Where to Find Ranked Undergraduate Schools/Programs?

College Majors Visual Arts and Film Majors
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<p>I've searched the Internet and I've only come up with US News and World Report's Best graduate Schools in fine arts for ranked art schools. Where can I find ranked undergraduate schools/programs? (And by programs I mean like graphic design and illustration.)</p>

<p>I know that rankings fluctuate and therefore don't mean much, but I suppose they do provide a little it of insight to the art newbie. So in case you want to tell me not to depend on rankings, well, you don't have to!</p>

<p>One more question: Is RISD really, as one website puts it, "the Juilliard/MIT of art schools"?</p>

<p>Do tell me more about RISD. Right now I am pretty much set on going there based on its reputation (despite the infamous workload) and because it's like a dream world to me.</p>

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<p>I have not come across any “rankings” of art/design programs other than the USNWR list of graduate programs you cited, although Design Intelligence magazine does provide an annual ranking of architecture and industrial design programs (using a questionable survey methodology, IMO). </p>

<p>RISD is clearly one of the country’s top art schools, but I’m not going to get into the argument about whether or not it is #1. It certainly is one of the most selective art schools, since solid academic qualifications – in addition to a knock-your-socks-off portfolio-- is required for admission. With its extensive facilities and other resources (like the RISD Museum), the school offers a hands-on curriculum that few other schools can match. And the school’s liberal arts requirements, plus RISD’s ties to Brown, provide a broad educational background for students. RISD has some outstanding faculty members (who are all practicing artists and designers) and a strong alumni network.</p>

<p>My son is a senior at RISD this year and we have been extremely impressed with the school. We feel he has received an exceptional education there and has truly blossomed as an artist/designer. </p>

<p>But RISD is definitely not for everyone. It is very expensive (over $50K per year) and unfortunately, financial aid is very limited. There are many other schools that can provide excellent training in art and design for far less money.</p>

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<p>I remember looking for a similar ranking of undergrad art schools/programs a few months ago, and couldn’t find one. (And I know that rankings have their shortcomings, but they’re usually a good starting point.)</p>

<p>Anyway, I’d like to hear more about RISD as well. D1 was accepted there and is interested in either illustration or graphic design (like you, entangled!). I worry about her getting summer internships and a decent job after college. Worried_mom, has your son had luck in this area?</p>

<p>Another related question: Are RISD’s computing offerings good? That is, do they prepare students well for doing computer-based design work? I heard RISD has this really great textile-related piece of equipment that practically no other school in the country has, but are their computing facilities and hardware & software offerings just as advanced? (The fact that RISD did not have online status checking of applicants’ admission status/decisions made me wonder if they are somewhat behind in the world of computing.)</p>

<p>Thanks for any insights you can provide!</p>

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<p>Regarding internships and career placement from RISD: </p>

<p>My son, who graduates in May, does not yet have a job. But I think that has far more to do with the current state of the economy than graduation from RISD. There are very few entry level jobs available for anyone – even my son’s friends who are graduating with business and engineering degrees don’t have jobs yet. Companies that normally recruit at RISD – or at any colleges, for that matter – have really scaled back this year.</p>

<p>Up until this year, however, RISD graduates have done well in the job market. My son had a paid internship with the same product design firm for the last two summers. The company has run this internship program for many years and recruits only rising seniors, but my son applied as a rising junior anyway and was selected. (The 3 other interns chosen that first summer were seniors from RIT, Purdue, and Syracuse.) The RISD name got them to look at his portfolio, which then got him the job. Most of my son’s friends at RISD have had internships too.</p>

<p>Regarding computing at RISD:</p>

<p>RISD has a very intense foundation year where hand drawing is stressed (NO computers!!) because the school feels that you need to have that traditional skill before you start jumping into computer-aided design. Once you get past the first year, though, each major has its own take on computers. In the sophomore year, certain majors – industrial design, architecture, graphic design, furniture design, interior architecture, and I think a few more – are required to purchase laptops that are loaded with appropriate software for that particular major. The department selects the appropriate computer/software combo each year and you purchase it through the school, paying 1/6 of the cost each semester for the next 3 years. The price you pay (I think ours was around $2,000) is a fraction of the true retail value because some of the software packages alone can cost as much as $15 - 20K. </p>

