An Introduction to The Art Institutes

Background on America’s Leader in Creative Education

The Art Institutes is a system of more than 45 education institutions located throughout North America. We are America’s Leader in Creative Education. For students, we provide hands-on education in the creative and applied arts by offering master’s, bachelor’s and associate’s degree programs as well as nondegree programs. For employers, we provide an important source of culinary, design, fashion and media arts professionals.

At the Art Institutes schools, our curriculum is carefully scrutinized and developed by industry professionals and prominent employers who tell us what skills are needed in the workplace. This means that your education is relevant, practical and hands-on. In fact, the classroom often mimics what you'll find on the job. Many of our faculty members continue to also work professionally in the fields they are teaching, so you'll have an opportunity to learn what's currently happening in your chosen field. In all of our programs, technology and media help you to realize your vision.

Every Art Institutes school has a Career Services department with staff dedicated to helping students market themselves and providing support services for students to use in pursuing employment opportunities in their chosen field. From helping you pursue part-time job opportunities while you are attending school to actively supporting soon-to-be graduates' job search, faculty and staff are committed to providing students with the support they need.

Browse our areas of study and program offerings below to learn more about what The Art Institutes schools can offer.

Advertising

If you’re thinking about a career in the fast-paced world of advertising, this should grab your attention: The Art Institutes system of schools is one name to consider for the advertising education you’ll need to get started. In our advertising programs, you’ll have an opportunity to explore both the business and creative sides of advertising and marketing. In our schools, you’ll study advertising industry disciplines such as conceptual and creative thinking, art direction and copywriting, brand strategy and media buying. And you’ll have an opportunity to build an interview-ready portfolio to showcase your work to employers. It’s a well-rounded advertising education that’s focused on preparing you to pursue a range of entry-level jobs from graphic designer to copywriter to account executive. Pick an advertising program below and start discovering the possibilities. You’ll see why the advertising programs at The Art Institutes system of schools are creating their own buzz.

Animation & Special Effects

You have all these great ideas in your head. Amazing technology at your fingertips. And a world of possibilities at your feet. Possibilities you can explore in the programs designed to teach animation and special effects at The Art Institutes system of schools. When you study animation and special effects at our schools, you’ll blur the boundaries of business, entertainment and communication as you study everything from character and object design to audio for animation to video production. And you’ll learn hands-on, using the same type of animation and special effects equipment and programs the pros use. Once you’ve finished your study of animation and special effects in school, you can pursue entry-level employment as a 3-D animator, special effects artist, or digital animator. Take a look at the programs below that interest you. And think about the very real possibilities these programs at The Art Institutes system of schools can open up for you.

Audio, Video, or Film Production

The Art Institutes schools offer programs in the areas of audio, video, and film production with quality you can see and hear. Ever wondered how far you could go if you could combine all your creative energy with today’s technology? The answer is in the programs designed to teach audio, video, and film production at The Art Institutes system of schools. Depending on the program you choose, courses include studying audio production, video production, scriptwriting, and image manipulation, you’ll work with industry-standard technologies and techniques as you learn to communicate information, entertainment and ideas through motion, sound and graphics. Once you’ve finished your audio, video, and film production schooling, you’ll be prepared to put your artistic skills to work in such entry-level areas as audio production, sound engineering, broadcasting, videography, and film production. You can start on your way right now just by clicking the audio, video, and film production programs below that spark your interest. You’ll begin to get an idea of just how The Art Institutes system of schools can make a difference in your future.

Culinary Arts

Have you been searching for a cooking school where you can immerse yourself in a wide array of international influences? Do you want to learn innovative culinary techniques from a faculty of experienced chefs who share your passion for cooking? Well, your search for a culinary arts degree ends with The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes, North America’s largest system of culinary programs offered at over 30 Art Institutes schools.

The foodservice industry is rising at a rapid rate and consumers have developed more sophisticated palates. Our schools have responded to the growing demands for international cuisines, service, quality, and nutrition. While firmly rooted in culinary traditions, our Culinary Arts degree programs also emphasize progressive techniques and trends. As a student, you will have an opportunity to receive practical training in a modern kitchen to be adequately prepared for your future in culinary arts.

But first things first. You’ll begin your cooking school education by sharpening your foundation cooking skills and techniques, from basic cuts to managing a menu. Remember, great chefs start by becoming proficient in the fundamentals. After learning the basics, you’ll be ready to combine these skills with your own creative flair. That’s when things really start to heat up.

Our international culinary programs are designed to teach classical cuisines from the chefs who developed them – Escoffier, Carême, Verge, Bocuse, and others. From there, you’ll explore the world of international cuisines and use ingredients and techniques from around the globe. In our Culinary Arts degree programs, you will receive a culinary passport to the cuisine of South America, Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world.

