Online MFA from Academy of Art U......

Ok, here’s my situation. I’m 25 and living in Virginia. I went to USC film school and have since realized I don’t really want to be a film maker. I currently have a job in graphic design and am loving it, but I want to take my career a step further and get into industrial design. I really don’t feel like picking up and moving again just to get a degree and there are no programs in my area. I am looking at the online program at Academy of Art…anyone have any suggestions for me…any warnings…anything? Will an online program look bad when I want a job?

Thanks,
Adam

An online studio-based program? For someone who doesn’t have an undergrad degree in the field? That already raises a lot of red flags for me. I don’t know much about online programs, but being in the studio or being in the classroom with your teachers and peers seems like a critical component for learning design. Plus, the Academy of Art does not have much of a reputation. Is it even accredited? If you’re serious about ID, you have to be willing to at least consider moving for the sake of the right educational experience. Grad school is a huge commitment. Don’t blow it.

I agree with traditionalist- studio classes are best spent in the studio with hands on experience. Some classes are great online but others really need to be attended in person. You will get a better understanding by actually gasp attending class.

Academy of Art University is indeed accredited. The higher ups at AAU are pushing the online thing for every class in all 12 of their schools, Fine Art, Photography, Digital Media ect, but especially with ID I think they fail to understand how difficult it is to learn everything online. It’s still being tested out. If I were you I’d be wary of taking studio classes on the net, but if you need to get art history and the like out of the way it’s a great way to go.

Are you confusing AAU with the Art Institutes? I beleive AAU is an independent University of which there is only 1, while the Art Institutes are a for profit education corporation of which there are about a dozen around the US.

12 majors then.

No, I was thinking of the right school, the one in SF. I think the best way to begin researching grad programs is to find some professionals whose work you admire and then see where they went to school. As far as I know, AAU just doesn’t really weight as an ID program (actually, I haven’t heard anything good about any of their programs). I believe it is a for-profit school as well.