D wants to be a graphic designer and really liked SCAD and MICA. Pratt didn’t do it for her and we haven’t hit RISD yet.
But, we both like the idea of her studying at a college or university with a solid art department. Guides at MICA and Pratt apologized for needing to take “regular classes” - girl at MICA assured us that they try to keep them interesting for artists.
I’d like her to be an educated person who is an artist rather than a trained artist who took a few college classes. I’ve found some schools with graphic design departments or majors:
BU
Fordham
Drexel
Marist
Virginia Commonwealth
Carnegie-Mellon
NCState
What am I missing? She doesn’t want to go too far from NC.
My son is interested in Graphic Design and did not want to go to an art school (and preferred no portfolio review) so we looked at the schools below. He preferred the BS programs more than the BA programs because he felt they had more intense Graphic Design related coursework. He found that the BS programs were more like the BFA (than the BA programs) in that they went deeper into the concentration, but different (and more suited for him) in that he did not have to take a lot of foundation art classes or submit a portfolio. He thought the BA programs were too weak in the concentration.
Philadelphia University (BS Degree) - http://www.philau.edu/graphicdesign/
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (BS Degree) - http://www.cm.rpi.edu/pl/bs-communication-concentration-graphic-design-theory-research-practice
Syracuse University Newhouse School (BS Degree) - http://newhouse.syr.edu/academics/degrees/bachelors/graphic-design
Queens College (BS Degree) - http://www.qc.cuny.edu/Academics/Degrees/DAH/Art/Pages/Design.aspx
Lehigh University (BA Degree) - http://aad.cas2.lehigh.edu/node/33
Marist (BA Degree)
@newjerseydad888 - I went to Syracuse and my best friend went to RPI. He used to visit us as much as possible and greatly envied the looser vibe of a non-tech school. Of course that was in 1984 and he’s still working for IBM following a jr. year internship so it worked out ok for him!
Thanks for pointing out S.U. It hadn’t been on my radar though several of my best friends graduated from Newhouse.
Don’t know nothing about Lehigh. Googling…
CalArts has one of the best graphic design programs in the country. Granted, it may be a bit too far for your daughter.
If you want a BSc that’s electronic arts (art + technology) oriented, RPI has some pretty good programs (http://www.arts.rpi.edu/pl/undergraduate-programs-s3). They also have one of the best game design programs, with a concentration in art http://www.hass.rpi.edu/index.php?siteid=17&pageid=102
Thanks @insanedreamer - She and her sister have ruled out west coast schools. It’s ok with me if they’re within driving distance - a bunch of r/t plane tickets could take a chunk out of funds for a term abroad.
U of Minnesota College of Design might come in cheap enough that the plane tickets are doable. Lots of design in Minneapolis- home of Target Corp as an example
http://graphic.design.umn.edu/programs/undergraduate/courses_syllabi.html
http://design.umn.edu/about/facilities.html
range of ACT scores https://admissions.tc.umn.edu/academics/profile.html
costs https://twin-cities.umn.edu/admissions-aid before any scholarships
Thanks but U of Minn is too far in the wrong direction. S has a twin and while they don’t want to go to the same place they would like to be able to see each other once in a while. They may or may not be able to pull that off but if one goes to Minn they definitely won’t!
Northeastern in Boston. Good program, great coops.
NE is on the list but almost certainly out of test score reach.
Ohio State has an excellent Visual Communications Design Program which your daughter could major or minor in.
UCLA. One of the best GD depts. as well as uni.
Edit/update: sorry just read “not too far from NC”. This won’t qualify on the geography requirement.
Also, in case it hasn’t been mentioned: UCinn DAAP.
RIT? (can’t recall what they have for GD and it’s “up there” with Syracuse LOL. Might be a bit too far from NC).
Syracuse/Rochester define the outside of the outside of the possible range.
one of the top rated design schools (and its part of a larger university VCU ) is VCUARTS. Has a great GD major one of the best in the country. However, very competitive to get in.
If considering BU I’d suggest a visit. We weren’t terribly impressed with their art facilities and they’re far away from the main campus. Syracuse however had good quality studio buildings right in the main hub of campus (for the most part, there’s a few satellite buildings) and their art department is very well respected, seem to be doing more inter-department things (ie with Newhouse) and has a great alum network overall.
Also make sure you and D both understand exactly what type of degrees are offered and their pluses and minuses with future employment in the field. As much as you want her to be “an educated person” - a BFA is roughly the same amount of art classes vs liberals (usually 60%/30%) whether you go to a university or free standing art school.
For example, here’s how Syracuse breaks it down: http://vpa.syr.edu/academics/design/undergraduate/communications-design/curriculum/
And depending on the field, a BFA has a certain cachet over a BS.
Also and this is NOT to be snarky at all but to add a larger perspective, I have a double major in biology and journalism BS from an Ivy League and a BFA from an art department within a small college…and was challenged intellectually, and especially creatively, in my art classes for my BFA.
My oldest is finishing up her foundation year at RISD and literally will be crawling across that finish line exhausted from the level of rigor she’s endured. And this is a kid who had Ivy level test scores. It’s just a different type of hard work and rigor.
Syracuse’s Graphic Design program is in Newhouse School of Communications, not the art school like all the other design programs. Newhouse is a great school - much harder to get into than SU but no portfolio requirement for admission.
Not exactly - SU grants BFAs in Graphic Design in the “School of Design” in their School of Visual and Performing Arts also.