An undergraduate art program is often the beginning of the long and rewarding journey of becoming an artist. Selecting the right program for any prospective undergraduate student can be challenging, given the vast array of offerings in our country. The top art programs in America are extremely selective and nuanced in what they provide students, both in terms of education and in atmosphere and connections. Let’s take a look at the various factors your clients should consider when selecting an undergraduate art program. Based on discussions with current students, alumni, and faculty, we will then explore the singular personalities of a variety of arts programs, what each has to offer its students, and how that translates into life as a working artist. Finally, we we will discuss the admissions factors of arts programs.
Before Applying
Before creating a list of schools to apply to or drafting essays or even securing references, prospective students looking to enter an undergraduate art program should attempt to understand themselves as artists. Help them consider their values and priorities. Encourage them to reflect on their artistic desires as well as their life interests and hobbies and how those coalesce to create a singular artistic purpose or intent. Honing in on artistic values, future expectations, and personal requirements for creativity is the first step to beginning the process of applying to an undergraduate art program.
Art School or Art Major?
One of the most important decisions to be made in the process of choosing the right art program is whether to attend an art school or a university with an art major. Consider the student’s current experience with art and future expectations. Artistic practice is what sustains a working artist. It is the repeated and daily exercise of being an artist and of making art, also known as the “creative process.” Art school provides a rigorous atmosphere that supports self-exploration, helps to develop a critical eye, teaches technique, and emphasizes the development of an artistic practice.
A bachelor of fine arts (BFA) or a major in studio art at a traditional university immerses its students in a wide variety of experiences and subjects more than an art school does. Receiving a degree from a university allows students to pursue art alongside other disciplines, offering the option of a minor or double major outside the arts. Sometimes this is a more useful setting for those still deliberating about their future as an artist or those who are just beginning their exploratory journey. Having an array of inputs from areas outside of art can even help spark creativity.
Yet another option is combination programs. These exciting and unique programs allow students to graduate with two degrees: one in art and one in another subject. In combination programs, students can experience the best of both worlds. For example, the unparalleled art program at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) combines with the exceptional liberal arts environment of Brown University to provide both an art school degree and a university degree. Similarly, the School of Museum of Fine Arts teams with Tufts University to create a rigorous and prestigious dual degree program. Like a traditional university art program, a combination degree program can set students up for more career options upon graduation.
Behind the Scenes of the Country’s Top Art Programs
Each of the top art programs in the country offers an outstanding education and prepare their students to enter the art world (or a master of fine arts (MFA) program) after graduation. As with the best art, the decision of which school to attend might even come down to an intuitive sense of which offers the best environment for the student. Therefore, learning the nuances of what each program has to offer is the only way to gain a better and more personal understanding of which is the best fit.
The New York Art School Experience
Students have many programs to choose from in New York City, but only a handful are considered some of the top in the country. The School of Visual Arts (SVA) was founded as a cartoon and illustration school and has emerged over the years as a leading art program in America, offering 11 different disciplines for students to choose from and situating students in the heart of NYC’s art scene. New York University’s BFA program is well-respected and widely considered “the city’s school” because of its integration into Lower Manhattan and the deep connections it provides students as they prepare for life as working artists. Pratt Institute offers a quieter, collegiate campus in Brooklyn for art students who want to be near the art scene, but not in the center of it. The Cooper Union is one of the oldest private colleges in New York City. It offers half-tuition scholarships to all students and is renowned for its art and architecture program. Parsons’ art program is at the forefront of fashion studies and has produced high-caliber artists such as Jasper Johns and Ai Weiwei. An important consideration for a prospective NYC art student is whether their personal creativity will thrive in the competitive and fast-paced atmosphere of New York City.
The Country’s Top Art Schools (Outside of NYC)
While New York offers a dynamic environment and extensive networking opportunities, art schools outside of the city are equally compelling and can go further than some universities in helping students who are serious about becoming artists reach their goals by focusing on technique and artistic practice.
Rhode Island School of Design, located in Providence (just down the street from Brown University), is widely considered the top art school in the country. Prospective students should expect a rigorous curriculum focused on the sole development of creativity, a strong artistic voice, and the habitual practice required of working artists. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), with its 158-year legacy, is also considered one of the top art programs in the country. In addition to interdisciplinary freedom, SAIC boasts state-of-the-art facilities and a museum on campus.
