The Art Institute of Tucson in Arizona - Design, Fashion, Culinary, and Media Arts Programs
Careers Begin Here
Creative people require creative careers. Now that we have entered the 21st century, our world is more visual and dynamic than any time in history. There are more career opportunities in creative fields than ever before. The Art Institute of Tucson prepares its students for these opportunities. Solid, innovative programs prepare students for entry-level employment in rewarding creative fields. Our programs focus on design — advertising, graphic, interior, and Web design. Others concentrate on animation, fashion marketing, interactive media, video production, and culinary arts. These programs have been developed with an eye toward tomorrow’s technology.
Students utilize industry standard equipment and learn from a faculty of experienced educators and professionals. The school is in session year-round, and depending on the program, students can graduate in 21 to 36 months (varies by program), with an Associate of Applied Science or Bachelor of Arts degree in their chosen field.
- Advertising (BA)
- Baking & Pastry (AAS)
- Culinary Arts (AAS)
- Culinary Arts (BA)
- Digital Filmmaking & Video Production (BA)
- Fashion Design (BA)
- Fashion Marketing (BA)
- Graphic Design (AAS | BA)
- Interior Design (BA)
- Media Arts & Animation (BA)
- Web Design & Interactive Media (BA)
Advertising (BA)
The Advertising program infuses finely honed communication skills with business, marketing, design, and media components. Students begin with the fundamentals of color and design and move forward, ever increasing media skills and understanding. As these skills improve, they begin to build their portfolio and work toward the final project, an impressive advertising campaign incorporating various media to move an audience to a desired action.
Baking & Pastry (AAS)
The Baking & Pastry program provides students with culinary skills combined with a focus on baking and pastry. This combination skill set and business knowledge enhances each graduate's ability to meet the challenges of an increasingly demanding and rapidly changing field. Two strengths of the program of study are an emphasis on culinary skills, as well as the core baking and pastry courses and the business courses.
The program focuses upon both production and individualized skills necessary to gain employment in bakeries, restaurants, and other catering or institutional settings. In addition to technical skills, the program offers food safety and sanitation, nutrition and kitchen supervision/career development, and related business courses to support their professional skills for employment and supervision. The program also includes an internship at a quality food service operation and culminates with a Capstone project. This project consists of a complete business plan to open a commercial baking and pastry facility.
Culinary Arts (AAS)
At The Art Institute of Tucson, students can put a career in culinary arts into action, the 7-quarter (21- month) Associates of Applied Science degree program offers students an opportunity to learn from seasoned educators and culinary professionals and become successful in this exciting and demanding field.
Students are exposed not only to classical French cooking techniques but to international cuisines influencing the culinary profession. Once grounded in the basics, students develop enhanced skills in ethnic cuisines, dining room service and modern restaurant cooking. Cooking classes are complimented with hospitality related coursework in management, menu design, purchasing, and cost control.
Culinary Arts (BA)
At The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Tucson, students can put a career in culinary arts into action, the 12-quarter (36- month) Bachelor of Arts degree in Culinary Arts program offers students an opportunity to learn from seasoned educators and culinary professionals and become successful in this exciting and demanding field.
Students practice classical French cooking techniques and their application in a variety of cuisines. Once grounded in the basics, students develop skills in ethnic cuisines, food and wine pairing, and food styling. Cooking classes are complemented with hospitality related coursework in management, menu design, restaurant design, and wine and spirits.
Digital Filmmaking & Video Production (BA)
The Digital Filmmaking & Video Production program provides a dynamic and fulfilling education by providing high-quality instruction from some of the industry's top professionals in the areas of digital filmmaking and video production. Students will acquire an in-depth knowledge of the industry's latest technologies, theories, and techniques, and learn to apply them to their own unique productions. Throughout the program students will learn to utilize the fundamentals and the intricacies of preproduction, production, and postproduction to effectively take their creative ideas from concept stage to screen. This integral process will be supported by a culminating senior project that will take students through three rigorous quarters preparing a festival-worthy project from start to finish. By doing so, students will be better prepared to enter into the digital production industry and expand their career options and opportunities as they actively pursue their talents, interests, and dreams.
Fashion Design (BA)
The Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design degree program offers creative opportunities to transform design ideas into garments and accessories. Students are introduced to fundamental skills of garment construction, flat pattern drafting, and draping to provide a solid grounding in the basics of apparel engineering. Design courses emphasize the principles of good design, textile design and development, and the drawing and illustration techniques essential for design communication. Students learn to take an idea from the planning stage through the construction process to the finished garment.
Students hone their creative problem-solving skills through a variety of design challenges utilizing computer-aided design. The combination of professional skills, technical knowledge, and creative problem-solving skills helps students prepare for successful entry into the industry as an assistant in the design or production departments in the fashion industry.
The objective of the Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design degree program is to help students attain a fundamental grounding in fashion design, including an introduction to the theory and practice of tailoring, draping, pattern drafting, construction and sewing, fashion illustration, and creative design. These skills are enhanced through computerized pattern making and design hardware and software systems. Advanced courses provide students with the opportunity to focus upon surface design and select a professional direction in men's, women's, children's, or accessory design.
