Rocky Mountain opinion

citrusbelt
Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:19:21 +0000

Look at their accreditations. Compare them to schools like Otis and Rhode Island School of Design (premier art colleges). Are they accredited regionally and through a national accreditation of art colleges? You want to see that they have both the respect of the US Dept. of Education and an art school accreditation. In fact, you should check the accreditation at all his schools.

A lot of art colleges are ‘for profit’ institutions. That doesn’t mean they are not good art schools. In fact, some say an art degree from a more business oriented perspective is better for future job prospects in the real world. The Art Institute’s (there are about 30 nationwide) and places like The Academy of Art in San Francisco are examples of those kinds of schools. They have little to no financial aid and accept everyone, but the instructors are all working artists (a major plus for job prospects). The other problem with them is that the classes are not transferable if the student changes their mind midway and wants to go to a regionally or state accredited institution and get a teaching credential, for example. If a student wants to get a higher degree then a BFA they are also limited in where will accept their degree and have to get the MFA from a similar ‘for profit’ art institution.

I was curious and looked up RMCAD accreditation and it looks great:
We are regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC) and nationally accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

Here is the accreditation of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh as an example to compare to:
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS).

Here is Otis College:
Otis College of Art and Design is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

Art colleges are ones that it is very important to know where they are accredited so a person can make an informed decision about their future. I know a student who went to RISD. Ten years later they decided they wanted to be a lawyer (no kidding) in environmental design. That undergrad degree from RISD was just as good as one from any college in the nation and she is currently in law school at a major University. If she had gone to one of the other types of art colleges the law school would not have recognized her degree.