<p>Hello!
I am interested in doing a double major with art (b.a) and cognitive science or pyschology. I know its a strange combination.
What universities have really strong art departments and solid academics as well?
Currently, Carnegie Mellon (BHA program) and Michigan are on my list. I was thinking maybe American would fit the bill? I visited WUSTL and wasn't crazy about it (and it would be pretty difficult for me to get in too!)</p>
<p>Top 10% of class, 31 ACT (32 superscored), portfolio is mostly drawing and painting with a little bit of sculpture</p>
<p>Would love to find a great safety, particularly since CMU and Michigan are so competitive.
Thanks so much!</p>
<p>We visited Pitt and toured the art department and were very impressed. The school seems to promote double majors and there were people in the art department also studying science, etc. Take a look.</p>
<p>We did a tour of Pitt and then went on a tour of the art department with the head of the department (that impressed me that she would take the time). We were impressed by the facilities, the kids we met and the fact that the art program is able to accommodate kids that were interested in art and another subject that was completely unrelated (so one could double major in art and biological sciences, for instance). That was one thing the university was explicit about the fact that they made it easy to double major and to expand your knowledge. We also were able to speak to a couple kids in the art department and go to the graduating seniors art show. The show was terrific; art was interesting and varied and of good quality. We were impressed. For my daughter, Pitt won’t work. She does not want to take a lot of classes outside of art, and at Pitt, you get a BA, which means many of your classes will not be are (rather than a third if you get a BFA), but it does mean that you can focus on two entirely different areas of study. The department is run differently than an art school, in that you do not show a portfolio to get in and the foundation type classes are shorter and meet less often than in an art school. There are also more kids that are not majors in those exploratory classes, which is different (but not a bad thing necessarily) from an art school–and would be true at many LAC’s. Hope this helps 2wuhanmom</p>
<p>I don’t think it would be a “safety”, but I’ve heard great things about East Carolina University, and they have a strong art department! Good luck! (By the way, I don’t think your plan for a double major in art and cognitive science is strange at all. Think art therapy!)</p>
<p>Indiana University in Bloomington could be a great safety. Very good art dept and and solid sciences, and w/ your 31 ACT (assuming good gpa?) you would be assured a merit scholarship and entrance to honors college. It’s a great school, culturally very lively–tippy-top music school/performing arts, excellent art museum on campus, nice studio spaces for students, fun, artsy town w/ a lot going on.</p>
<p>You enter as a BA art major & have to be accepted to BFA program sophomore year, if that is your goal. You can also continue on as a BA fine arts major, double-majoring with cognitive science (BA art major would be easier to double-major in, as BFA requires so many studio courses, that with labs required for science, I would think that would be really hard to do w/ BFA).</p>
<p>We toured U of New Hampshire along with several other NE schools a couple of years ago. D was looking for a stand alone art school, but I made her look at the universities as well. The campus was very pretty, and sits on either side of the main street that runs thru the town, and was very friendly (after all, it is New Hampshire!). It was during the summer, so there weren’t too many students there. The majority of kids in our tour group were wannabe nursing majors. After the usual here’s-the-library type tour, we asked to see the art department. It was tucked back in the back of the school (but at least not in the basement like U of Southern Maine). We saw some studios, and that was about it. She was underwhelmed, but then again she was underwhelmed by all the universities, as that is not really what she wanted. BTW, she’s at MCAD in Minneapolis now and loves it, so you can take the UNH review for what it’s worth.</p>