Hello, I’m an international high school senior who just got accepted to CMU’s School of Art. I know CMU is a great school overall (especially their computer engineering school), but unfortunately I just don’t have much information about their School of Art. Apparently, unlike other art colleges I’m considering like Pratt or Art Center, CMU does not offer specific majors (e.g. illustration, fashion design, animation, etc.) and only offers Bachelor of Fine Arts or other interdisciplinary degrees with the sciences. Because I am most interested in illustration, I thought about switching to their School of Design (although I’m not sure if switching is possible) that offers communications design which I assume includes illustration. My parents urge me to attend CMU because they think the university’s brand name and prestige will get me better, higher paying jobs, which I don’t think is necessarily true since their programs are not specialized in one area of art… and especially their School of Art is more geared towards fine arts like painting, drawing, sculpture, etc. than towards the more commerical and applied aspects of art that are more needed in the modern art world. I’m not even sure about CMU’s connections with leading companies that can offer their art students internships which are now absolutely necessary before graduating. I simply don’t think the prestige of CMU is beneficial when it comes to career because it’s primarily a research university that is most well known for their computer science programs, but this is just my opinion and many people apparently believe that fancy school names will get them their dream jobs. Should I attend CMU or other art only schools if I want to be hired to reputable companies?
“but unfortunately I just don’t have much information about their School of Art”
Out of curiosity, why did you apply to CMU? Which schools/programs were you most familiar with?
Hi SkepticalOfMost, I honestly did not think of applying to CMU because I thought my grades were not good enough, but my parents made me do so. I was so passionate about art schools like RISD and Art Center that CMU was not much of a focus for me, but since I somehow got accepted, I am interested in it. However, I practically know nothing about these art colleges at big universities like CMU and UMich and where people from these schools go after graduation. I’m very familiar with the curricula at RISD, Pratt, Art Center, etc. because they offer specific majors and because I have so many friends who go there tell me about their experience.
@kate4265 Hi. Let me establish that CMU Design is for those specifically inclined towards (passionately) planning to work in problem-solving situations and with many disciplines. They focus on the core design tracks – Products, Environments, Communications – that students can choose between, as well as the extent of their studies, whether it be Designing for Services, Designing for Social Innovation, or Designing for Transition. Inherently, the school focuses on “Design for Interactions,” or the development of quality interactions between human and product/service/environment. In that sense, CMU Design trains students to work efficiently, practically, and ergonomically by utilizing multimodal projects that force them to establish a transdiscplinary skill set applicable to many professions for which they may be needed. With that being said, do not transfer into design if you just want to focus on illustration. The program is holistic in its design studies, and students are expected to become proficient in a wide breadth of techniques and understandings.
Moving on to the School of Art…
The School of Art allows you to concentrate on one, or blend multiple, of 4 areas; (1)Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, and Photography; (2) Sculpture, Installation, and Site-Work; (3)Electronic and Time-Based Media; and (4) Contextual Practice. The allure of the school that few other colleges can compete with is that it is inherenty hybrid. The work created there is transdiscplinary, and the students and faculty constantly think of ways to blend media from an outside field into their art work (i.e, computer-generated soundscapes that affect human neurology into an interactive duration installation or performance work). That being said, the school is definitely research-based, and will accomodate for any student who desires to incorporate literature, computer science, materials engineering, environment, psychology, biology… any field you can think of, into his or her creative process. In that sense, CMU College of Fine Arts students study a large selection of “commercial and applied aspects.”
You should also take note that it is not the prestige that gets CMU students high-paying jobs – its the huge selection of skills and the excellent quality of work they attain and create while attending their respective school. No, it’s not necessarily the prestige (though that is a bonus), but the quality of education and the passion students have at CMU. Carnegie Mellon attracts hundreds of large-scale companies annually to recruit students in the College of Fine Arts as early as their sophomore year. I’m familiar with a handful of juniors who will be given positions at companies immediately after graduation. If you want a job succeeding your undergraduate studies, you WILL get one, no matter if you’re enrolled in the College of Fine Arts or the School of Computer Science or the Tepper School of Business.
So, if you aren’t passionate about holistic design studies, or the opportunity to create transdiscplinary hybrid art work(though traditional is certainly embraced), CMU may not be the place for you. The School of Design and the School of Art both have excellent websites that provide the framework of their respective programs. Review those if you’re inclined. And, if you’re interested, I can provide you with statements from a faculty member from the School of Art regarding the breadth of work you’d be creating as well as job opportunities and the possibility of studying both design and art.
I hope I was able to help. Best wishes 
If they offer an accepted student visit that might be helpful.
I think you’d be more suited at Art Center, or a school with a more traditional, structured major in illustration or general fine art. Why didn’t you apply to the School of Design?
It’s more important to find a school with a program you want to pursue than to go to a school with a big name.
But I have to say, CMU is very well known for its Arts programs.
Here’s a school of art fact sheet that can help you out: http://admission.enrollment.cmu.edu/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTUvMDkvMjUvMTNfNDdfNDRfNzI0X0Nhcm5lZ2llX01lbGxvbl9TY2hvb2xfb2ZfQXJ0X0ZhY3RfU2hlZXRfRmFsbF8yMDE1LnBkZiJdXQ/Carnegie%20Mellon%20School%20of%20Art%20Fact%20Sheet%20Fall%202015.pdf?sha=001105b4
Thank you so much MandomeLife. I really enjoyed reading your post as much as it was helpful. I think I now have a better sense of what the Schools of Art and Design are like. If you are still willing to provide me with statements from a faculty member from the School of Art regarding the breadth of work and job opportunities, I would really appreciate your help. Your post itself was incredible useful too
Hi @kate4265 . I’ll send you the statements via private message,
@MandomeLife As admissions for CMU are rolling in for 2017, Im curious to see if you did the design project for the Design School. I applied to both the School of Design and School of Art. I know it may be useless to ask at this point, but there just doesn’t seem to be much examples of the design project in general. I used the design project as a supplement to my fine arts based portfolio. Thank you!
@riceycakes Hi there. Expect a private message regarding this in a bit.
Hello, I am in similar situation as Kate, and wanted to more about CMU’s School of Arts Program. (And possibly some examples of what undergrad students at CMU might work on) Same as Kate, I am considering an Illustartion major (direction towards children’s storybook, or similar to that) and leaning towards the entertainment direction (like animation) if possible.
Also, I am comsidering schools like MICA (Maryland), USC, SVA, SAIC (Chicago), ACCD (art center).
Thank you