<p>I can tell you about 3 that I know: U at Buffalo, SUNY at Purchase, and Chapman U.</p>
<p>Does this one interest you? UB</a> Department of Media Study It's in Buffalo, NY/</p>
<p>Now we're not really on the coast, unless you count Lake Erie as a freshwater ocean.
And it's cold and very snowy.</p>
<p>But if you were willing to consider Syracuse, which is inland, then State University at Buffalo is supposed to be strong in the arts, with all the other offerings of a university in case you change your mind. Albright Knox Museum, which is independent, has a fine modern collection so Google it. Also there are art showing spaces that are part of the university.</p>
<p>In addition to Media Studies linked above, University at Buffalo also has a department called Visual Studies where you might find what you seek artistically.</p>
<p>From what I hear as a neighbor of this university, it's very large and plain, architecturally. Undergraduate students who are very self-motivated, hardworking and seek out their course professors and resources really do get attention. Others who expect to be spoon-fed and chased after by their profs simply aren't.</p>
<p>I don't think Buffalo is a wonderful a college town like Boston or New York, however. Just a friendly, earthy, semi-midWestern vibe here. We're closer to Ohio than to NYC, so it might be too isolated for you as a region. Following college, the job situation around here is bad and you'd likely move on to another location to work, I'm afraid. Coming from California, you might be a bit stunned at the industrial northeast small cities (Syracuse, Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit..) which are not in good shape, economically. Some areas of the cities are rundown, worn out, depressing. But the actual place where U of Buffalo is located happens to be an upscale suburb called Amherst, very attractive and pleasant. Student nightlife is downtown in Buffalo around Chippewa Street; very loud and lively on weekends. </p>
<p>SUNY at Purchase is the arts magnet school of the SUNY system, with strength in film, dramatic writing, acting and probably art but I've never studied that aspect of its offering. Entry is by portfoliio or audition, and it is certainly competitive to get accepted! Also unremarkable architecturally, mostly tall buildings on parking lots. BUT, the students are excited about all the arts there. It is NOT in NYC but is in a suburb about 45 minutes away by train to Manhattan. However, students go into the city on weekends so when you can break away from your studies, and get into NYC, there's nothing more inspiring to an artist, IMHO. Following graduation, the SUNY Purchase kids tend to move to NYC and have a tight network in their fields of endeavor. There are certainly more jobs around NYC than the rest of upstate NY, although competition is also keen for those positions. </p>
<p>My youngest goes to Chapman U, in Orange, California, near Anaheim and 45 minutes from "downtown" Los Angeles if there is such a thing. He likes Chapman very well. I am afraid I don't know anything about their art department, but there are some very creative departments there in film, dance, and theater. My son often mentions the Orange County influence there, with some very wealthy kids, reduced diversity than he knows from New York, great weather, more materialism, more optimism too. He genuinely likes Chapman U and finds that undergraduate students get plenty of attention from professors there who really like to teach and like the students. It's a private mid-sized university, with graduate schools in Law, Business and other Masters degree programs where the masters is the "terminal degree." So Chapman doesn't go up to PhD, which is why it's called a "National Masters University," but it has the professionalism of graduate schools as well as the college level, which is nice when you're a senior (there are still students older than yourself). For undergraduate purposes, that can be great because you have some older students but are not brushed aside because of many PhD candidates. In other words, your profs will have time for you as the undergraduates. Plus...the Pacific Ocean, Long Beach, Huntington beach are just 20 minutes away. So that really is near the coast.</p>
<p>ETA: This may or may not be related enough to your "graphic design" interest, but Chapman has a brand new major called "Digital Arts" within the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. You might want to research that as a possible strong future field in visual applications to the film industry.</p>