Today, we will be looking at the 10 best art schools in California to help those who want to study art in the state on selecting their school of choice. Let’s get started!
Not everyone goes to college to be a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or tech employee. Many students prioritize their passions over their pocketbooks when it comes to choosing a college major.
Perhaps the major best exemplifying this mantra is Art. At art school, students learn about the craft of creating visual art, including painting, graphic design, ceramics, printmaking, and more disciplines.
The professions for these degrees can be surprisingly lucrative. Common jobs for art majors include animation, graphic design, art direction for businesses, interior art, and even becoming art teacher or professor.
Here is the list of the best Art Schools in California
- California College of the Arts
- University of Southern California Roski School of Art and Design
- California Institute of the Arts
- UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture
- Stanford University
- ArtCenter College of Design
- Otis College of Art and Design
- CSULB School of Art
- Laguna College of Art and Design
- San Francisco Art Institute
1. California College of the Arts
The Bay Area’s California College of the Arts offers a program to meet any aspiring artist’s ambitions.
Technology, guidance, and access are abundant: ample studio space and well-appointed shops give California College of the Arts students the tools they need for all projects.
Galleries and venues like the Wattis Institute and the Hubbell Street Galleries host ongoing exhibits and events featuring current students and visiting artists from around the world.
California College of the Arts tops the list of art schools for return on investment. Small classes and an overall 8:1 student/faculty ratio help the school maintain graduation rate of 67% within a six-year range.
83% of undergraduate alumni find work within a year of their degrees, and 78% of undergraduates are awarded financial aid.
Whether students come for the specificity of majors like the BFA in Comics or Furniture, for visionary programs like interaction design, for the vital Bay Area gallery exposure, or for the opportunity to incorporate creative writing or social practice into their curriculum, California College of the Arts provides the education, guidance, professional connections, and framework for exploring individual voice essential to an artist’s successful development.
2. University of Southern California Roski School of Art and Design
The Roski School of Art and Design at the University of Southern California offers BFA programs in art and in design.
Students can also earn a BA in art through the program, taking advantage of the wider course selections at the University of Southern California outside the department.
In the BFA Art program, students balance studio courses with theory studies, culminating in a capstone course and thesis project.
The BFA in Design provides training in technical skills for 2D and 3D media along with critical theory seminars and design internships.
Students interested in applying to the Roski School of Art and Design should apply through the general University of Southern California admissions department, including the writing supplement.
Portfolios must then be submitted through the Roski’s site, along with other materials specific to the program.
Students can study abroad for degree credit at partner institutions in Australia, Florence, Cape Town, and London.
Internships with corporate and public partners like NBC, National Geographic, Lego, and MoMA offer students valuable real-world experiences.
3. California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts in Valencia represents six art schools under one banner: art, critical studies, dance, film, music, and theater.
In a unique opportunity, students can choose a BFA program in general education that encompasses all areas.
The art program at California Institute of the Arts offers BFA degrees in art, graphic design, photography and mixed media, and in art and technology.
The schools encourage interdepartmental collaboration, the creation of hybrid forms, and broad critical understanding.
Associations with a number of international art schools provide foreign exchange opportunities for California Institute of the Arts students in Paris, Glasgow, Hamburg, Berlin, and in Singapore.
The school’s Center for Life and Work provides career advice and support for current students and California Institute of the Arts graduates, hosting workshops and an internship program.
Admissions are portfolio/audition based, with an acceptance rate around 25%. CalArts ranks in the top 15 programs nationally for performing arts, film and photography, and for design.
Rooted in a vision of an arts community conceived by Walt Disney, California Institute of the Arts grew to embrace even more diverse and groundbreaking artistic concepts.
4. UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture
Located in the Westwood area of Los Angeles, University of California Los Angeles’s arts programs offer access to vibrant cultural communities.
Within its top-ranked studio art program, University of California Los Angeles combines a rigorous combination of skills and studio training with critical theory and history coursework.
The design media arts program provides training in contemporary practices for game design, printing, photography, 3D modeling, and virtual reality media.
The architecture and urban design program adopt an environmentally conscious, community approach to architecture and design to address social issues.
University of California Los Angeles’s Visual and Performing Arts Education Program gives student artists interested in arts education a chance to practice their teaching skills as they help provide services to K-12 students in underserved communities.
The direct-entry application process includes two steps: students must apply through the general admissions department and complete an additional arts supplement.
5. Stanford University
The Department of Art and Art History at Stanford offers four undergraduate major options, including art history, art practice, and film & media, all of which can be pursued as minors.
One joint major, art practice plus computer science, allows art students working in technology-focused media to acquire the necessary context and skills to expand the scope of their work.
Students wishing to study art at Stanford must be admitted to the university through the general undergraduate admissions process.
Prior to declaring an art major, the department recommends taking art history preparatory coursework during freshman or sophomore years.
Each student maps coursework with their chosen departmental advisor. All programs seek to deepen each student artist’s engagement with their work by developing visual perception skills and practice of technical processes.
Conclusion
That was all about the best Art schools in California. You can ask your questions in the comment section if you have any, as our team will be there to give adequate answers to your questions.
Last Updated on December 24, 2022 by Admin
