Online Degree School Choice - REPUTATION

I'm considering an online degree at the Art Institute Online. From what I've read, it seems like a legit school that's really good, despite the high tuition.

I was talking to my Dad about it, and he made a comment saying that he had never heard of that school, and what would be the point of getting a degree there if nobody had heard of the school?

Do you think he had a good point there? I thought the Art Institute schools were pretty popular, but I don't really know.

I understand that obviously if you go to an unrecognized school that probably could be a bad thing when trying to apply for a job. Reputation of schools can mean a lot nowadays. But sometimes even the most popular schools can have very little substance in the classes.

Any thoughts on this issue? Or any opinions on the Art Institute Online? I haven't read too many things on it.

 

Thanks a lot for your advice. If anyone else has anything to add, please feel free.

Do you recall the names of the other online programs you know of that have advertising or something similar? I need to research as many schools as possible.

 

Be sure to use the search function (top right in gray series). Try advertising, art, similar terms--there may be material buried in here. Welcome aboard.

 

My understanding is the Art Institute Online has a mediocre reputation, Sky-high tuition, and its credits are not transferable. It has no connection to the prestigous Chicago Art Institute. I would research it very thoroughly before entering a program there.

 

AI Online is a sort of step-child of the B&M Art Institutes. A number of the AI schools, though certainly not all, are regionally accredited. Transferability issues for the RA schools--AI Dallas or Atlanta, for instance--is less an issue of reputation and more an issue of what courses are being transferred.

AI Online is run out of AI Pittsburgh, which--according to their Web site--has reached candidacy for regional (Middle States) accreditation. Whether AI Online, which is a division of Pittsburgh, would become accredited as a consequence is unclear, but it would be easy to find out. Send them an email and ask.

The Art Institutes are good at what they do, but they have a very narrow educational goal: to prepare their students for entry-level jobs in the subjects that the school teaches. Each one has an active career services department whose continued employment depends on their placement numbers, which are assessed quarterly.

How much of this is true of AI Online, I don't know. Is there not an AI campus close to you? They're all over the country. Because they are so expensive, I would look at the B&M schools first. Even then I would look carefully at the one I was considering. Not all AI schools are equal. EDMC has expanded rapidly in the last few years and many AI schools are recent start-ups.

If you're looking for entry-level employment and starting in the field from scratch, AI may not be a bad choice. If you already have the position you want and are just looking for a degree or perhaps to upgrade, the AI may not provide sufficient depth of training and so may not be worth the money to you.

At any rate, I would ask some hard questions of AI Online before I committed. What field do you seek to enter? Graphic Design? Interior Design? Interactive media? Many art and design subjects are best learned hands on, which means an instructor should be close by to lend assistance. With the perhaps exception of interactive media/multimedia there is some question in my mind about how effective online education in these fields would be.

There are alternative schools. The Art Academy of San Francisco (now called Art Academy University, I think) leaps to mind. American Intercontiental University is a possibility, although personally I would rank them a step or two below AI in comparable fields.

Perhaps you might Goggle or Yahoo your field to see what the other prospects are. Search something like: "<your field>" AND education. You will get menu lists in both Google and Yahoo. This might suggest further possibilities.

Hope this helps.

Good luck.

marilynd