The Art Institute Of Pittsburgh - Online Division

Highlights

• A part of The Art Institutes system of over 40 creative arts schools
• Online curriculums same as for campus
• Over 88% of recent graduates were working in study-related fields within six months of graduation according to school
• Accelerated degree programs available
• International students welcome
• A division of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, a school founded over 85 years ago
• Accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher Education.

About the School

Since 2000, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh – Online Division has been offering career-focused Web programs in the creative arts. The institute offers undergraduate degree and diploma programs in web design, photography, game art & design, fashion and retail management, graphic design and other subjects.

The school is part of The Art Institute group of schools that operate in over 40 US locations. The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, established in 1921, provides support to the online programs. The curriculums provided by the online division are the same as those offered at the campus in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Academic Programs

The institute offers a variety of career-oriented curriculums. Several of these include:

• Game Art & Design – Focuses on the artistic elements of games. Students learn the various aspects of creating game environments and determining choices for the games' characters. Skills in game-play testing are also included.
• Web Design & Interactive Media – Offers techniques for creating interactive content by blending audio, video, animation, text and data and still images. In addition, students have the opportunity to create a digital portfolio
• Graphic Design – Offers training in electronic imaging and production and computer graphics. Creative problem solving is part of the curriculum.
• Digital Design – Includes training in the basics of design, lettering and typography and computer applications. Graduates have the opportunity to seek employment as production and computer artists.
• Fashion & Retail Design – Provides a strong foundation in creating sales and purchasing strategies. Merchandising practices are also examined. Students are prepared for employment in the fields of sales consultation, purchasing, and coordinating runway shows.
• Advertising – Offers courses in online communication, concept development, art direction, story boarding and other topics. A solid foundation is also provided in the areas of brand marketing, consumer behavior and marketing research.
• Media Arts and Animation – Courses provide a baseline set of capabilities in drawing, color, design of characters, and in computer applications such as those published by Adobe. Students gain exposure to the principles of two and three dimensional animations and to story creation, background design, and special effects. Possible career tracks for students are many, ranging from storyboard artists to computer modelers to special effects artists to forensic artists.
• Photography – This program emphasizes detailed analysis of production and editing of images, understanding the broad range of available equipment, and fostering the ability of students to capture photographs that elicit a reaction from viewers. Topics covered include color, design, techniques, and digital imaging. Students work to create their own digital portfolios that reflect their own unique styles. The goal is to ready students to pursue entry-level work such as photojournalism, commercial photography, photographic editing, magazine photography, and production.
• Interior Design – Coursework includes computer-aided design, planning of spaces, and history. Other more specific topics include design for exhibits, hospitality, retail, and corporations. The program is targeted toward readying students for entry positions in roles such as assistant designer, draftsperson, or space planner and for opportunities such as senior-level designers, project directors, and sales.
• Culinary Management – Covers the management aspects of culinary business (no cooking courses) including human resources, accounting, related law and ethics, marketing, customer service, and communication. The program aims to prepare students for careers in businesses such as catering, research and development, instruction, and food inspection.
• Hotel & Restaurant Management – Designed to blend management skills with culinary appreciation. Topics taught include food display and presentation, organization of buffets, history of various cuisines, and serving protocols.

Learning Options

The Art Institute's online education approach combines the school's decades of experience with an online system created by Socrates Distance Learning Technologies Group® (Socrates). The school sends each of its online instructors through approximately 100 hours of Socrates training. Each course is created via a team of educational designers, who structure coursework to encourage interactivity between students and their instructors and to facilitate learning in and out of the virtual classrooms.

The school's online programs are designed to deliver the following kinds of advantages:

• Asynchronous study allowing anytime, anywhere completion of coursework via the Web
• Completion of courses in five and a half weeks
• Highly interactive through several online technologies, including text, video, animation, chat, and more
• Creation of individualized portfolios to help focus and foster student studies and to show to potential employers
• Lectures that supplement rather than repeat assigned readings
• Textbook readings that directly apply to curriculum topics
• Open ended discussion questions that are aimed at generating lively discussion as opposed to specific, concrete answers
• A personalized learning experience for each student with class sizes targeted at 15 students

Faculty

The instructors have expertise in their field of teaching and have completed a 100-hour training in online teaching using the Socrates system.

Student Life

The online school provides a variety of programs and services such as a virtual student community, 24 hour technical support, career services, a worldwide professional network and tutoring in writing, English and math. In addition, the Campus Common offers information regarding news and events, industry-focused online seminars and student chapters of professional organizations.

The Career Services Department offers assistance across the range of job hunting activities, including resume writing to finding potential employers to interviewing. The school reports that over 88% of recent graduates that were available for employment found work in a study-related field within six months of graduation. Examples of major corporations where graduates recently began working include: ARAMARK, Samsung, Washington Post, Hyatt Regency, IKEA, Con Edison, Johnson & Johnson, FedEx Kinkos, Kellogg's, Lockheed Martin, Verizon, Seagate, Boeing, Southwest Airlines, and many more.

Admissions and Financial Aid

An admissions representative assists with the school's application procedure. In some cases, the military training acquired by military personnel can be used for transferring credits.

The school provides federal aid and other types of financial assistance such as Life Credit, military discounts & benefits, vocational rehabilitation benefits and merit award scholarships.

The school also welcomes international students and offers information about potential sources of funding via private loans, including International Student Loan programs.