Graphic designers are in demand in a wide variety of industries.
"The Art Institutes" are a system of schools that provide courses in a number of career fields including media arts, fashion, design and culinary arts. The schools offer online and brick-and-mortar location classes. As of 2010, the schools boasted a graduation rate of more than 160,000 students. The collective institutes are a division of the Education Management Corporation. Accreditation differs by the individual institute location and the programs offered.
Locations
There are 45 Art Institute schools located throughout North America. Educational facilities are located in Arizona; British Columbia; California; Colorado; Florida; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Kansas; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Nevada; New York; North Carolina; Ohio; Oregon; Pennsylvania; South Carolina; Tennessee; Texas; Utah; Virginia; and Washington. Many states, including California, Florida and Texas, have multiple locations.
Graphic Design Programs
The Art Institutes offer 17 different graphic design courses to prepare students to excel in their chosen field. These classes are: Advanced Graphic Design; Digital Design; Graphic and Desktop Design; Graphic Design; Graphic Design and Foundation for Design; Design Studies; Design Management; Design and Technical Graphics; Art and Design Technology, with a concentration in Graphic Design; Illustration; Illustration and Design; Design Visualization; Entertainment Design; Digital Print Production; Visual and Entertainment Arts; Visual Arts; and Visual Communications.
Career Fields
Graphic design courses are designed to prepare students for a number of career options. Students who graduate with a graphic design degree from the Art Institutes can work in advertising, corporate branding, computer graphics, public relations and various other visual and printed media fields.
Online Courses
The Art Institutes' online courses are offered through the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, which is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher Education. The online program offers many of the same courses as the brick-and-mortar locations as well as additional course material. Online courses include Painting; Production Procedures; Corporate Identity; Life Drawing; Advertising Design; Typography; Dimensional Design; and Concept Development. The organization's online courses offer a greater degree of flexibility. Online courses are available in an anytime, anywhere format. Support services, such as tutoring, mentoring, peer collaboration and career advising, are available for all online students.
Course Content
The Art Institutes focus on teaching by way of a variety of hands-on techniques. Course material covers the basics and advanced methods of design, typography, color theory and instruction in design programs such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign. In addition, students learn concepts related to dealing with business issues, including creative problem-solving skills.
Student Requirements
Prospective students in the graphic design program must have a high school diploma or equivalent with a minimum cumulative GPA of 1.5 or higher. Students enrolling in the Online Division of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh must complete an online orientation before the start of the first class.
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