Over 93% of MCAD alumni are working and more than half (57.1%) are working in their field.*
This is no accident—MCAD’s entrepreneurial studies curriculum gets students focused on their careers early and enables them to successfully transition from student to professional.
As an entrepreneurial studies major you deepen your creative and critical-thinking skills as well as your business skills so you are equipped to create change in the world as an employee, business owner, artist, and/or global citizen.
In addition, the four internships you will complete prior to graduating not only give you invaluable professional experience, but they also allow you to build your professional network so that you have a number of contacts in your field that can help you find a job.
Potential Careers
Business Owner or Manager
Manage an existing organization, such as an art gallery, a business, or a non-profit, or open your own.
Project Manager
Organize and oversee projects—from hiring and supervising a team to ensuring that deadlines and budgets are set and met.
Copywriter
Create the text or “story” for advertisements and other communications purposes. Occasionally might help create slogans or product names.
Strategist
Gather, define, and clarify the insights that drive creative solutions.
Account Executive
Works as the liaison between accounts/clients and artists/creative people. Main duties are selling ideas, meeting client needs and interpreting them to creative staff, promotion and presentation of ideas, and new business acquisition.
Account Planner
Works as the link between the agency and the client. Depending on the size of the agency and the size of the account, this person may work individually or oversee a team. Pitches the agency's advertising campaign and works with client to meet needs and goals. Must understand client's products, sales process, market, competitors and previous advertising campaigns.
Art Director
Develop advertising ideas and execute them as visual campaigns. The primary purpose of these promotions is to sell products through radio, television, print graphics, and the web. Most art directors specialize in one area. They pull together a number of creative individuals such as copy editors, photographers, and sound experts who give direction on how the final product should look.
Creative Director
Usually with an art director's background, this management/creative position is responsible for all creative persons (art directors, copywriters, etc.) while managing several advertising accounts or clients.
Graphic Designer
Designs logos, corporate identities, packaging, and label designs and works on designs and layouts for promotional magazines or brochures.
Illustrator
Creates visual assets such as pictures and typography for advertising campaigns. Once created, these assets are typically turned over to a graphic designer for implementation into the overall project.
Art/Media Buyer
Chooses the venues or channels to expose the client’s products to correct target audience at an economical cost. Must be well versed in social media and websites as well as traditional media like television, radio, and billboards.
Media Planner
Ensures advertising campaigns are completed successfully, within the given deadline, and on budget. Coordinates the advertising team and works with the clients and stakeholders.
Production Artist
Design advertisements and place them in ad layouts for publication. This person works in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment.
Fine Artist
Create original pieces of artwork using a variety of media. Sell work to individuals, galleries, interior designers, architects, libraries, community centers, churches, banks, hotels, government, and elsewhere.
App Developer
Translate software requirements into workable programming code. Develop and maintain apps.
User Experience (UX) Specialist
Responsible for setting up, running, and reporting on all aspects of qualitative and quantitative user experience research.
Communications
Can work in marketing, brand management, public relations, interpersonal communication, employee engagement, community engagement, and more.
*Based on the 2019/20 MCAD Alumni Survey. Includes graduates from 1990–2019 reporting full-time, part-time, and freelance/self employment.