<p>Daughter is interested in majoring in graphic/visual communication design at a large university. Due to their size, location, and overall rankings, we are looking at some Big 10 schools and maybe 1 or 2 from the Big 12. Most information I can find on art programs, including the art major discussion on CC, is dedicated to art schools, and not art programs at large universities. Does anyone have any suggestions on Big 10 (or 12) schools to look at or avoid? Once admitted to the university, are the design programs very hard to get in to? Should we stay away from any school that is not NASAD accredited? Is going to a Big 10 school for design a mistake?</p>
<p>The University of Michigan has an excellent art/design program. My son who is an art history/studio major at Williams considered UMich but then decided to go for small. My guess is that you'll find others as well, but UMich is the one that I'm personally familiar with.</p>
<p>I think you'd get more of a response from the parents on the art major board if were to title your thread like this one.</p>
<p>Indiana University has a good graphic design program. It is a BFA that takes five years though. I think Michigan State has graphic design too. University of Minnesota has a really neat cross-disciplinary design department. Just reorganized it this year to create a whole new College of Design. My D has done a lot of research on graphic design programs. There is def a difference between majoring in graphic design at a big ten school vs. a school like Savannah College of Art and Design or RISD. The big ten schools have a more general program. don't have as many classes to choose from, less actual job training and portfolio preparation - its a trade-off.
In the big 12 Texas Tech has a pretty well-developed graphic design program. The good ones have competitive admission sophomore year by portfolio review. .</p>
<p>Thank you for the replies. I have posted other topics on the arts forum, and they seem to really be focussed on art schools on the east or west coast. The exception was a suggestion to look at U of Cincinnati, which looked interesting, but tends to rank lower overall than schools in the Big 10 or 12. Right now she is most interested in Ohio State, Purdue, UIUC, and maybe MSU. I would like her to take a look at Kansas too.</p>
<p>She really wants to attend a large university with a diverse student body. She would also like to take some courses outside of the arts, and the art schools seem to lack a range of choices outside art.</p>
<p>Wisconsin is very good for printmaking and glassblowing. After that I don't know very much. They are planning on making a move to increase the arts funding and build new facilities but this is still in the future except for an expansion of the art museum which will happen soon.</p>
<p>Michigan's School of Art and Design completely redid their curriculum a few years back. Now the program focuses on turning out artists who are well-grounded in various media and who know something about the business side of art. That's very appealing for some people, although not so appealing for students who wish to very narrowly focus on one area of expertise. The dean is pretty visionary.</p>
<p>I think it's expensive for an out-of-state education in art, but one does get a neat all-around campus experience that one wouldn't get at an art school. Which it sounds like your daughter has already considered.</p>