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Overview

Crafts is a fine arts major with one eye on utility; you'll study the aesthetics and techniques of handcrafting, including ceramics, glassware, baskets, jewelry, metalwork, furniture, textiles, and wax molding. By second or third year, you'll start to specialize in a specific handicraft. Much time will be spent in the studio, experimenting with materials, developing your artistic vision, perfecting your technique, working closely with an advisor, and having frequent peer critiques.

As a crafts major, you'll also study the history and methods of handicrafts, gaining an understanding of the relationship of your work to the long line of folk art traditions. You may take art history courses in anything from Native American basket-weaving, to ancient Greek pottery design, to traditional East Asian textiles.

Because it can be tricky to make a career out of crafts, many programs offer retail and business classes, so you can be savvy when it comes time to market your work in a professional environment.