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People in Michigan, who want to begin careers in art, have many options to choose among.

They may choose to focus on art history, teaching, illustrating, animation, painting, ceramics, fashion design or web design.

They may also choose to study dance, music or theater. Whatever they may choose to study, there is a school in Michigan that will offer them the training that they need.

Following are some of the best schools in the state that aspiring artists may want to consider.

Schools of Arts

Listed below are some of the biggest and best Art Schools in Michigan.

College for Creative Studies

The College for Creative Studies, located in Detroit and accredited with the Higher Learning Commission, offers a vast array of outstanding art programs for those people who want to begin careers in art. Some of the excellent programs that the college offers include fine arts, graphic design, photography, illustration, animation, art education and interior design. Those individuals, who would like to begin a career in any of these fields, can contact the college at-313-664-7400, or they may visit them online at-http://www.collegeforcreativestudies.edu. They may also choose to write to the campus at-201 East Kirby, Detroit, Michigan, 48202.

Those students, who choose to pursue their bachelor’s degree of fine arts in ceramics, must submit a ten piece portfolio of their most recent, original art work. They must also complete a four-year curriculum comprised of several liberal arts courses and many different program-specific courses.

The courses they will need to complete during their first year are as follows-First Year Experience, 3D Design Techniques, 3D Design Concepts, Foundation Drawing I and II, Handbuilding Functional, Composition II/The Art of Argumentation, 2D Design, Slipcasting, Visual Communication I, and Ways of Knowing. The courses they will need to complete during their second year of study are as follows-Digital Fundamentals, Ceramics Sophomore Studio I and II, Clay on the Wall, 3D Modeling and Rendering I, Art and Culture/Ages of Discovery, Survey of World Literature, Wheelthrowing or Sculptural Clay, Crafts Foundation, Art History Survey, and Business Practices.

Students will need to complete the following courses during their third year-Ceramics Junior Studio I and II, Surface Matters or Eccentric Teapot, Portfolio and Web Development, History of Modern Design, Natural Science, Advanced Wheelthrowing or Advanced Slipcasting or Advanced Handbuilding, History of Crafts, three Liberal Arts electives, and one program-specific elective. Finally, they will need to complete the following classes during their final year of study-Ceramics Senior Studio I and II, Art History or Visual Culture, two Liberal Arts electives, one Crafts elective, one Ceramics elective, and two of the following-Advanced Wheelthrowing, Advanced Slipcasting, Advanced Handbuilding or Advanced Welding.

The Art Institute of Michigan/Novi

Located in Novi, The Art Institute of Michigan, accredited with the Higher Learning Commission, offers many splendid art programs including web design and animation, graphic design, fashion design, accessory design, interior design, architecture, culinary arts, illustration, and film and video production. For people to find out the complete details on any of these programs, they can visit the institute’s website at-http://www.artinstitutes.edu/detroit/. They can also request information by calling-248-675-3800 or by writing to the school at-28125 Cabot Drive, Suite 120, Novi, Michigan, 48377.

Before students can gain entry into The Art Institute of Michigan/Novi, they must meet with a school adviser to discuss their career goals, and chosen educational path. While the Institute does not require students to submit a portfolio for entry into the school, those students who do may be considered for advanced placement in the program they choose.

Those individuals, who wish to pursue the bachelor’s of fine arts degree in fashion design, will need to complete the following basic education requirements-English I and II, Effective Speaking, Social Science, two Humanities electives, two Mathematics courses, three Physical and Life Science courses, two Social Science courses, and General Education Capstone.

