Art Institute of Pittsburgh

Graphic Design Programs at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Affordable Web Development Online Degree Programs.

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh offers degree programs in both graphic design and web design for future professionals. Those programs teach students about the software they need in the field and shows them how to work with their clients. Students can earn a diploma in graphic design, which takes just four quarters to finish. This program gives them a brief overview of graphic design techniques and practices. A diploma in web design is also available. Each diploma program features just 40 quarter hours of work.

An Associate of Science in Graphic Design and a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design are also available. The bachelor’s program takes four quarters to complete and includes 180 quarter credit hours. To earn an associate’s degree, students must take 92 quarter hours of classes across six quarters. Both programs provide students with graphic design skills and ask them to put those skills to work in projects that have them designing posters and other products. Though the institute does not offer an associate’s in web design, it does offer an online Bachelor of Science in Web Design and Interactive Media. This program includes some of the same courses as the graphic design program but deals more with creating the apps and websites that others will use.

Students in both the web design and graphic design programs take courses such as Image Manipulation, Traditional Typography, Color and Design Fundamentals and Layout, and Concept Design. They also take a class called Digital Illustration that teaches them how to create illustrations for the web and one called Web Page Scripting that helps create ads and articles for the web. Some of the courses in the graphic design program include Package Design, Advertising Concepts, Publication Design, Art Direction, and Form and Space. Web design majors will take classes such as Information Architecture, Web Page Design, Audio and Video and Design for Mobile Devices and Emerging Technologies.

About the Art Institute of Pittsburgh

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh is an institute of higher learning in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that offers programs in art and design. Established in 1921, it was originally a for-profit school that offered a small number of illustration and art classes. Some of the students who attended the school later gained fame as painters and illustrators. The Education Management Corporation (EDMC) took over the operations of the institute in 1968 and established new campuses across the country. Though some of those campuses later closed down, a number are still open today. Enrollment ebbed and flowed over the years as the institute faced hardships. Adding new online programs helped it reach a total enrollment of more than 3,300 today. Roughly 430 students take classes on the Pittsburgh campus, with the remaining students signing up for online programs.

Usually called AIP, the institute now has one small campus in Pittsburgh in the area known as The Strip. The online division of the school offers both diploma and certificate programs in different art fields. Students can enroll in one of the campuses in seven states, including those in Los Angeles, California, Austin, Texas, Virginia Beach, Virginia or Seattle, Washington. Other campuses are in Florida, Georgia and Nevada. The professors working for AIP have professional experience in the art world and offer constructive feedback and criticism to help students become better artists. AIP alumni work in film and television production houses, art galleries and institutions around the world.

Art Institute of Pittsburgh Accreditation Details

AIP has accreditation from the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) that applies to all its programs and courses in interior design. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) awarded the regional accreditation that the institute needs to accept transfer credits. That accreditation also lets students take their credits with them and apply for any of the financial aid they need.

Art Institute of Pittsburgh Application Requirements

As AIP operates several campuses, it asks that students select a campus when they apply. That application will then go to the associated campus, which will decide whether to accept or deny the student. The application form asks students to create an account before continuing. They need to enter a full name, home address, phone number, and email address. The application asks students to pick a program and to list information about any of the schools they attended.

Within 10 days of submitting the application, students must submit other documents to AIP. High school graduates can submit their transcripts, but those who have a GED should submit some type of proof such as a score or a copy of the GED to show they have one. AIP also asks for an essay of around 250 words about why they chose the institute and what goals they have in the program and when they finish a degree. Once AIP receives all this information, it will assign an admissions counselor to each student. That counselor will complete an interview over the phone to get to know the student before he or she can enroll.

Tuition and Financial Aid

AIP has a tiered tuition plan that allows students to save money as they work their way through a degree program. Those in an associate’s program get a 10 percent discount when they complete 45 credits and a 15 percent discount when they finish 90 credits. Students in a bachelor’s program receive discounts of 10 percent when they complete the first quarter of a program, 50 percent when they complete half the program and 20 percent when they take the last quarter of their classes. All students start out paying rates of $375 per credit hour and a technology fee. This fee ranges from $1,380 for associate’s degree students to $2,700 for bachelor’s degree students.

The federal work-study program and both federal grants and loans are some of the ways in which students can pay to attend AIP. Both traditional and online students can get this aid when they provide the school with their FAFSA forms. Students can get grants that range from $6,200 to more than $7,200 a year. The government also allows undergrads to borrow up to $5,500 each year they remain in an accredited degree program. Some scholarships also go to military and other types of students. The Art Institute of Pittsburgh allows students to check out their financial aid awards before they begin a graphic design program.