<p>Don’t read too much into RISD not having online admissions status/decisions. My other son attends BC and he had to get his admissions decision via snail mail too! But course registrations, grade postings, and other day-to-day administrative tasks are done online at RISD, and with the new President (John Maeda, who was recruited from MIT’s Media Lab) I’m sure you will see even more emphasis on new technologies in the future.</p>

<p>Regarding equipment and facilities:</p>

<p>Yes, “The Loom” is one of the most amazing pieces of equipment I have ever seen. It’s a 2-story electronic Jaquard loom that can handle something like 25 different strands of thread at a time. Supposedly it cost over $400K when it was purchased several years ago. They usually have it operating during Parents’ Weekend and you can go in and talk to the students as they run their patterns.</p>

<p>I think one of the greatest strengths of RISD – and no doubt, one of the primary reasons for its high cost – is the extensive investment in equipment and facilities. It has very expensive, specialized equipment for every major that few schools can match – like the 3-D “photocopier” for prototype model making. (I didn’t know such things existed!) RISD is also one of the few schools that gives each student their own – not shared – studio space and storage cabinet. </p>

<p>This was a long-winded post but I hope it answers some of your questions.</p>

5

<p>Fantastic and extremely helpful post, worried_mom - thank you so much!! </p>

<p>So far, I am really impressed by what I’ve heard about John Maeda, but I had no idea he was from MIT. He seems to bring a new energy to RISD, and if he advocates more and better technologies, then all the better for students. </p>

<p>When do RISD students get their own studio space - is it as early as freshman year? When D1 visited Wash U, she was impressed by the students’ studio space and didn’t know if RISD provided individual studio space for each student, so it’s good to know that it’s not shared space.</p>

<p>A related, practical question: About those storage cabinets… this means the students wouldn’t have to carry all of their supplies between their studio and dorm every day, correct? During the summer program, D1 had to lug everything up and down those hills (between Nickerson and the Illustration bldg) every day, and I just can’t see students doing that in the middle of winter or in the pouring rain.</p>

<p>And back to internships… is there some kind of internship and career fair during the late winter or early spring? How do students (specifically graphic design or illustration students) learn about available summer internships? Do they need to continually “make connections” with/through their instructors?</p>

<p>Thanks again for your invaluable help!</p>

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<p>I do know that you get individual studio space in the sophomore year when you start your major. I’m not sure about the foundation year though; it might just be a storage place that year. I’ll try to find out from my son for you.</p>

<p>Your daughter may not haul her supplies back and forth every single day, but she will do a lot of toting anyway. It seems like freshmen spend a lot of time doing their homework assignments in their rooms and in the dorms’ “project rooms” (if it involves spray paint). This is particularly true in the dead of winter when she might not want to go out in the cold – or in the storm – to get to the studios. </p>

<p>You will see RISD students lugging not only their supplies but huge canvases, architectural models, and other design projects up and down the hills. (My husband took this wonderful photo of a giant 4 ft. x 4 ft. oil painting coming across the Westminster Street bridge with two tiny legs poking out underneath!) My son quickly learned that large lawn & leaf bags are great for covering your work when you have to go out in the pouring rain.</p>

<p>The equivalent of a “career fair” at RISD is the portfolio review, when representatives of various companies come in to look over your work. Usually there are also some RISD alumni at these events to critique your portfolio and suggest ways to improve your marketability. I think most of these portfolio reviews are arranged by the individual departments, which also post most of the notices regarding internships, graduate study, part-time jobs, etc. </p>

<p>RISD also has ArtWorks, an online searchable database for job and internship opportunities across the country. (That’s where my son got the lead for his internship.) In case you haven’t found it yet, here is the link to the Career Services Office’s listing of some of the services they provide:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.risd.edu/pdf/cso/ACSOServices.pdf[/url]”>http://www.risd.edu/pdf/cso/ACSOServices.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;