Hi, so, I applied and gotten accepted as an art/graphic design/illustration major to a bunch of schools, and I’ve narrowed it down to about six. My goal after college is to become an illustrator or concept artist, though I’m not 100% set on that, and I’m considering looking into other arts related career paths (namely graphic design and UI/UX). My parents are also dead set on me double majoring (or at the very least minoring) in Computer Science. I’m comparing programs from all the schools on my list, but it’s been hard to find information on a lot of them. I’ve narrowed it down to:
Cal Poly SLO (Major: Art w/ concentration in Graphic Design)
CSU Long Beach (Major: Graphic Design)
San Jose State (Major: Animation and Illustration)
San Diego State (Major: Design w/ emphasis in Graphic Design)
Parsons School of Design (Major: Illustration)
Virginia Tech (Major: Creative Technologies)
I’m a CA resident, and my parents want me to stay in state. My mom is super dead set on Cal Poly, but I’ve heard mixed things about their program for my major. I know SJSU’s Animation and Illustration program is quite good, but it’s also very, very close to where my family lives, and I was kind of hoping for a bit of distance. Could any current/graduated students give me some more information?
If you applied to a school as one major, I would research your ability to double major in CS, for example, if that’s a desire.
I think your parents are likely concerned because it’s likely a tough major outcome wise.
Of course, there are many things you can double major in - but you have to be interested - and it has to be available - and CS is the type, that might not be. In fact, it likely won’t be at many.
So I’d maybe start there.
Congrats on all your acceptances.
As some one who never attended any of these schools I wouldn’t feel comfortable offering an opinion on the specific programs.
But as the spouse of someone who studied graphic design in college and wound up being on the creative side of a large global consulting firm rest assured you won’t be limited by your creative ambitions. Pursue your dreams and if you are as talented as your acceptances imply you will find a way to monetize your abilities.
Hopefully people with first hand experiences about the various schools can chime in. Edit: just asked my wife who says Parsons on the east coast is the gold standard with RISD as its only peer.
Congratulations once again!!
It may be difficult to add a second major in CS at some of these schools, because the CS major (and CS classes) may be filled to capacity.
At your parents’ favorite CPSLO, there is an unusual lookback policy for changing major, in that it is based on whether you would have been admitted to the major during frosh admission. So if you go to CPSLO, you want to find out whether your admission score would have been enough to get admitted to CS there.
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Congratulations on your acceptances. I am not familiar with the mentioned schools. However, I am familiar with industrial design major which allows interaction between illustration or graphic design & UI/UX options. I wonder if this is an option at any of the schools you are considering. Industrial design allows creativity and innovative thinking to solve real-world problems through design in a variety of industries & products.
Research possible challenges of double majoring in an arts major and CS at the schools you are considering,
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Scheduling & registering for classes may be an issue bc generally arts classes are longer in terms of hours per week even if it’s only 3 credits. They are not structured like other classes where there’s generally an hour long lecture 2 to 3 times a week and 1 discussion section.
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Double majoring may take longer than 4 years? - at some schools, double majoring in graphic design & industrial design or CS have different requirements and access to registering in major classes may be restricted to the students in the specific programs.
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Having solid abilities and skills in illustration and design is necessary in any arts related path, even UI/UX roles. Some believe UI/UX is having just technical skills, but without the foundations in the ability to draw and know good design, it’s harder to be successful in projects.
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with any major, having internship opportunities helps in landing jobs upon graduation. It’s definitely critical in the creative arts field. Keep in mind that internship opportunities are easier to access if there are local/regional opportunities in the college city.
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research if there are opportunities for creative arts major students to work on projects with engineering students. For example, one of my children majored in Industrial Design, at our flagship with large research funding, had an opportunity to work with Mech E grad students on their specific project. This type of opportunity was not part of her major, but she sought out opportunities that allowed her to expand her experience.
