How MHS Computer Graphics Prepares You

Believe it or not, our program's curriculum is college level. I have spoken to numerous alumni over the years who have gone to college for graphic design. Without exception, they have all said what we do here at the high school level is what they do in college. In fact, there are certain things we cover here that either they did not cover until they were seniors or never even covered at all.
I realize that not everyone who takes computer graphics will move on to become professional designers. But for those that do wish to do this as a career, my intention is to "hyper-prepare" you for the next level. My goal is to not just have you ready for college. Rather, my goal is to make sure you are so advanced that you are set apart from your classmates right from day one.

Art Institutes vs. Liberal Arts Colleges

There are two ways to go when selecting a college to study graphic design. You can go to an art institute or you can go to a traditional liberal arts school that has a graphic design major. Which is right for you? That's for you to decide. But here are some things to consider...
ART INSTITUTES
Art institutes obviously focus on the arts and do not offer majors such as business or science; each degree is geared towards a career in the arts. These schools tend to be rather small in terms of student body. Almost all are private so they tend to be more expensive than the average public four-year college or university. Though the cost is usually high, there are a plethora of scholarship opportunities that can make it as affordable as some public schools. The biggest advantage an art institute has is the level of competition- everyone there is a "hardcore" artist. This competitiveness will help drive you to be the best you can be.
LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES
These type of colleges and universities offer a multitude of degree choices outside of art. These schools can be small and quaint or major campuses with tens of thousands of students. They can be publicly or privately funded, so price varies greatly from affordable to expensive. Here you will find a more "traditional" college experience. If you choose this route, you will want to go to a school that not only offers graphic design (obviously), but has a very strong program. Weak programs, not surprisingly, usually have weak professors and low competitiveness amongst students. They won't tell you they're weak so you'll have to do research.

Best Graphic Design Schools

Here is my personal list of the top graphic designs school in the eastern United States. There are many great schools further west, so if you have an interest in getting away even more, come talk to me.

ART INSTITUTES:
Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, Georgia)
   http://www.scad.edu/graphic-design/index.cfm

Rhode Island School for Design (Providence, Rhode Island)
   http://www.risd.edu/Academics/

Maryland Institute College of Art (Baltimore, Maryland)
   http://www.mica.edu/

Pratt Institute (Brooklyn, New York) 
   https://www.pratt.edu/academics/school-of-design/undergraduate-school-of-design/ug-communications-design/

Corcoran College of Art and Design (Washington, D.C.)
   https://corcoran.gwu.edu/graphic-design​


LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES:
Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, Virginia)
   http://arts.vcu.edu/programs/graduate-programs/#

Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
   http://www.cmu.edu/index.shtml

University of Delaware (Newark, Delaware)
   http://www.udel.edu/art/about/index.html

Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, New York)
   http://www.rit.edu/overview/cias

Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, Virginia)
   http://www.sova.vt.edu/

FREE Online Portfolio Review

VCU, my top pick for a four-year, liberal arts university for art students, now offers free portfolio reviews. I strongly encourage you to give it a shot and see what the portfolio review process is like.
   http://arts.vcu.edu/email/120825/online-portfolio-review.html