So, just to start out, I already have a bachelor’s degree however, I want to change my career path and major in something I’m much more passionate in. I am currently 24 years old, living in Michigan.
I’ve been searching around the internet and I’ve gathered that SCAD and MCAD are pretty good schools for an illustration degree, and they offer online classes so I wouldn’t have to move. However, the tuition is pretty expensive.
I found Detroit’s College for Creative Studies, but it’s $22,200 per semester for full-time enrollment, 12 to 18 credits!
Are there any affordable colleges that offer online programs in illustration or sequential art, maybe under 20K or is SCAD my best bet? I won’t be getting any help from my parents btw.
(This is my first post, sorry for any errors or missing info that I could’ve forgotten).
An option for you is a post-baccalaureate program in art. These are 1-2 year programs for people who already have a bachelors in another field. While the cost per year may not be cheap, it may be cheaper than the 3-4 years it would take to complete a second bachelors. Some examples:
You don’t state where you live now, so I can’t suggest any inexpensive programs that are good and that are near you. If you don’t mind giving out your state or a region, I may be able to help more.
You don’t need a degree for illustration for employment. You need a portfolio. Look at artstation. Com. Look at your competition. Start drawing every day. Use that money that you would have paid a college and find an artist to study under. Start watching YouTube videos of digital artists speed painting. No one hires an illustrator based on a degree. If you want classes, check out a community college.
Do keep in mind that if you are 24 you are considered independent for financial aid (not sure if you can get it if you have a bachelors degree already)
@bopper - In almost all cases, the only aid available for a second bachelor degree is any remaining federal student loans that the student is eligible to borrow. In rare situations, a student might find a scholarship that is specific for the field of study and/or specific to the institution in question.
@EverlyMoon - The suggestion to start at your local community college is worth consideration. Many CCs have art courses for credit or in a non-credit continuing education division. At the CC where I work, lots of courses are dual-listed which means that a student seeking credit pays significantly more money than a student who enrolls in the same course as a continuing education student. They complete exactly the same work, but the continuing ed student doesn’t get transferrable college credits. Classes at a CC are almost always taught by instructors who have extensive contacts in the local art community, and could help you extend your network relatively quickly.