Art Degrees Online

Illustration is the melting pot of the visual arts. In the last 20 years, the lines between illustration, graphic design, and fine art have blurred significantly. New media, expanded applications, and a more sophisticated popular culture make this a very exciting field.

Students majoring in illustration at AAC have many opportunities to incorporate design, digital media, painting, print media, drawing, 3-D arts, and/ or photography, creating a body of work that reflects their personal vision. AAC’s program requires a rigorous studio thesis and professional-practice experience both inside and outside the classroom. Students who graduate with a major in illustration can compete for work in such industries as book and magazine publishing, video games, packaging, corporate branding, retail merchandising, motion graphics, advertising, social advocacy, and entertainment.

Applied Photography graduates often begin work as assistant or freelance photographers. They are hired for digital imaging advertising, illustration, industrial and location photography, photojournalism and communications projects. Many operate their own studios.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the B.F.A. program is based on an interview and portfolio examination by the Fine Arts Department. The portfolio is to be presented in person or mailed along with a statement of intent as stipulated by the department and should contain examples of work that the candidate believes best display his or her abilities.

Students are expected to assume the costs of materials they use in their courses. All studio courses may have an additional charge for materials used in class.
Career Information

Fine arts students become professional artists in their major (painting, photography, printmaking, or sculpture). Some also may pursue commercial work in related vocations requiring their expertise, such as advertising, photography, photojournalism, art printing, pattern and model making, illustration, and restoration. Graduates have been hired as artists, graphic artists, photographers, illustrators, printers, directors, managers, and professors. Typical hiring firms include museums, public and cultural agencies, advertising agencies, galleries, businesses, universities.

Whether working as an applied or fine artist, the successful photographer is one who can find the most appropriate blend of a developed aesthetic and the science and technology of image-making to produce a legible personal statement. The Photography Program at Marywood offers a strong foundation in the technical skills required of the photographer. Traditional media are stressed, while developments in digital imaging are embraced. Fluency in the medium is enriched and expanded by the study of aesthetics and art/photographic history, as well as through class discussions and critiques, which emphasize the development of the voice of the individual as artist. The relationship of photography to other disciplines, such as illustration and graphic design, is explored in projects involving both areas of study. Marywood’s flexible program is designed to meet the individual needs of the aspiring photographic professional.

This option under the Associate of Fine Arts Degree prepares students for transfer to a four-year

College and can assist students in becoming professionals in the field of photography. The Photography major can serve as a basis for careers in studio photography, teaching, illustration, and photojournalism.

Students in the Associate of Fine Arts Degree Program at Sussex County Community College are given the opportunity to present their work at the student art exhibit and in the Idiom & Image as well as other College publications.

Pre-employment training in professional photography is designed to prepare
students for self-employment and employment in the private and public sectors
and covers a broad spectrum of photographic fields, e.g., advertising illustration,
industrial, portraiture, medical, commercial, photojournalism, and landscape.

In the Media Arts & Animation program, you’ll develop a strong foundation in drawing, design, and illustration in order to produce traditional 2-D formats. Then, you’ll move into computer generated 3-D formats that make characters and objects come alive. Graduates are prepared to seek entry-level employment such as animator, computer animator, digital media producer, special effects artist, background designer, computer artist, layout artist, or video game artist

Admission to the department requires the submission of an acceptable portfolio and transcript evaluation for both freshman and internal and external transfer students. Prospective students are required to submit documentation of their work, or they may schedule an in-person review; all accepted students must have examples of their work as slides, CD or DVD-ROMs or other approved media in their departmental file. In-person reviews are recommended for transfer students. Transfer students are advised that it may take more than two years at Fredonia to complete degree requirements, depending on their chosen major. It is recommended that all prospective students contact the Department of Visual Arts and New Media for additional information concerning portfolios and admission requirements.