They will also need to complete the following major, program-specific requirements-Design Fundamentals, Observational Drawing, Color Theory, Art History I and II, Survey of the Fashion Industry, Fundamentals of Construction, Advanced Construction, Textiles, Trends and Concepts in Apparel, Knitwear, Fundamentals of Patternmaking, Costume History, Fashion Sketching and Illustration, Advanced Patternmaking, Technical Drawing and Design, Research and Sourcing Fundamentals, Introduction to Business and Retailing, Draping and Fit Analysis, Computer Patternmaking, Concept and Line Development, Design Specialties I and II, Production Systems, Fashion Career Management, Surface Design, Senior Collection Concept and Technical, Digital Textile Design, Senior Collection Technical and Production, Product Development, Portfolio Preparation, and Internship.

The Art Institute of Michigan/Troy

Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, The Art Institute of Michigan at Troy offers a broad range of exemplary art programs for prospective artists. Some of the programs that the schools offers are web design, fashion design, illustration, animation, interior design, graphic design, and video production. Those students, who would like to study within the Troy institute, can phone the school at-248-837-3200 or write to them at-1414 East Maple Road, Suite 150, Troy, Michigan, 48083. They can also find out how to apply by checking out the institute’s website at-http://www.artinstitutes.edu/troy/.

Before students can gain entry into any programs at The Art Institute of Michigan/Troy, they must meet with a school adviser to discuss their educational goals, and chosen career path. While the Institute does not require students to submit a portfolio for entry into the school, those students who do may be considered for advanced placement in the programs they choose.

For students to earn a bachelor’s of fine arts degree in graphic design, they must pass the following basic skills classes with at least a C-English I and II, Effective Speaking, two Humanities electives, two Mathematics courses, three Physical and Life Science courses, two Social Science courses, and General Education Capstone.

They must also pass the following program-oriented classes with at least a C-Art History, Computer for the Arts, Survey of Graphic Design, Introduction to Design Applications, Digital Photography for Designers, Digital Illustration, Introduction to Typography/Traditional, Digital Pre-Press, Typography/Hierarchy, Digital Layout, History of Graphic Design, Corporate Identity, Conceptual Imagery, Package Design, Portfolio I and II, Typography/Expressive and Experimental, Publication Design, Media Business Law, Art Direction, Professional Development for Graphic Design, Graphic Design Internship, Sustainable Design Issues and Topics, Senior Project, Design Fundamentals, Observational Drawing, Color Theory, Image Manipulation, Designing for Multimedia Display, Fundamentals of Interactive Design, and Fundamentals of Authoring.

Colleges and Universities

Below are some of the most popular Colleges and Universities for Art Courses and Degrees.

Oakland Community College/Bloomfield Hills

Oakland Community College at Bloomfield Hills, accredited with the Higher Learning Commission, has several art programs including the following-ceramic technology, cinematic arts, culinary arts, fine arts/visual arts, interior design, music and theater. For people to obtain full details pertaining to any of these programs, they need to visit the college’s website at-http://www.oaklandcc.edu. They can also phone the college’s main office at-248-341-2000 or write to them at-2480 Opdyke Road, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, 48304.

Students, who choose to earn their associate’s degrees in fine arts, will need to complete a variety of general education and art-related courses, of which the general education courses follow-English I and II, two Foreign Language courses, two Humanities courses, Mathematics, Science, Physical Education, Political Science, and two Social Science courses.

The art-related courses that they will need to take are as follows-Basic Drawing, Basic Design, Art Appreciation, Fundamentals of Figure Drawing, Advanced Drawing, Advanced Design, Modern French Art or American Art or Northern European Art History, and at least three additional art-related electives.

Monroe County Community College

Monroe County Community College in Monroe has superb programs in fine arts, culinary skills and graphic design, approved by the Higher Learning Commission. Those people in the Monroe area, who would like to attend the college, can find out how to enroll by calling the main desk at-734-242-7300 or by visiting the college’s website at-http://www.monroeccc.edu. They may also choose to write to the campus at-1555 South Raisinville Road, Monroe, Michigan, 48161.

The associate’s degree in fine arts program consists of several basic education and career-related courses. The basic education courses within the program are as follows-English Composition I and II, Mathematics, Introduction to Political Science, Science with Lab, Computer Skills, and Social Science.

