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Industry: Arts, Media, Communications and Entertainment

Do you see yourself as expressive, original, creative, and independent? Does a structured environment sound boring to you? Then, this is the page you are looking for! Careers in Arts, Media, Communications, and Entertainment offer opportunities to use written and verbal communication, creative expression, and diverse mediums to convey meaning and information to audiences. We invite you to explore this cluster to determine if it is a good fit for you and leverage our resources to launch your job, internship, or graduate school search.

Make an Appointment with a Career Coach

Step One: Log into your Handshake account Step Two: Click on Career Center in the top right, Appointments, and then Schedule a New Appointment Step Three: Choose one of the following Appointment Categories: Resume/CV Review, Industry Research/Finding Experience, Graduation Professional School, Job Search Step Four: Choose one of the following industries: Arts, Architecture, Media, and Communication Industries Step Five: Choose the appointment time and date that work for you!

Example Career Paths and Job Titles 

2D/3D & 4D Animator Archivist Artist Arts Administrator Arts and Cultural Planner Art Curator Art Director Art Therapist Game Designer Graphic Designer Illustrator Multimedia Designer Museum Director Painter Photography Printmaker Set/Stage designer Web Designer
Media Director Editor Photo Journalist Producer Reporter Studio Technician TV/Radio Host
Public Relations Account/Brand Manager Account Executive Community Relations/Outreach Communications Officer Crisis Manager Media Coordinator Publicist Public Affairs Officer Public Relations Officer SEO/Search Marketing/Analyst Social Media Manager
Writing  Author Blogger Copy Editor Copy Writer Editor Freelance Writer Literary Agent Poem Writer Publisher Sports Editor Technical Writer Writing Tutor
Film & Performing Arts Actor Agent Camera Operator Casting Director Comedian Creative Director Critic Dancer/ Choreographer Film & Video Editors Film Market Researcher Gaffer Location/Set Manager Makeup Artist Music/ Film/ TV Producer Music Director/Composer Musician/Singer Screenwriter
Fashion Colorist Creative Designer Embroiderer Fashion Designer Merchandiser Pattern Maker Production Planner Stylist Trend Forecaster

Career Resources

Use this section to learn about student organizations you can join at UT as well as local platforms to learn more about this industry, network with professionals and peers with similar interests, and build transferable skills.

Arts & Design

Media & Public Relations

  • Gain valuable production and broadcasting experience at The Volunteer Channel
  • Write for the School of Journalism and Electronic Media’s online news website, The Tennessee Journalist
  • Gain radio experience at UT’s own radio station, WUTK Radio
  • Write and take photos for stories or create digital media
  • PRSSA

Freelance

Film & Performing Arts

Use this section to find out about professional associations and institutes within this industry. Many have student membership options and joining a professional organization can be a great way to learn about the industry and network. In addition, many have their own job listings page.

Writing 

Film & Performing Arts

Fashion & Freelance

Many graduate school resources can be found on our Prepare for Graduate School website, including deciding on graduate school, resumes, letters of recommendation, and admissions essays/personal statements. Graduate School Applications take time and will require roughly 6-9 months of preparation. The key to a successful graduate program in Arts, Media, Communications, and Entertainment will be deciding on the right program. You will likely need to research the details of the programs to see what they offer and to identify their requirements. Regardless, you will want to work on having a good portfolio that will aid your graduate application process. Below are some examples of graduate programs:

  • Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree program. Schools provide a wide variety of MFA programs including creative writing, photography, illustration, interior, industrial design, and graphic design.
  • Master of Arts in Communications is designed to analyze the ways in which people create, use and interpret the different forms of media. Depending on the school, students can pursue a specialization in advertising, journalism, public relations, film, and television, in addition to several other media-related options.
  • Master of Arts in Film Studies mainly for those interested in the history and theory of filmmaking.
  • Master of Fine Arts in Producing for Cinema-Television. Those interested in Broadcasting can pursue this. In a track of this nature, courses will cover the pre-and post-production aspects of this field, such as video making, cinematography, production, screenwriting, directing, editing and sound.