And you won’t have to travel far from our cooking schools to experience other fantastic cuisines. Courses in our Culinary Arts degree programs explore American Regional Cuisine and the use of indigenous ingredients in the preparation of traditional and contemporary American food.

In addition to international and American cuisines, our Culinary Arts programs give you the opportunity to delve into specialty areas like baking and pastry, garde manger, and à la carte. When you complete your cooking school education, you’ll be ready to pursue an entry-level job such as line cook, pantry cook or assistant baker.

Explore our Culinary Arts programs and discover a world of possibilities.

Culinary Management

Do you have a passion for food and a head for business? Do you want to own a restaurant? If so, we have culinary degree programs that can teach you restaurant management skills and how to start a restaurant. Explore the Culinary Management programs at The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes, North America’s largest system of culinary programs offered at more than 30 schools.

The broad range of hospitality and restaurant management skills taught in the Culinary Management programs at Art Institutes schools can prepare you to run a food operation from front to back. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, you’ll also have the chance to learn how to start a restaurant.

You will start your culinary education by developing your fundamental skills, from basic cuts to managing a menu to working as part of a team. From there, you’ll explore the exciting world of international cuisines. Next, you’ll get down to business and have an opportunity to develop your skills in restaurant management. The culinary degree programs provide an opportunity for you to become competent in the identified priorities for restaurant management and entrepreneurship: communication, training, leadership, motivation, management, human resources, technology, accounting, marketing, and customer relations. Our Culinary Management programs are designed to help you develop critical thinking and interpersonal skills while learning the business realities of restaurant management and owning a restaurant.

From overseeing food quality, to dealing with customers, to making staffing decisions, a foodservice manager handles hundreds of varied yet critically important tasks every day. When you complete your culinary degree through our schools, you’ll be able to demonstrate professional leadership skills. Graduates will be prepared to seek entry-level positions in hospitality and restaurant management such as chef/kitchen manager, assistant purchasing director, restaurant manager, food production managers, airline-catering managers, assistant catering manager, and assistant food and beverage director. Discover the Culinary Management programs we offer.

Program offerings vary by school.

Fashion Design

The fashion industry is a global marketplace and you need to speak the international language of style. Start with a fashion design school that can help you break into the business. With an education in fashion design through one of our schools, you can work with technical designers on the production of clothing lines, or with a company’s sourcing department to get items to production. At The Art Institutes schools, you can also learn how clothing and accessories are produced and sold — skills that employers want and need.

Our faculty members know first hand what the industry is like — and how it is evolving — and can help guide you in the right direction. You’ll have an opportunity to learn from their experiences as they teach courses in patternmaking, construction, illustration, and sewing. Our programs utilize software, equipment, and computer-aided drafting programs to help ready you for the real world.

In addition to teaching technical skills, a fashion design school should encourage your creativity. We can help you keep a close eye on the popular trends, allowing you to be in the know about fashion around the world. You’ll create real works of art to help ready you to share your sense of style as an industry professional. When it comes time for you to graduate, we have faculty and staff ready to help you go after the job you want. You can learn about networking and interviewing. And you’ll have a portfolio of the work you completed in our fashion design programs to show off to employers.

What are you waiting for? Learn more about fashion design school by checking out the programs we offer. This is where it all starts.

Fashion Management

You have the soul of a fashion designer. But at heart, you’re all business. We’ve got the perfect fit for you. At The Art Institutes system of schools, you’ll find fashion management and fashion marketing programs that suit your interests and career goals. As a fashion management student at our schools, you can learn to coordinate a runway show, create an engaging window display, and turn a showroom floor into an artistic expression. Through fashion management courses in everything from consumer behavior to fashion cycles to visual merchandising, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your passion for fashion and build the range of retail management skills you’ll need in this competitive industry. You can also get down to business with fashion marketing courses. Here, you can focus on the commerce side of the industry with topics like public relations, fashion forecasting, and magazine production. With a fashion marketing and management education, you can pursue a stylish career on the business side of fashion on your own as an entrepreneur or as part of the global marketplace. Your course topics could be a mix of style and substance with topics like economics, textiles, statistics, and catalog development. Get started by checking out the fashion management and fashion marketing programs at The Art Institutes system of schools. Before you know it, you could be pursuing an entry-level job as a buyer, retail manager or fashion coordinator. Programs are not available at all schools in The Art Institutes system.

