Just wondering how importation the National Association of Schools of Art and Design accreditation is? My daughter isn’t quite ready to attend a big time art school, but is very interested in attending a University with a strong design program.
Is this association a sign of a stronger program?
As an example, she’s looking at Loyola Marymount (is accredited) and Chapman ( is not accredited)–Chapman offers a BFA in Graphic Design though, which isn’t offered at LMU or other universities she’s considering.
Check the curriculum of both schools. Typically, an NASAD-accredited program will have a 2:1 studio:classroom focus with a first year foundation program consisting of drawing, design, 3D/4D, art history and so forth, but there are plenty of great programs out there offering the same intense studio experience w/o being NASAD-accredited. NASAD-accredited programs also tend to require a portfolio for freshman admission, rather than part-way through the progam.
Regardless of whether the program has NASAD-accreditation, it’s best to attend a nationally or internationally recognized school or college of art/design (either stand-alone or within a university). The portfolio is going to be the most critical component of any job interview, but the well-recognized programs tend to have better opportunities for professional development and are better connected to potential employers.
Chapman should be able to tell you how their graphic design majors procure internships and jobs. Does the art department run its own job fair or do they all use the general career placement office? What types of internships do they get and when? What is the placement rate of the kids graduating with degrees in art/design? (usually a percentage within a certain number of months of graduation). It’s important that resources be available to support the BFA as a professional degree, not just another major in the liberal arts college.
@Mimi2018 assuming you are in CA, has your daughter considered some of the CSU’s? Several have well-regarded colleges of art and design.
Thank you JBSStillFlying-You’re answers are very helpful. We are not in CA, unfortunately. My Daughter would like to be on or near the West Coast, and these two schools were suggested by her college counselor. I did more research since my post and found out that Chapman has AIGA student groups, which is tied in to NASAD somehow (not exactly sure of all the proper terminology)–anyway, either of these programs would be an excellent start for her. As of right now, she wants to be at a university/college versus art school.
I will look into the CSU’s as well. We would be out of state, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to look.
The CSU’s would charge you OOS tuition but that is less than many private schools. COA when my daughter applied a couple of years ago was around $37,000/yr but very hard to get out in less than 5-6 years (so that has to be factored in when computing cost). No chance of merit aid due to OOS status and we didn’t qualify for federal need-based.
The advantage with the CSU’s is that those kids are not subject to the very high rate of impaction going on. I think now every school is impacted and at places like Fullerton or SJSU the major is impacted as well so the standards for admission are higher. SJSU will list the qualifying index by major so you can look that up. You should start reading up on the CSU application process because you only have to complete one application then send it off to whichever schools you choose (you need to pay a fee per school). No essay, no portfolio required as admission to an art/design major is determined during sophomore year after meeting pre-reqs and passing a portfolio review. The admission index is determined by a formula using GPA and test scores. CSU Mentor is the website used to apply.
My D16 is at SCAD currently for animation but she applied to four CSU’s as backup and got into all of them (even SJSU which probably had the highest index for her major of any of the CSU’s). Her out of state status definitely helped! (more $$$'s for a cash-short state school system). She applied when applications opened Oct. 1st so was one of the first notified for each school. Her major specifically favored a CA school with connections to the film industry. Graphic design might be less “location-specific”. Anyway, if looking at the West Coast it makes sense to consider them because they have decent-to-excellent art and design programs.
@Mimi2018 - if Florida is a 2nd choice for your daughter, she might also consider UCF in Orlando. I know they have a great art/design school (SVAD) with an excellent graphic design program. Again, admission to the major after portfolio review sophomore year. The advantage of UCF is that they actually DO give OOS scholarships, assuming certain stats. Again - state school so plan for a 5-year stint but they are good about accepting local CC credit if your D comes home for summer and takes summer school at the local CC so maybe that can be accelerated. We visited UCF and it was my kid’s 2nd choice and relatively affordable due to the scholarship they gave her.
Good luck to your daughter!