Following are the career-related courses within the program-Art Fundamentals, Drawing I and II, two Art History courses, 2D Design, Exploring Creativity, Illustration Techniques, Ceramics I and II, Painting I and II or Watercolor Painting I and II, and Life Drawing.

Oakland University

Oakland University in Rochester, accredited with the Higher Learning Commission, offers several terrific art programs including art education, graphic design, studio art, art history, music, theater and dance. If people would like to learn about any of these programs, they can find out about them on the university’s website-www.oakland.edu/. They can also request a catalog by calling-248-370-2100 or by writing to the university at-2200 North Squirrel Road, Rochester, Michigan, 48309.

For students to earn a bachelor’s degree of fine arts in studio art/painting, they must fulfill several general education requirements as follows-Writing, Knowledge Applications, Formal Reasoning, Western Civilization, Foreign Language, Literature, Culture, Social Science, Global Perspectives, and Natural Science and Technology.

They must also fulfill several art-related requirements to earn their degrees. These courses are as follows-Foundations of Visual Literacy, Foundations of Studio Art, Foundations of Media Art, Critical Theory and Practice in Art, Beginning Drawing, Professional Practices and Portfolio Design, Senior Thesis in Studio Art, Senior Capstone, Introduction to Western Art II, Concepts of Modern and Postmodern Art, Beginning Painting, Life Drawing I, Intermediate Painting, Advanced Drawing and Painting I and II, and two additional art-related electives.

Saginaw State Valley University

Saginaw State Valley University in University Center, accredited with the Higher Learning Commission, offers many fantastic art programs including fine arts, graphic design, visual arts education, music and theater. Prospective students can call the university at-989-964-4000 or write to them at-7400 Bay Road, University Center, Michigan, 48710. There is also useful information online at-http://www.svsu.edu.

For students to earn a bachelor’s degree of fine arts in painting, they must complete the following basic skills classes-Literature, Numerical Understanding, two Natural Science courses, Historical and Philosophical Ideas, Social Science, Social Institutions, International Systems, Oral Communications, and Written Communications.

They will also need to complete the following key, core requirements-Two-Dimensional Design, Three-Dimensional Design, Introduction to Drawing, Intermediate Drawing, Introduction to Sculpture, Introduction to Printmaking, Introduction to Black and White Photography, Introduction to Ceramics, Introduction to Graphic Design, Introduction to Computer Graphic Design, Introduction to Painting or Introduction to Watercolor Painting, History of Art I and II, two additional Art History courses, Arts Management and Safety Seminar, Life Drawing, Advanced Watercolor, Advanced Drawing, Intermediate Painting, Advanced Life Drawing, Advanced Painting, Community Mural Painting, Independent Studio, Field Experience, and Directed Study.

Earn Your Art Degree in the Great Lakes State

There are many remarkable schools in Michigan that offer art programs, and the above schools are just a few. Following are some more institutions that prospective students may want to consider studying within.

• Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills
• Adrian College in Adrian
• Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo
• Michigan State University in East Lansing
• Aquinas College in Grand Rapids
• Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti
• Bay De Noc Community College in Escanaba

Common Requirements of Art Schools in Michigan

While the materials that students may need for their programs may vary, there are some basic materials that many art programs require. These materials include such things as sketchbooks and tracing pads, writing and drawing utensils, sharpeners and erasers, scissors, painting utensils and palettes, a digital camera, measuring tools, masking tape, glue sticks, a stapler, and a cutting knife.

Near the end of their programs, students will need to complete either an Art Capstone, a Thesis or a Junior/Senior Project. How students accomplish this requirement is usually dependent upon the professor; however, some common ways that students complete this requirement is through such things as art portfolios, presentations, exhibitions, essays, art projects and research papers or projects.

The best thing for students to do is to consult with a school adviser to see what the requirements of the school and program are, as this will put them on the proper path to a successful career.