Fashion Marketing (BA)
The Fashion Marketing program prepares graduates for entry-level career opportunities in retail, marketing, and merchandising apparel and related products. The program emphasizes innovation and creativity with professional skills and technical knowledge necessary for successful entry into the apparel retail and marketing industry.
Fashion Marketing students acquire in-depth knowledge of the apparel industry and fashion cycles. Course work in fashion history and design, manufacturing, and sales provide a foundation in the evolution of the apparel industry. Students explore consumer behavior and its role in driving fashion trends and purchasing patterns. Standard business practices including visual display design, catalogue design, marketing, and advertising as well as business development and management are additional focal points.
Students graduate from this 36-month bachelor's degree program with the training and portfolio required for an entry-level position in retail management, retail buying, apparel and accessory product development, fashion event coordination, manufacturing, visual merchandising and distribution outlets within the fashion industry.
Graphic Design (AAS | BA)
AAS
At The Art Institute of Tucson, Graphic Design students shape the look of success. One of today's primary methods of communication, Graphic Design has also become an exciting business that continues to grow and present new opportunities to creative people.
The 7-quarter (21 - month) associate's degree program offers students an opportunity to work with talented, experienced instructors to learn the fundamentals of Graphic Design. Students study 2-D and 3-D design, marketing, and media design. They explore color theory, visual composition, typography, information graphics, electronic and print production processes, and business as it relates to the graphic arts. Students also learn to use computer illustration, image manipulation, Web layout and programming, and page layout programs to master design skills.
Graphic Design students also learn the skills to write effective resumes and conduct successful job interviews. They graduate with a professional portfolio to show potential employers and are prepared to join the industry in entry-level positions in fields such as advertising, publishing, television and motion pictures, architecture, and education.
BA
Students in the 12-quarter (36-month) Graphic Design bachelor's degree program expand on theory, practice and process, developing skills in creative problem solving. This program establishes a strong foundation in traditional design and computer skills, and then builds advanced competence in the application of the skills.
Students learn to couple their creativity with sound business skills necessary for competitive success. They learn to initiate, manage, produce, and deliver effective design concepts. Students study 2-D and 3-D design, marketing, and media design. They explore color theory, visual composition, typography, information graphics, digital and print production processes, and law as it relates to the graphic arts. Students also learn to use computer illustration, image manipulation, Web layout and programming, and page layout programs to master design skills.
Graphic Design students also learn the skills to write effective resumes and conduct successful job interviews. They graduate with a professional portfolio to show potential employers and are prepared to join the industry in entry-level positions in fields such as advertising, graphic design, business communication, publishing, and education.
Interior Design (BA)
For Interior Design students at The Art Institute of Tucson, space presents endless opportunities. The 12-quarter (36 - month) bachelor's degree program offers students an opportunity to work with talented and trained instructors and learn the fundamentals of this exciting and demanding profession.
Interior Design provides many challenges to creative people who enjoy blending their artistic designs with practical sensibilities. Students explore the problems of designing environments, like those where we live and work, and learn to develop and create effective design solutions by studying the fundamentals of space planning, ergonomics, lighting and furniture design, acoustics, and construction documents. They study the histories of modern art, design, architecture, and furniture design. Students also learn to master computer-aided drafting and design programs, as well as the desktop publishing programs that allow them to present their creative design solutions in a variety of media.
Interior Design students examine materials used for the construction of residential and commercial sites, as well as the textiles and finishes used to complete interiors. They also explore the challenges of producing designs for office environments, healthcare facilities, hotels, and restaurants. They learn building and fire codes as well as the skills and resources they need to manage an interior design business.
Media Arts & Animation (BA)
At The Art Institute of Tucson, students can put a career in computer animation into motion. The 12-quarter (36-month) bachelor's degree program offers students an opportunity to learn from seasoned educators and animation professionals and become successful in this exciting and demanding field.
Students master drawing, design, and image manipulation techniques; they learn how to create traditional animation and use different computer animation software programs to produce complete animated products. Students build 3-D models, edit and modify video, and composite 2-D and 3-D animation.
Graduates leave the school with a comprehensive portfolio of their work and are prepared to seek entry-level jobs with major corporations, TV stations and networks, cable TV firms, film studios, and commercial design/production companies. They can become production, broadcast graphic, animation, or postproduction artists.
Web Design & Interactive Media (BA)
Interactive Media Design offers a user-centered design program in which competencies are focused on creative and innovative technology solutions across various media platforms. From interfaces for wireless devices and e-learning solutions to high-end dynamic Web sites and rich media experiences, students will discover and embrace trends in the ever-evolving field of Interactive Media Design.
The program provides a comprehensive foundation of design skills with an emphasis on dynamic interactivity. The program also provides a comprehensive design foundation focused on a broad range of design skills combined with business strategies and creative interactive technology solutions. The competencies include skills in user interface design, interaction design, visual design, rich media design, Web site design, dynamic content design, and information design.