# Grad school after an Art Institute school



## raydius (Feb 8, 2008)

I am thinking about trying to get my bachelors degree in photography from an Art Institute school and then go on to receive my MFA so that I can teach at the collegiate level.  The school (AI) makes it sound like there will only be a select number of schools that accept my degree from their school.  I'm wondering if anybody with a BFA in photography from an Art Institute school has tried to go on to secondary school and how difficult it was to get accepted.  Or if anyone knows of good Grad schools that accept BFAs from Art Institute schools.

Thanks!


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## Antithesis (Feb 8, 2008)

raydius said:


> I am thinking about trying to get my bachelors degree in photography from an Art Institute school and then go on to receive my MFA so that I can teach at the collegiate level.  The school (AI) makes it sound like there will only be a select number of schools that accept my degree from their school.  I'm wondering if anybody with a BFA in photography from an Art Institute school has tried to go on to secondary school and how difficult it was to get accepted.  Or if anyone knows of good Grad schools that accept BFAs from Art Institute schools.
> 
> Thanks!



If AI's BA isn't recognized, I would consider another school. There are plenty of four year universities that are considerably cheaper and just as capable of providing a good learning experience. Also, any good college professor will tell that a broader education is better than an ultra-specialized education. I have been told many times, that it's usually better to go into grad school with a degree in something general, like liberal arts or just general education, rather than having a BA in photography and then getting a masters in photography. You'll probably also find that there will be a whole lot of overlap in curriculum.


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## Sw1tchFX (Feb 8, 2008)

raydius said:


> I am thinking about trying to get my bachelors degree in photography from an Art Institute school and then go on to receive my MFA so that I can teach at the collegiate level.  The school (AI) makes it sound like there will only be a select number of schools that accept my degree from their school.  I'm wondering if anybody with a BFA in photography from an Art Institute school has tried to go on to secondary school and how difficult it was to get accepted.  Or if anyone knows of good Grad schools that accept BFAs from Art Institute schools.
> 
> Thanks!


FYI 

I went the AI Seattle for about a year, the teachers there are awesome (for the most part), and you'll get a good education from them, but the administration is abysmal and pretty much makes it a moot point. 

If you know you'll get work straight out, have quite a bit of your own equipment (not just an SLR and lens) and not go into student housing, it's _ok_.

HOWEVER, they treat their students like crap. They accept anyone in their school who knows how to write a check that won't bounce, they're not accredited, and they were bought out by a Japanese or Korean company who redid their curriculum to minimize costs and maximize profits by charging more and keeping the students enrolled less. The student housing is (when I left, i'm sure it's more now) $900/month. I lived in student housing, split a 2bdr/2bath apartment with 3 other people and we were paying $900 each. YES, $3600/month for an apartment that wasn't even worth about $600/month. One of my buddies didn't have running water for a week and had to move out as a result, and is currently in a lawsuit with the school about it because they refused to fix it. These apartments are crap, the buildings were made in the early 1920's. 

They basically want to crank people out as fast as possible. For each class, lets say Advanced Lighting, you meet 10 times. That's it. Once a week for 10 weeks. The History of Photography class used to be an alternative process lab, where you actually made albumen prints, cyanotypes, etc. Now it's sitting in a classroom in behind a projector, watching your instructor browse Google over the material you used to get your hands on. NOT EVEN KIDDING. Oh yeah, and the quarter system will seriously screw up your transfer to another school should you realize AI is junk. They go off of quarters, not semesters.


The only reason why a select number of schools will recognize the AI BFA in photography is because most of them know AI is s***. The 'select' schools are the leftovers, fella. 

Basically, if you want to learn art, go to PNCA. It's that simple. If you want to learn how to be a commercial shooter, go to a university, Art Center, or Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara. Brooks and Art Center are expensive, but a few of the people that graduated from AI Seattle last year transfered from Brooks and said it was one of the worst decisions they've ever made. 

:no smile:


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## AprilRamone (Feb 9, 2008)

I would not recommend AI.  I almost went there straight out of high school but my Dad wisely advised me not to when he heard that you couldn't transfer the credits to another school.  (This may vary from school to school now).  But, I have numerous friends who attended the one in Denver who did get decent education in some ways, but overall said it felt like it was just a business taking their money and not a school.  
Others may disagree, but I feel you can get a decent art degree at a regular cheaper college and then go on to a nice grad school.


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## MichaelT (Feb 9, 2008)

I got a BS in photography from Southern Illinois University.  That is a great school in my opinion.  It really stretches you.  That was many years ago, but the instructors I had are apparently still there.  Also, being a state university, the costs are much lower than AI and the education is recognized by other schools.


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