College of Art and Design / Conservatory or Liberal Arts College / University

There are three types of colleges creative students usually consider: a college of art and design (for visual artists) or conservatory (for performing artists), a traditional liberal arts college or university, or a combination where the college of art and design or conservatory is within a traditional liberal arts college or university. Deciding which college degree is right for you is the first step in deciding which type of college is right for you. Asking yourself these four questions will help you determine both which degree is right for you and if a two year college, traditional liberal arts college or a college of art and design is the right choice for you.

For more information on what the various degrees mean, read our blog: BFA/BMA, BS or BA.

1. Is Your Focus Creative Arts, Liberal Arts or Both?  If you prefer Creative Arts courses to Liberal Arts courses the AFA/BFA degrees will have a higher concentration of Art courses. In fact, many AFA/BFA programs have few if any requirements for non art courses and usually those are English and History classes required in the Foundation (or freshman) Year. Colleges of Art and Design and Conservatories only offer BFAs.

If, however, you’re interested in careers that marry art and academic courses (Art History, Art Education, Art Therapy, Art Management to name a few) a AA/BA may be the better choice. Though most Liberal Arts Colleges mostly offer AA/BA/BS degrees you’d be surprised to learn about those that have world-renown art programs and offer BFAs.  Knowing where you want to focus your studies impacts the best degree for you.

2. What’s Important to You Beyond Coursework? Let’s face it, there’s more to going to college than being in class.  Think about what other activities you enjoy, sports facilities and teams, organized social activities that includes “greek life”, a big sprawling campus, lectures and visiting scholars in a variety of subjects OR are you only interested in art and art related activities, such as big studio spaces, being with only art students and faculty, submersing yourself in art? If you’re looking for the former a Traditional Liberal Arts College will fill that wish list, if you’re looking for the latter, a College of Art and Design or Conservatory is where you’d be more at home. Knowing what your comfortable college environment looks like can guide your college search.

3. Have You Considered Any of These Careers? Your choice of career may drive your degree decision and then your college decision. Our Careers in the Arts blog and workshops discuss many careers in the arts, some of which marry with more traditional academic courses, some of which do not. Careers that blend arts with academics are going to require AA/BA/BS and will be available at Traditional Liberal Arts Colleges. Careers that are more focused on the arts such as many design and illustration professions will be offered by Colleges of Art and Design, Conservatories or Art Programs at Traditional Liberal Arts Colleges in their BFA programs. Knowing what you’re interested in will help focus your decisions.

4. Are You Academically or Artistically Stronger? Knowing how your academic and artistic achievements are evaluated may also impact your decision regarding which program to apply to. AFA/BFA programs will focus more on your art so being able to submit a well documented and developed portfolio or great audition tapes with a great artist statement is key, acceptance into these degree programs will focus less on your academic grades and test scores (many may not even require standardized test scores). Application into AA/BA/BS at Traditional Liberal Arts Schools gives less weight to your art and more to your academic course grades and to your standardized test scores. If you are applying to an Arts Program within a Traditional Liberal Arts program you must be accepted into the school before being eligible for acceptance into the program so test scores and academic performance will be important for these schools. Knowing your strengths can impact what programs are best for you.

For some students this is not an either/or decision as they apply to a variety of schools and then evaluate what best suits their academic and career aspirations once they’re admitted. For other students, they are certainly only one type of school will fill their academic, career and social needs so apply to one type of school. There is no RIGHT way.