Many of the academies of art in this country offer bachelor’s degrees that include core courses, much the same as any other accredited college would. A bachelor’s in fine arts, however, is going to have a different set of core courses that will provide the educational bedrock on which to build a career based on the arts. Here is a curriculum sampler for a bachelor’s degree in media arts at a California art academy:
3D Design Advertising
Animation Art Education,
Art History, Art-General,
Cinematography, Commercial Art,
Communication Design, Computer Art/Design
Computer Design, Design Education
Design Management, Design Theory,
Desktop Publishing, Digital Design,
Drawing, Electronic Design,
Film/Video Fine Arts
Graphic Design Illustration,
Interactive Media Interface Design,
Layout and Production, Lettering,
Liberal Arts, Lighting,
Lighting Design, Media Arts
Multimedia Package Design,
Typography, Visual Communication,
Web Site Design Games Design
To be fair, art students gravitate to the field either out of a love for fine arts or because they have a particular gift that they would like to polish to professional standards. It is important, however, to include a review of the range of art forms and applications in our society while learning how to be the best that you can in your particular field of expertise.
Explore the expectations in your chosen field for entry level jobs. If college is going to be a financial and scheduling challenge, consider obtaining an associate’s degree so that you can work at an entry level in your field while you continue your education. Many of the commercial art enterprises look for entry level employees that are essentially paid interns. That sort of arrangement can work well for a student in one of the commercial arts.
Other areas have other ways of supporting people who are studying in the field. Your selection of an art school should, to some degree, depend on the degree to which they can help you through the process with work-study programs or contacts with companies who will hire students. Finding a way to work in the arts can be challenging; sometimes you need to be creative in your arts education as well.
