British Columbia Institute Of Technology Bcit | Blog: On Job Training In Information Technology In The Philippines

So what's the difference between going to an art college and going to an art institute? Think of the Art Institute franchise as a vo-tech school for artist wannabees. While this may sound insulting, it is not intended to be so. One criticism of fine art colleges is that they lack in teaching practical business skills that allow their graduates to find jobs in the art industry.

Fields of Study

The Art Institutes that have sprung up over the United States in recent years offer practical, hands-on training in all kinds of visual and culinary arts and include graphic design, advertising, interior design, web design, photography, audio and visual production, visual and game programming, fashion design and fashion merchandising. The Art Institutes also offer vocational training at their International Culinary Schools that includes training in bakery and pastry arts, beverage management and general culinary management. (One hopes that Gordon Ramsey of Hell's Kitchen fame is not an instructor, nor a graduate.) There are Art Institutes located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and British Columbia.

Cost Comparison

The tuition cost of the Art Institute is significantly less than that of a traditional art school. A typical traditional art school may cost up to $27,000 for one year of tuition (not including the cost of art supplies). An Art Institute year of two semesters of 15-credits per will cost you approximately $6,500-that is a huge price differential.