What does an “ART” School really mean? An art school can be any of the following: an art college or university, an academy devoted to teaching art, a conservatory devoted to exhibiting works of art, or a student artist’s workshop. An art school can also refer to the individual workshops offered by professional artists who teach aspiring artists. Most colleges and universities will admit students regardless of their high school years if they demonstrate potential in one or more of the following areas. Most schools will require a high school degree or its equivalent in order to attend.
Some young people have dreams of becoming professional artists when they grow up. Others, however, envision a career as teachers or architects. Still others would love to teach or research at a major university. Whatever their hopes and dreams may be, they must first get to know the professionals at the art schools they are considering attending. Visit the school and talk to the administrators, the teachers, the artists and even the students who may seem the most interesting. Learning about the various art schools and what they offer beforehand will make it much easier to narrow down your list to just a few choices that you will truly enjoy and want to attend.
Once you’ve narrowed down your options to a few art schools you are still not done with the process. You must now consider the career goals you have in mind for yourself and what these schools can offer you that will fulfill your goals. While you will definitely learn things at each art school that you will take with you after you graduate, consider what you hope to achieve in the future as you go about choosing your future career path before you visit the school.
The next step is to meet with the student body. Visit the front office to talk to some of the instructors if possible, talk to the students on your committee to find out how they are doing, shake hands with the administration to greet any new faces, and meet with the student body on a weekly basis to see how everyone is doing. It’s important to be involved in everything from the student body to the administrative aspect of the school to truly get a feel for how the school operates. Once you have met with the student body you’ll also be able to see how the instructors interact with one another, how the student body is divided amongst the different instructors, and get an idea of the type of environment you envision for your future art school.
Once you have chosen your school, you must choose the specific degree programs you wish to enroll in. There are several different degree programs available for both artists and non-artists alike. For the artist who wishes to pursue traditional degrees such as painting, printmaking, sculpture and photography, there are associate degrees, bachelor degrees, master degrees, and PhDs. For the non-artists, there are certificate and diploma programs as well as certificate programs. There are also certificate programs available for medical students and hospitality workers that focus solely on culinary arts.
There is a difference between certificate programs and associate degrees, however. If an artist wants to progress into a more advanced degree program such as drawing, design, photography or film studies, they will need to take courses that include these additional forms of art. Students may also have the option to take classes that focus entirely on their specific artistic interests. It’s important to compare the rates and class schedules of all the schools you’re considering so that you can narrow down your choices to one that best suits your needs.
