Academy of Art University - Overview

The Academy of Art University was established in San Francisco in 1929. It prepares aspiring professionals in the fields of design, communication and the arts by delivering excellent undergraduate and graduate degrees programs.

To achieve its mission the Academy of Art University :

• Maintains an inclusive admissions policy for all persons who meet basic requirements for admission and instruction and who want to obtain higher learning in a wide spectrum of disciplines in art and design

• Teaches a disciplined approach to the study of art and design that encourages students to develop their own styles that blend their talents, technical skills and creative aspirations with professional knowledge

• Enlists a dedicated and very able full-time and part-time faculty of career artists, designers and scholars who are professionals and whose success as educators comes from their ability to teach students through the wisdom and skill they have amassed through years of experience and study

• Operates in an urban context so that academic programs can draw upon and contribute to the cultural wealth of those communities that are served

• Provides a creative environment that is at once supportive and challenging and underpinned by excellent personalized teaching and support services that address the needs of students of diverse ages and backgrounds

• Offers an undergraduate general education program designed to stimulate development of critical thinking, and communications skills, and to encourage emerging artists to draw upon a variety of disciplines to look at issues from multiple perspectives and to cultivate the ability to function as educated global citizens

• Manages in an ethical and efficient manner and administers the finances in a prudent fashion; and fosters optimum quality in all aspects of programs and services.

Today the University has more than 18,000 students, making it the largest private school of art and design in the country. Students now have the opportunity to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Arts, Associate of Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Arts, Master of Architecture, Certificate Programs or Continuing Art Education courses, with over 30 areas of academic emphasis.

Accreditations

• Academy of Art University is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), one of the six regional associations that accredit public and private colleges and schools in the United States.

• The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture.

CIDA is an independent, non-profit accrediting organization for interior design education programs at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. The BFA Interior Architecture & Design and the MFA Interior Architecture & Design programs are both accredited by the CIDA.

The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) is an agency in the Executive Branch of California State Government. The major purpose of the agency is to serve as a state standards board for educator preparation for the public schools of California, the licensing and credentialing of professional educators in the State, the enforcement of professional practices of educators, and the discipline of credential holders in the State of California. CTC accredits the Academy of Art University's Single Subject Art Teaching Credential Program.

NASAD is the national accrediting agency for art and design and art and design-related disciplines. The Academy of Art University is accredited by NASAD to offer degrees of Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Arts, and Certificates. All Academy of Art University AA, BA, BFA, MA, MFA and Art Teaching Credential programs are accredited by NASAD except for the programs offered by these schools: School of Acting, School of Architecture, School of Landscape Architecture, School of Multimedia Communications, School of Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media, School of Writing for Film, Television & Digital Media, and also the BS in Game Programming offered by the School of Game Design.