Explore Career Paths

Knowing who you are and what you want is the foundation of the job and internship search. The exercises below can help you learn about your interests, skills, values, and personality. You can also explore these topics by scheduling an individual career advising appointment or enrolling in the DSGN 408/508 Job & Intern Prep course.


Where might a major in the College of Design lead you?

Additional Career Exploration Resources


Department of the History of Art and Architecture

What are some of the job titles held by people who study art history?

  • Curator
  • Collections manager
  • Archivist
  • Gallerist
  • Conservator/restorer
  • Appraiser
  • Art advisor or consultant
  • Connoisseur
  • Educational program coordinator
  • Librarian
  • Scholar
  • Publisher
  • Editor
  • Art critic/journalist
  • Graphic designer
  • Public relations specialist
  • Researcher
  • Grant writer

Examples of the employers who hire them:

  • Public and private art museums
  • Natural and cultural history museums
  • Archives
  • Historical preservation societies
  • Restauration and conservation centers
  • Commercial and nonprofit galleries
  • Auction houses
  • Interior design firms
  • Colleges and universities
  • Libraries
  • Publishing houses
  • Advertising agencies
  • Local and national nonprofit agencies and foundations

Alumni Spotlight: Danielle Knapp, MA '10

Curator Danielle Knapp

Danielle Knapp came to the College of Design to immerse herself in the work of Pacific Northwest artists, receiving an MA in Art History and graduate certificate in Museum Studies.

She is now the McCosh Curator at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, where she recently curated Visual Magic: An Oregon Invitational.

Read More

Additional History of Art and Architecture career resources


School of Art + Design

What are some of the job titles held by people in art and design fields?

  • Art director
  • Public artist
  • Product developer
  • Furniture designer
  • User experience (UX) designer
  • User interface (UI) designer
  • Fine artist
  • Exhibit Designer
  • Illustrator
  • Graphic Novelist
  • Web designer
  • Storyboard artist
  • Set designer
  • Concept artist (film and video)
  • Industrial designer
  • Animator
  • Art sales associate
  • Graphic designer
  • Photographer

Examples of employers who hire them:

  • Design consulting companies
  • Movie and television production studios
  • Video game companies
  • Museums
  • Advertising agencies and in-house advertising teams
  • Publishing houses
  • E-commerce companies
  • Product packaging companies
  • Print and online media companies
  • Galleries
  • Auction houses
  • Freelance/Self employed

Learn from Art, Art & Technology, and Product Design alumni about their career paths.


Alumni Spotlight: Julia Sherman, BA '18, and Thomas Sprott, BA '18

Thomas Sprott and Julia Sherman

Julia Sherman and Thomas Sprott, the team behind the art and design studio Peaches in Eugene, found inspiration to start their business as undergraduates in an industrial ceramics course.

Sherman and Sprott both earned a BA in Material and Product Studies (now a BFA in Product Design) in 2018. Since then, their minimalist, pastel-hued porcelain sells in chic boutiques such as Portland’s Johan and Mantel.

A new line, Velvet Vision, was inspired by a 2018 summer residency in Jingdezhen, China’s porcelain capital.


School of Architecture & Environment

Examples of employers who hire people working in SAE related fields:

  • Private architecture, landscape architecture, interiors, or preservation firms (either one or multiple specialty areas housed in one firm)
  • City planning and development offices
  • Park and recreation departments/districts with cities, counties, and states
  • Federal opportunities including the National Park Service, USAID
  • Retail, construction, and other large corporate offices with inhouse design departments
  • Nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity
  • State Historic Preservation Offices
  • Consulting/Contracting/Self-employed

Student Spotlight: Elizabeth Vergillo, MArch ’19

Elizabeth Vergillo

Elizabeth Vergillo, a second-year Interior Architecture graduate student, discovered her passion for historic preservation this summer while interning at Anderson Hallas Architects in Colorado, where she focused on National Park and civic structures. “My interiors background was super helpful, from understanding finishes, which is a huge part of historic preservation, to having the right vocabulary,” she said.

Vergillo, a Gunilla K. Finrow Excellence in Interior Architecture Scholarship recipient, was also a graduate employee for the interior architecture course Color Theory and Application for the Built Environment. “I had never lectured before. It was awesome to have that opportunity,” Vergillo said.


School of Planning, Public Policy and Management (PPPM)

Examples of employers who hire people working in PPPM related fields:

  • Nonprofit organizations and social service agencies focusing on a variety of issues: social justice, community health, education, arts, food, housing, environment, international development
  • Local government: city planning, community development, finance, public works, sustainability, transit
  • State government such as the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Environmental Quality, Transportation, Veterans’ affairs; Legislative agencies; Trial courts
  • Federal government such as the offices of senators and representatives, Library of Congress, Congressional budget office
  • Consulting firms
  • Private developers
  • Utility companies
  • Economic development corporations
  • State research bureaus
  • Private educational institutions

Alumni Spotlight: Tiffany Hall, MPA '11

Tiffany Hall

A native of Alaska, Tiffany Hall received PPPM’s 2019 Distinguished Recent Alumni Award for her public administration work in her home state.

As executive director of Recover Alaska, a multi-sector organization that works to reduce the harm of alcohol overuse, Hall advocates for policy change to create resilient communities and improve access to resources.

Read More

Learn more about PPPM internships and career services