The Art Institutes

It was a good education. It was very hands-on technical work but they always tried to equip us with the knowledge to use the latest in design technology (the adobe creative suite), textile technology, and pattern-making technology. We were also taught these skills without computers as well, such as sketching designs, drafting patterns, grading patterns, etc. My only real concern was about accreditation, not education. The particular Art Institute that I attended was nationally accredited. This would have been fine if I only needed a bachelor’s, but I ended up wanting a master’s degree and because my degree was nationally accredited, I had great difficulty finding a reputable graduate program. Regional accreditation for a degree is important if you plan to continue your academic career. My advice is not to avoid the Art Institute, but to check their accreditation, but only if you want education beyond a bachelor’s. I truly enjoyed my time at the Art Institute, and I feel I earned a good education.

Check accreditation if you plan to go to graduate school after undergrad. Also, I don’t know if this applies to every Art Institute but there are a lot of out-of-pocket expenses for materials. As a Fashion Design student, you were expected to pay for almost all your fabrics for assignments, and sometimes the quality of materials you needed to buy had criteria in order to meet the needs of the assignment. Just a heads up on the budget for that.

What I liked about the school was the few friends I made while going to school there and the equipment was pretty updated at the time. I remember the professors being nice.

The administration and financial offices were not the best at keeping records.