In 1924, she moved to New York City and worked as a nurse.  By 1935, her accomplishments as an artist earned a Rosenwald Foundation Fellowship and in 1936, a Boehler Foundation Fellowship.  Both awards allowed her to travel to Europe where she studied ceramics with Povoleny in Vienna and sculpture with Maillol in Paris. She returned to New York and in 1941, completed a Master of Fine Arts degree at Columbia University.  At the age of 70, this remarkable woman completed a Doctorate in Arts and Letters at Livingstone College, Salisbury, North Carolina.

The portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt on the dime was created by Dr. Selma Burke, remarkable sculptor, dedicated teacher and winner of the 1943 competition sponsored by the Fine Arts Commission for the district of Columbia.  In 1944, President Roosevelt posed for the artist and her completed bronze plaque was unveiled by President Harry S. Truman in 1945. It can be seen at the Recorder of Deeds Building in Washington, D.C. Since the coin bears the initials of the engraver, John Sinnock, Selma Burke has never received proper credit for the portrait used on the dime.