Skip to content

Studies & Degrees in Arts and Crafts

Arts and crafts is the making of objects by hand, with skill in a particular material. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes craft artists as people who work with ceramics, glass, textiles, wood, metal and paper and who create objects, such as pottery, glassware and textiles, that are designed to be used. Jewellery, leather goods, furniture, bookbinding and floral design belong to the same family. What sets a craft course apart from a design degree is the time spent at the bench: students learn by making, under a teacher who is usually a practising maker.

Many crafts are also living traditions. UNESCO treats traditional craftsmanship as part of intangible cultural heritage and stresses that what matters is "the skills and knowledge involved in craftsmanship rather than the craft products themselves". It notes that many craft traditions have long-established systems of instruction and apprenticeship. Schools and workshops are one of the ways those skills are passed on.

Qualifications and levels

There is no single route. According to the BLS, a formal educational credential is typically not needed to be a craft artist, but artistic skill is hard to acquire without some formal training. The main options are these:

  • Short courses and workshops. Many makers train in non-credit classes, workshops or private lessons. At Accademia Riaci in Florence short courses start every Monday, are open to beginners and advanced students, and end with a certificate of attendance.
  • Semester and one-year courses. Accademia Riaci's One-Year Course is designed for international students who want a professional foundation in arts, crafts or design and leads to the school's own diploma; one session runs from 7 September 2026 to 16 April 2027. The Semester Course covers the first half of the one-year course. The school's arts and crafts subjects are painting and drawing, art history, jewellery making, bag making and leather arts, ceramics, glass art, woodworking and floral design.
  • Specialist craft schools. Le Arti Orafe, a jewellery school in Florence since 1985, teaches in Italian and in English. Its basic English-language course, Jewellery Making 1, has 150 hours, starts in October and costs €3,000.
  • Advanced courses. Accademia Riaci's Master Course is for students who already have a professional foundation in their field, including college graduates and experienced professionals. It is the school's own qualification, not a university master's degree.
  • Art and design degrees. Colleges and universities offer bachelor's and master's degrees in fine arts, and independent art and design schools also offer certificates and degrees. The College for Creative Studies in Detroit offers BFA, MFA and MA degrees. Related university fields include conservation and restoration: the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna has a Conservation-Restoration Institute with study areas such as paintings and sculptures, and wooden objects and historic musical instruments.

Where to study arts and crafts

SpainExchange lists 28 active schools for arts and crafts. Italy has six, the United States five, the United Kingdom three and China two; Spain, Greece, South Korea, Austria, Canada, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iran are among the countries with one each.

Florence is the main centre in the list, with Accademia Riaci, Le Arti Orafe, the Galilei Institute and the Accademia Europea di Firenze. In the United States the list includes the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Tennessee Tech University and Western Nevada College. In the United Kingdom there are Gloucestershire College and West Thames College, and elsewhere Hellenic International Studies in the Arts on the Greek island of Paros, the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, LaSalle College Vancouver, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Universidad de Antioquia in Medellín.

Check the language of instruction before you enrol. Accademia Riaci teaches its long courses with an English interpreter, and Le Arti Orafe runs separate courses in Italian and in English. Check also what the course awards: a school's own certificate or diploma is not a university degree.

Careers

Craft graduates work as independent makers, in workshops and small manufacturers, in restoration, and as teachers of their craft. Self-employment is common. For the United States, the BLS counts 53,400 jobs for craft and fine artists in 2025, of which 11,500 were craft artists, and 58 percent of craft and fine artists were self-employed. It projects a decline of 1 percent in employment from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,300 openings each year as people leave the occupation. Anyone planning to live from a craft should therefore also learn how to price, market and sell work.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a degree to work in arts and crafts?

No. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, a formal credential is typically not needed to be a craft artist. Courses matter for the skills and the portfolio they give you.

Can I study crafts in Italy without speaking Italian?

Yes, at some schools. Accademia Riaci in Florence teaches with an English interpreter, and Le Arti Orafe offers jewellery courses with classes in English.

How long does an arts and crafts course take?

It depends on the type of course. Short courses at Accademia Riaci start every Monday, its one-year course runs from September to April, and a 150-hour jewellery course at Le Arti Orafe starts in October. Art degrees at colleges and universities take several years.

Is a diploma from a craft school a university degree?

Usually not. Private craft schools award their own certificates and diplomas. If you need a recognised degree, look at the bachelor's and master's programmes of art colleges and universities.