WHAT'S AN ART SCHOOL?

The phrase “art school” means many things to many people and has also evolved over the years. It can mean casual, non-credit classes for adults, or it can an art department within a larger university. But most commonly these days, it is used to describe professional, specialized, free-standing, schools of art and design. In the case of AICAD members, it means even more than that.

The 35 members of AICAD are true colleges in every sense of the word. They are independent colleges offering BFA and MFA degrees, which incorporate a liberal arts (general education) component in addition to the primary focus on art and design. Our member schools are all accredited by their respective regional accrediting associations (the agencies that accredit general colleges in the U.S.) and also by the nationwide agency covering all art and design programs - the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). These three elements - art and design specialization, BFA and/or MFA degree granting, and dual accreditation - are required before an art school may become a member of AICAD.

Curriculum
There is a particular importance attached to the NASAD accreditation mentioned above. First, NASAD establishes the basic content of BFA and MFA degrees, so they represent the same thing across all art programs, no matter what kind of college is offering the degree. (See our sections on What's a BFA? and What's an MFA? ) In a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, about 35- 40% of all course work is in academic subjects such as English, Social Sciences, and Art History. The remaining 60-65% of the course work consists of intensive study in art and design. Curricular approaches can vary from traditional to experimental, and from structured to informal. But in all cases the BFA degree signifies the same roughly 2:1 relationship between the visual arts and the liberal arts. Any less studio work and it becomes a different kind of degree.

The second important aspect to NASAD accreditation is that it establishes the meaning of a "credit." That is, it specifies how much in-class instruction is required for each credit hour a student is registered for in both academic and studio classes. For example, in studio classes in particular, AICAD schools (following the NASAD norm) offer roughly two hours of instruction per week for each credit taken.

For the two reasons above, we encourage students to look for NASAD accreditation. If you are seriously considering a professional education in art and design, and the school is not accredited by NASAD, then we strongly suggest looking carefully at the content of the curriculum and the contact-hour to credit-hour ratio.

Academic Life
Most AICAD schools offer a wide range of student support services and extra curricular activities similar to those found at other small and medium size schools. These would include such things as student government and clubs, film series, exhibitions, and so on. AICAD members also offer "mobility" exchanges with other AICAD schools in the U.S. and Canada, plus opportunities to study abroad and at our loft/studio in New York City. Enrollments in AICAD schools range from 100 to 5000 students. Whether in urban or suburban settings, we welcome students with a strong interest in art and design study. There is truly an educational environment to fit everyone’s needs and interests.

Academic faculty at AICAD colleges have the experience needed to provide an effective and relevant liberal arts education. The studio faculty are all accomplished artists, designers, and craftspeople. They bring their extensive professional experience to the classrooms and studios, so their students can graduate with the ability to change the world we live in. The average student/faculty ratio at AICAD schools is 10:1, thus ensuring an intimate setting, smaller classes on average, and considerable attention from the faculty and staff. Many schools claim "personal attention" and a "small school" environment. However, it is always worth verifying the student/faculty ratio of the school, since this most directly affects your level of access to and contact with faculty.

For a more in-depth discussion of various kinds of colleges and art programs, please see the section entitled “Applying to Art School.”