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Of the 6 schools you listed, Parsons has a name recognition in the arts but it’s also a school that does not offer a traditional college campus, esp housing/dorm options beyond first year. Given its locale, housing will be expensive.
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In terms of weighing the pros and cons of name recognition vs more locale and less expensive options, my D turned down RISD for the flagship. At the end, her choice was the right choice for her bc she thrived in a much larger school which gave her more opportunities she desired.
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Congratulations on your acceptances!
Cag60093 above gives excellent advice across the board - all of that should be considered. I am a Graphic Design major, graduated from CSU Long Beach. The program there has an excellent reputation - I had a job locked in right at graduation, as did most of my classmates and it was an amazing experience. However…I thought I would add to your list - to consider how the program is run at each school and what the acceptance rate is.
What I mean by that is - at CSU Long Beach, the graphic design program is run like a Masters program. Students have to submit a portfolio after they have completed all their required art/design undergrad classes. (These classes give you the projects for your portfolio.) And because the major is impacted and hard to get classes - no one is able to submit their portfolio until their 4th/5th year. If your portfolio gets accepted, then you start up the upper level Graphic Design program with the others who are accepted - and that takes 2 more years. People usually try 1-2 times to submit - and after that, if they aren’t accepted in - they end up graduating with an art degree instead of graphic design.
When I was there - they accepted only 25 students into the Graphic Design program. This is why it has such an excellent reputation.
As I said - I had the most amazing experience at CSULB - lived in the dorms, etc etc. Our graduating class of 25 was a tight knit group. However - I didn’t fully understand the timeframe until I was in it - so the more you understand, the better! Now, would all that time be well spent getting a minor? Possibly - I don’t know what’s required for CS.
I know several people who went to Parsons and loved it - extremely creative - especially if you are illustration… just not a typical college setting. I also know a couple people who are Industrial Design majors from CSU Long Beach - it is also an excellent program and they also got jobs right away. And I have a friend who started out as a Design major from Fullerton, and over the years has switched over to UI/UX and is doing extremely well in her field.
You definitely have great options - I would just suggest doing the research and narrow down what you’d like to focus on.
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You cannot double major in Art and CS at SLO unless you were originally admitted to CS as your primary major and then add the Art major as your 2nd degree. If you are considering a minor in CS, then read this:
All CSC courses are impacted. Registration preference each quarter is given to CSC, CPE, and SE major students (thus, completing the minor may be difficult). You are not guaranteed a seat in a class as a CSC minor student.
@jupiter88
I like this comment from @Zyltr70 - " I didn’t fully understand the timeframe until I was in it - so the more you understand, the better! Now, would all that time be well spent getting a minor? Possibly - I don’t know what’s required for CS."
Just like most undergraduate arts programs requires a portfolio for admissions, most internships and jobs in the arts/creative field will want to see students portfolio too. Therefore, art majors (even UI/UX focused) will want to develop a strong portfolio over the course of their undergrad years. As you know this requires an incredible amount of TIME. Even if it’s possible to somehow double major or add a minor in CS, CS classes also have projects that are time consuming outside of class time and often internship/job interviewer will want candidates to discuss a project or two they have worked on, etc. (Our youngest is a CS major at our flagship. His classes, along with involvement in demanding CS club related activities are demanding.
This is personal to me and my children, but going to college was more than just attending classes and landing a job. It was 4 years of independent learning life skills - making new friends in a new environment, juggling “living” skills (cooking, cleaning), managing time, etc. Learning and managing life skills also take time. Time crunch for the demanding project based assignments and other life things may not be smooth some days (or some weeks) so think about what works best for you and how you succeed.
Lastly, your comment about your parents encouraging you to double major in CS made me reflect on my initial thoughts when our D wanted to major in the arts. In general it is often thought as not as useful or low paying field. I was quite anxious how it will work post college. What I learned is that the arts field isn’t just making pretty or cool images. There’s a lot of problem solving and so much research required to tackling a given project, especially in ID. These skills are valuable in many different roles and there are many design opportunities in various fields.