What is a good University in Virginia that offers a really good art program? Does Virginia Tech have a good art program?
VCU
Yes, VCU Arts is the only serious art school in the commonwealth, and it’s first rate. If you are more interested in art history than applied art, you have more options.
Yes, VCU! The top art student at our very large public high school (won the school-wide art award) is there and loving it. It has a great reputation, and Richmond (RVA) is a very fun city that is very much on the upswing. It is an urban campus, if that is a positive or negative for you. I don’t know much about the others, except that William and Mary has a strong art history program and is redoing the Muscarelle Museum on campus.
You might also look at UNC-Asheville. It’s a public LAC, not a typical state university. It has a strong reputation in the arts, and Asheville is a big folk art center, and one of my favorite college towns. Really a cool place, and beautiful.
OOS tuition is not much higher at UNC-A than in-state for some of the VA universities, like William and Mary. I believe there are some very limited opportunities for tuition reciprocity between VA and NC, though I know nothing about it, just that a friend’s kid who lives in VA got a reduced rate at NC State because their specific program qualified. You’d have to look that up. Good luck!
Thank you, I would love to go to VCU. It sounds like a great place to go to. Yeah, I saw that it is listed as #2 on best fine arts programs, but I was a little worried about the area because people said some bad things about it. Though I would love to visit and check Richmond out since I have never been there!
Really, we’ve known several student–probably a half dozen–who’ve gone there in the last few years, and all of them have loved the experience. A good friend thought his daughter would like it but was nervous about her first impression and whether or not it would be safe in terms of crime. She didn’t love it on her first visit–it felt too urban and not campus-y enough–but revisited after acceptance and liked it better. She’s an upperclassman now and having a terrific experience. Crime does not seem to have been a particular problem around the school–though of course still an issue, like just about anywhere. The dad no longer worries any more than any dad would naturally worry about their kid off at school.
A daughter’s friend kind of struggled in high school in different ways and was okay going to VCU, although not extremely excited about it. They had a great freshman year and really took off as a student. They got some very cool internships and graduated with very high grades. I think they are in grad school now.
VCU has an excellent art program. The city of Richmond itself has a very vibrant art scene. If you look up “richmond art” or “richmond murals” you will find truly beautiful wall art, much of which is commissioned by the city after they found out that local artists have been doing this on their own. It is spectacular.
D is a soph at VCUARTS gd major from OOS. All I can tell you is she loves it. Loves the school and the town.