Game Design & Programming

You’ve got a passion for games. And an imagination that knows no bounds. Put them together with an education focusing on game design and programming, and you can pursue a future that’s fast-paced, fulfilling, and a lot of fun. At The Art Institutes system of schools, you’ll have an opportunity to take your talent to the next level as you use industry-current tools and technologies to create virtual worlds and characters. Game design and programming courses offered at our schools will take you through the art of image manipulation, creative storytelling, 3-D modeling, texture mapping, and much more. This is hands-on, real-world schooling that prepares you to pursue entry – level opportunities such as game designer, modeler or visual effects specialist. So explore the programs below. And find out how an exciting future in game design and programming can start at The Art Institutes system of schools.

Graphic Design

At The Art Institutes system of schools, you can find a variety of graphic design degree programs designed to help you build the skills you need to pursue entry-level opportunities in this diverse and exciting industry. You’ll use the same graphic design tools here in school, from computers to software to digital cameras, used by professionals in the industry. No matter what direction you want to pursue in the field of graphic design after school — from illustration to design management to visual and entertainment arts — we have a program that can help you pursue your goal. You can prepare for such entry-level positions as graphic designer, advertising designer, or computer artist, or even become your own boss as a freelancer. Look over the degree options for graphic design at our schools below. And see how The Art Institutes system of schools’ graphic design programs can help you design your future.

Industrial Design

From your cell phone to your sofa, everything that makes your life easier, simpler, better, or more fun began in the imagination of an industrial designer. An industrial design education is about putting ideas to practical use, whether creating new products or taking existing ones to the next level. And the hands-on, real-world Industrial Design programs at The Art Institutes system of schools are about preparing you to make a career in a field that rewards innovative thinking. Here, you’ll study the visual, practical, and material aspects of industrial design — from model making to mechanical drawing — as you work toward a degree designed to prepare you for an entry-level position including product designer, furniture designer, and package designer. Look over the Industrial Design programs below. And soon you could be on your way to a career where you design the next scooter, the next scanner, maybe even the next school.

Interior Design

For you, going to school for interior design is all about expressing yourself visually as you combine form and function. For us at The Art Institutes system of schools, our interior design programs focus on helping you shape your creativity into an exciting and rewarding career. In this profession, every space is a blank canvas you can fill with your own sense of design. The interior design programs offered at The Art Institutes schools focus on your success. You’ll use industry-related technology as you study everything from perspective and proportion to architecture and renovation, preparing you to pursue entry-level positions such as space planner, interior designer, or decorator. Think of the interior design programs below as an opportunity to turn your talent, your passion, and your imagination into a career that suits you. Inside and out.

Photography

If you picture yourself building a future as a visual artist, look into the photography programs at The Art Institutes system of schools. Depending on the photography program you pursue, you’ll study composition, lighting and equipment, and color and design. Learn the details of digital photography. Gain skills in art direction, digital imaging, and client relations. When you study photography at our schools, it’s all about helping you develop the artistic and technical skills you need to enter the profession as anything from a commercial photographer to a lab technician to a photojournalist. And it can all start when you choose a photography program at The Art Institutes system of schools. We provide comprehensive photography programs to prepare you for a rewarding career.

Web Design & Interactive Media

Whether it’s through the mobile phone app that will give you a guided tour of Paris, or the robust web design on your favorite sites, interactivity is at your fingertips. Become a part of this ever-evolving, interactive media story with a Web Design & Interactive Media degree from The Art Institutes schools.

In our Web Design & Interactive Media degree programs, you’ll have the opportunity to channel your creative energy into a productive and fulfilling career. You can work and learn in a collaborative environment. (Time to get used to the open source world you’ll be in after web design school.)

Want a well-rounded web design degree? At our schools, you’ll have the opportunity to learn media authoring, motion graphics, sound applications, and coding to give you the power to truly innovate as you create rich, interactive content. That’s why programming and scripting software like JavaScript and ActionScript will be part of your core courses. In our Web Design & Interactive Media degree programs, you can also gain first-hand experience in e-commerce applications, too, and in designing interactive media that’s device-driven like mobile or PSP.

But technology without a quality human experience is doomed to fail. Our programs are designed to develop your design and user experience skills with courses in color theory, typography, illustration, digital image manipulation, and more.

When you are prepared for the journey after web design school, you’ll be working on marketing yourself and your skills. You’ll be armed with more than just a web design degree. Faculty and career services will help you to create a professional-quality, interactive portfolio so that you stand out to potential employers. You can use that portfolio to seek entry-level career opportunities such as multimedia producer, web developer or designer, mobile applications developer, or streaming media producer. You just may find yourself working at Web design and development firms, ad agencies, interactive media companies, and major corporations with in-house web and interactive capabilities.