62,641**
3D Artist$57,871**
*Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as of May 2022 **Data from Glassdoor.com as of May 2023
student artwork
image of BookThe two sides of Yu Liu, Designer and Illustrator

Why STEAM?

At the Academy, we integrate art and design thinking into all of our STEM majors to provide our students with a true STEAM education. These human-centered skills are widely recognized as being critically important for innovative thinking across all industries and disciplines, and foundational for solving real-world problems.

Our students are taught to collaborate, generate creative and innovative ideas that push beyond the obvious, and express their work in humanistic and practical ways. Adding the A to STEM prepares our students for the fluid job market and societal complexity of the 21st century.

STEM Benefits for International Students

For international students with F-1 immigration status who are enrolled in—or completing—a degree program in the United States, pursuing a STEM degree offers an additional 24 months of Optional Practical Training (OPT) beyond the standard 12-month allotment. That’s three years of invaluable US-based work experience, which can lead to full-time sponsored employment and residency in the US and/or greater opportunities back in your home country.

Academy of Art University STEM Majors and Degrees

The Academy offers STEM-related majors in 14 unique creative disciplines with the opportunity to earn more than 30 different degrees.

Academy of Art University MajorAcademic Degrees Offered
AdvertisingBFA/MFA
Advertising & Branded Media TechnologyMA
Animation & Visual EffectsBFA/MFA/MA
ArchitectureBARCH/MARCH
Architectural DesignBA/MA
Communications & Media TechnologiesBA/MA
Game DevelopmentBFA/MFA/MA
Game ProgrammingBS
Graphic DesignBFA/MFA
Graphic Design & Digital MediaMA
Industrial DesignBFA/MFA/MA
Interior Architecture & DesignBFA/MFA/MA
Interaction & UI/UX DesignBFA/MFA/MA
Landscape ArchitectureBFA/MFA/MA
Illustration of an advertisement
image of a car design

STEM/STEAM Scholarships

The number of STEM scholarships is growing every year. Award amounts range from a few hundred dollars to full tuition grants, and are offered by private corporations, non-profit organizations, and government entities. These scholarships can fund all or part of your education. Here are just a few of the scholarships offered today:

ScholarshipGranting Entity
Microsoft Imagine Cup Global Competition$100,000
PG&E Better Together STEM Scholarships$2,500-10,000
Out To Innovate Scholarships for LGBTQ+STEM Students$5,000
NSF-Navy Civilian Service Fellowship-Scholarship$43,000
Stantec Equity & Diversity Scholarship$10,000
Deloitte Future Leaders Scholarships$10,000
The Maodong Xu Science & Technology Scholarship$1,000
Pacific Gas & Electric Company Asian ERG Scholarship$10,000
Scholarship information from scholarships.com
stem room design
stem iphones design
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