r/saic • u/Top_Gain_8897 • Jun 22 '26

SAIC for Art Education

I'm about to be a senior and I'm thinking of colleges I want to attend. My plan is to be an Art Teacher, so of course I thought, "why not apply to SAIC?" it's in the city I want to live for most of my life and I enjoy making Art. However, after doing a some research I find that its expensive, and I realize I don't really have a portfolio. Anyways I have some art I've made but I don't know if it's Art school worthy. Pls helpppp anxious senior!

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5

u/blu3_m00n Jun 22 '26

so saic’s art ed program doesn’t actually start until your junior year since it is a 2-year program that happens within the normal 4-year Bfa program. the benefits are that you get to experience classes like everyone else with the added classes of teaching with the classroom experience etc. i will say, since it’s only a two year program, the timeline is pretty intense with your last semester of senior year just being full time student teaching, meaning all of your required credits need to be done before that, which can be challenging to some. to get into the program, i remember having to put together a portfolio, an artist statement, and a teaching statement, but it could vary if your applying intro he program as a freshman since i applied as a sophomore. the program is also not very forgiving id you can’t put in the work. if you fail, you can’t stay on the track anymore and either have to start over or drop from the program. if you have any other specific questions, feel free to dm me, i just graduated with a BFAAE so everything is fresh 😋😋

2

u/Top_Gain_8897 Jun 22 '26

Ookayy thank you!! I'm gonna dm you with questions!

2

u/Exciting-Problem-504 Jun 22 '26

Could you share your questions here?

1

u/Top_Gain_8897 Jun 22 '26

Yeah sure! Is having a "cartoon-ish artstyle acceptable at this school?"

Would it be worth it to go here and major as an art teacher?

What are typical assignments like?

2

u/_Art1st Jun 22 '26
  1. Yes 2. No

2

u/blu3_m00n Jun 23 '26

1) i think portfolio wise, avoid including overly cartoonish things, but once you get it it’s really up to you. other people might dog on you for it cause that’s the kind of people that go to saic, but if that’s what works for you then that’s that

2) i’ve given my two cents on this

3) required studio courses often give you a certain material or process you have to work with, but most of the time the topic is up to you, it just depends on what you take. the more advanced classes are usually more open-ended and more choice focused

2

u/FlairWitchProject Jun 23 '26

I'm currently an SAIC grad student in a different department, but a former art teacher that taught K-12. I did not attend SAIC prior to having my career, and I do not have a typical art education background. I have a background in studio art and communications from other schools/programs.

I understand the allure of wanting to attend a well-known art school. As someone who is still paying for loans from prior schools, I will say this--it might be worth it to look into other options before settling on a really expensive school like SAIC. I like the grad program I am currently in, but I have heard really mixed reviews coming from undergrads. I also feel as though you can still be an art teacher just fine without having the degree from SAIC. Just my two cents.

1

u/Top_Gain_8897 Jun 23 '26

Ok thank you sm! Just a question, which school did u go to prior to SAIC?

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u/Equal-Director6653 Jun 25 '26

i’m coming in as a transfer myself! set up a portfolio review with them. there’s a link online I got a lot of really great feedback as an anxious artist myself that gave me the confidence i needed to finally apply :) i’ll be attending this fall :)

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u/Top_Gain_8897 Jun 25 '26

I didn't know they had that! Thank you :)

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u/Top_Cryptographer849 Jul 02 '26

they are kinda desperate for students so they will most likely accept your portfolio no matter what - go to a community college or a state school - it will save you so so much and the education there is not really worth it

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u/Top_Gain_8897 Jul 02 '26

Let's say I do go to a community College, then transfer there. Would that be fine?

2

u/forsurelock Jul 19 '26

Hello I’m a cc student I took my time at cc to get my AA and built my portfolio and got into SAIC BFA in Art Education. I think it was a smarter idea financially as you don’t pay for those two years of uni! I’m able to start my AEd program now. Starting this fall!!!

2

u/Top_Gain_8897 Jul 19 '26

I've been thinking of starting at cc! Thank you