Is SCAD A Good School For Art?

Knowing if SCAD is a good school for art will require looking at them through multiple lenses. There are multiple dimensions to the question depending upon how it is asked.

I was able to walk through the campus looking at their programs, and some of their behind the scenes projects which will soon come out.

The perspective I came away with is rather unique, especially considering I am often critical of educational institutions.

My intention within writing this article is to show at least one place that is teaching art to industry standards. Believe it or not, that can be a hard quality to find.

The Best Part Of SCAD Which They Got Right

For once a college put together a program which brings together the right worlds. Allow me to explain.

Most universities, especially those publicly funded, will focus on a bent that is more computer science driven. Art will be an add on.

On the flip side of this coin, the same university would offer a more traditional liberal arts degree with some technology tossed in as an add on.

With a general decline of art education within high schools, most students are really unprepared as to what should be expected.

What SCAD nailed perfectly is how technology and art have been blended to become a driving force within our world. They perfected their classrooms and curriculum to advance students in the right direction.

To this end, when a student graduates they walk away having an applicable experience to solving real world problems. This is what art students need and SCAD hit the ball out of the park.

Know that the greatest focus within their classrooms will be using digital formats of some kind. Where different digital arts blend or meet, teams of students collaborate to create with new ideas.

Here you get hands on experience in more than art. It involves working with others that may also be outside of your field in order to achieve the end means.

It is in this way you do more than learn how to do something. Teamwork and team building becomes a part of the process which prepares you for the real world.

What SCAD Offers That Other Universities Do Not

A student will be working with cutting edge technology. Some will be selected to work on real world projects for major vendors seeking solutions.

The environment is fully immersive. In other words, systems used to create special effects in movies like the Marvel series, you will get training on it.

As it is a hands on environment the student learns real application not theoretical potential. They offer art majors for the real world.

In terms of their programs, it would be better to visit SCAD and measure your needs against what they offer. What I wish to offer here is further breakdown of what they also miss.

Complaints Against SCAD Students Have Made

One of the complaints I have heard from students of SCAD is how it is easy to get left behind. Some have claimed that favoritism causes a select few to be chosen out of the many.

What is the truth behind this?

I could immediately see that the programs at Savannah are intense. It is a private college and it is not cheap. Be ready to apply yourself.

I say that to mean this. If you are not driven to be among the best then you simply would not belong there. Consider SCAD to be like the Ivy League among Art Schools.

The college is not there to push you along. Certainly they will help you in any way that they can. Nevertheless they are not your parents.

Their purpose is to take the best and to make them better. At no time did I see or feel as if anyone would be held back unless that person lacked the character to push themselves.

Where Do SCAD Programs Fail To Meet Student Needs?

Not every part of SCAD programs are a glowing review. There are faults and areas where they fail to bring a student full circle.

While the school has the best balance of art and technology blended for real world purpose, they still drop the ball on some aspects.

A key area where this is seen can be found in computer science. They do offer classes in coding and other fundamentals yet this falls short.

Granted, not every student should be a computer science major. The unfortunate part is that this major does not exist at SCAD. Why is this bad?

To understand computer science, it is a blanket term that would be like using the term medicine. There are many different paths within such a field.

Specific areas of computer science allow for more extensive development within art which will drive the future. While everyone has heard the term virtual reality, it is augmented reality that will change every day life.

Perhaps my complaint here is a bit before its time. Technology itself is still within its infancy within some of these areas, but it will grow quickly.

It is within these fields that the need for an artist to become more well rounded within computer science will be necessary. Think Jarvis within Iron Man, but that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Who Would I Recommend SCAD To For An Art Education?

If you are looking to be within some of the major players within the media industry then SCAD is a good choice. They will prepare you for exactly that.

Keep in mind your focus will be on how technology is used for art, rather than the creation of technology for art. With that in mind, know the difference in a need for an art school or a school for computer science.

Who Would I Not Recommend For SCAD As A School?

If you are wanting to use an art degree for more traditional roles such as teaching, then it is a waste of money. There are easier and cheaper paths to that end.

Liberal arts as we have known it is not really the focus at SCAD. If this is your end pursuit then a more traditional college may be better for you.

If your focus is really more on the creation of technology which can be used for art, then a school focusing on computer science and engineering would be better.

Also, if you are not self driven and motivated to be the best that you can be then you should also go elsewhere. You will be competing with those who will be future leaders within the industry.

Does SCAD Tuition Cost Too Much?

In my opinion, while they are quite expensive the value to the dollar is definitely there. You get more at SCAD than you would be able to get at most other art schools.

The key to answering this question requires more than looking at a price tag. The real question becomes, can SCAD give you what you need for where you want to go?

Not every artist can afford an education. I would not let this issue stop you. There are other solutions.

What SCAD Does Not Offer In Art

The Savannah School Of Art cannot teach you how to become a success in life. Do not go there expecting to be processed into some instant success story.

I add that statement in reflecting upon some of the complaints students have had. There is no way to uniformly unpack success within an artistic life.

You will not learn how to market your work. Nor will you learn how to break out on your own defining your own name.

Learning those skills can take a lifetime. An idea like public relations for an artist is something that one should live naturally by being who we are.

SCAD is developing students for current industry needs. What you do with this is up to you.

Unfortunately artists like me would be left out of SCAD. I am not surprised because my art form is an older and more traditional art.

Woodworking, or wood art, is not something that is taught in classrooms. Traditional arts as this were often a part of a trade. Industry has changed much to my art and time has brought interesting turns.

In my world, traditional art is at war with mechatronics. Unfortunately education cannot fill nor fix all the gaps which exist out here.

There will be a lot which SCAD will miss. Nevertheless, if your direction in life fits into a program they have I would trust them to make you among the best in the field.