The Art Institute of Pittsburgh
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh is a private for-profit institution of higher education located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1921 and is considered as the oldest of the Art Institutes in North America.
It is the flagship school of the Art Institute System and has been used as a model on which all other similar schools are based.
It has relocated six times since its founding to accommodate the growing student population and their corresponding academic expectations.
Its present location is the former Equitable Gas Building in Boulevard of the Allies in downtown Pittsburgh.
It operates a satellite campus in York, Pennsylvania and maintains academic oversight over The Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online.
Accreditation is provided to The Art Institute of Pittsburgh by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Additional accreditations are program-specific such as the Culinary Arts Programs by the Accrediting Commission of the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation and the Interior Design Program by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, among others. It is authorized by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to confer Bachelor of Science degrees, Associate of Science degrees and Diplomas.
The academic programs of the school are categorized under four major divisions
1. Culinary
Culinary areas of study include Baking and Pastry, Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Event Management, Food, and Beverage Operations, and Art of Cooking.
2. Design
Design Programs are provided in Graphic Design, Industrial Design Technology, Kitchen and Bath Design, Advertising, Entertainment Design, Interior Design, Internet Marketing, Digital Design, and Residential Planning.
3. Fashion
Fashion Programs include Fashion and Retail Management, as well as Fashion Design.
4. Media Arts
The programs offered by the Media Arts Division consist of Digital Filmmaking and Video Production, Photography, Web Design and Interactive Media, Game and Art Design, Media Arts and Animation, Visual Effects and Motion Graphics, 2D Animation, 3D Animation, 3D Modeling for Games, Character Animation for Games, Digital Workflow, Portrait Photography, and Studio Photography.
The tuition cost is $457.00 per credit hour. Online lab fee per course is $100.00 while the Digital Resource fee per course is $50.00 to $75.00. The estimated annual tuition for traditional students is $23,376.00. Room and board cost is estimated at $8,748.00.
Financial aid resources are made available to qualified students including Federal Grants, Federal Loans, Federal Work-Study, Private Educational Loans, and Institutional Scholarships.
Military students can avail of several educational benefits through the G.I. Bill and the Yellow-Ribbon Tuition Assistance Program. Members of the military are entitled under the G.I. Bill to receive monthly education stipends that will allow them to supplement their financial obligations while pursuing educational goals.
The Yellow-Ribbon Program makes it possible for institutions of higher learning to provide assistance in tuition costs that are beyond the maximum benefit rate provided by the G.I. Bill. Qualified applicants include veterans who have served at least 36 months of active-duty following September 10, 2001, veterans who were honorably discharged from active-duty from a service-related disability and served 30 continuous days following September 10, 2001, and dependents eligible under the Transfer of Entitlement of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill based on a veteran’s service under any of the criteria mentioned.
There are about 6,200 students currently enrolled with the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.
The male/female student ratio is 47%:53%. The Art Institute of Pittsburgh is presently not a member of any sports athletic organization or conference.
It does have a mascot known as Creation Rex – a T-Rex dinosaur that gets decorated to reflect current events.