Academy of Art University
School Description
Academy of Art University’s history dates back to 1929 when Richard S. Stephens, Art Director for Sunset Magazine and his wife Clara, founded the Académie of Advertising Art in a rented loft with just 45 students. In 1946, the Academy moved to a new location and also expanded its curriculum to include courses in Advertising and Commercial Art, Fashion Illustration, Cartooning, and Lettering & Layout. Over the years the Institute continued to expand; it introduced its first graduate program – a Master of Fine Arts – in 1977.
The Academy received an accreditation from NASAD (National Association of Schools of Art and Design) in 1985. Today it has over 5,000 students enrolled in its campus and online programs through its departments of Acting; Advertising; Animation & Visual Effects; Architecture; Art Education; Art History; Fashion; Fine Art; Game Development; Graphic Design; Illustration; Industrial Design; Interior Architecture & Design; Jewelry & Metal Arts; Landscape Architecture; Motion Pictures & Television; Multimedia Communications; Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media; Photography; Visual Development; Web Design & New Media; and Writing for Film, Television & Digital Media.