Several other top art schools to consider include Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Georgia; Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore; Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) in Boston; and California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Los Angeles. Of these, CalArts is widely known as the most experimental art school, where theory and concept as well as experimental and multidisciplinary artmaking are a heavy focus.
Understanding the Ivies
Each Ivy League university has its own distinct offerings. For example, Brown University is known for its Open Curriculum, and its art department offers a dual degree with RISD, combining a BFA with an AB (Bachelor of Arts) or an ScB (Bachelor of Science), which we touch on more later in this article. Columbia has the strictest curriculum requirements, with its Core Curriculum, and its campus is in the heart of New York City. Cornell offers a BFA, whereas the other Ivies offer BAs or ABs, which can be less studio-intensive. Harvard has a unique Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies, combining practice with critical theory. Dartmouth explicitly encourages interdisciplinary exploration for its arts students and has a unique cross-disciplinary program in which the engineering sciences major can be combined with studio arts. Princeton has a standout musical theater program and Yale’s art program (considered by many to be the top university art program in the country) is known especially for sculpture, painting, and photography.
Exceptional University Art Programs Outside of the Ivies
Let’s now look at highly ranked university art programs outside of the Ivies. Artsy—an online art marketplace and leading voice in the contemporary art world—notes that UCLA “offers Ivy League quality at state prices.” Carnegie Mellon’s art program in Pittsburgh is known for bridging studio art practice with cutting-edge research in the sciences. Stanford’s undergraduate art program focuses more heavily on theory, unlike UCLA, which is known for its emphasis on studio practice. However, rigorous studio practice and art theory complement each other at Virginia Commonwealth University’s art program. The program also provides students with opportunities to gain experience in creative careers while in school through partnerships with, for example, its Center for the Creative Economy.
Unique Combination Art Programs
Combination art programs are formed either when two top universities or art schools join forces and allow students to partake in the exceptional studies offered by each school, or when a top university allows its students to combine disparate degrees into a dual degree. Some examples of top combination art programs in the US include: RISD and Brown’s collaborative program; the five-year, interdisciplinary bachelor’s plus master’s dual degree in the arts offered by The New School and Parsons; University of Michigan’s joint degree in liberal arts and engineering that allows students studying the arts and humanities to explore technical studies as well; Carnegie Mellon’s interdisciplinary BFA/BXA degree, which allows studio art students to undertake hybrid ways of making art in the sciences, humanities, computer science, or engineering; and finally, the combination program at Tufts and The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, which spans five years of study.
Demystifying Admissions
A variety of admissions factors go into a successful application. The top arts programs generally require a GPA that ranges from 3.4–4.0 (notably, CalArts does not require a GPA because they focus more on the student’s artistic potential). SAT/ACT testing is optional for many art schools but required for most university art programs; and several universities, such as Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, and Yale, recently reinstated standardized testing requirements.
Extracurricular activities and employment or internships present significant opportunities for students to communicate themselves as artists. Connecting the values of their personal essay and artistic statement with the type of work or internship they’ve chosen (for example, if their art is about their own LGBTQ+ experience and they work part-time at an LGBTQ+ nonprofit) demonstrates to the admissions office that this student lives their artistic practice holistically.
The portfolio can be one of the most important aspects of an application—though not all art programs (particularly university art programs) necessarily require one, so be sure to confirm. Often, prospective art students erroneously think that perfect artistic technique will find them entry into a top art program, but what most of these high-ranking art programs are looking for is their perspective. What are the prospective artists trying to say with their art?
Essays are another significant part of the application, equally as consequential as the portfolio. Essays provide a unique opportunity to give the admissions officers and faculty an idea of the person behind the numbers and, in this case, the art. It’s important that the personal essay reflects the student’s core values and personality in a way that aligns with their portfolio. There should be a sense of cohesion and a flow from one to the other. This holds true of the artistic statement, if required, as well. Those reviewing the application should think: it makes sense that this person created this art. Many schools offer free portfolio reviews, as well as webinars about essay writing or digital guides to their applications. Be sure your applicants take advantage of all the school’s available admissions resources.
As independent educational consultants, you can play a major role in helping your applicants choose the school that best fits their individual artistic dreams and future priorities, and then helping them present themselves—both artistically and personally—in the most authentic and powerful way possible. Ultimately, no matter which of these top art programs a student is accepted to, they will look forward to a rigorous and excellent education that sets them on the path of becoming an impactful artist with a unique voice.
By Julie Raynor Gross, EdM, MBA, IECA Professional (NY)