hello everyone, I'm looking for some advice on getting a BA in Arts.

[mt91]

Hello everyone and thank you for stopping to read my post,

TLDR; I'm having trouble finding a way to put together a BA in Arts to get my wife's foot in the door to a graphic design career. So far I have found Hodges University and hope that some of you fine people can help me find a few more options.

So a little about what I'm trying to achieve.  I am attempting to help my wife change careers relatively quickly into graphic design (her passion) but hitting a few roadblocks. Recently I changed careers myself from a detective to a software engineer with no formal training, I had to bust my butt studying non stop and do somethings I'm no exactly proud of (exaggerate some experience) but I was successful in finding a great job at a major tech company and now lead a team of engineers. I never went to college at all so i consider myself lucky. 

My wife on the other hand has two Associate degrees that she got after high school for computer science related fields that she has never used in a professional setting (it's a shame honestly). She was comfortable in her job even tho she found it mind numbing. Once me and her got together I encouraged her to leave because she was not happy. In search for finding something that gave her more fulfilment she has tried several fields and finally learned that graphic design is really what she loves. I know that this isn't a field that requires a degree but the more research I do the more I see that most people wont give you a chance without a BA in Arts or a graphic design degree (if you have no experience). Her earning an income at the moment isn't necessary so I told her that any chance to gain experience she should take. She has been studying on her own for about 8 months now and is working on her portfolio but hasn't been lucky to find any opportunity outside of freelancing to gain real experience as yet so I'm revisiting the formal education route. I have found Hodges University as an option for a competency based program from an old thread on this forum and was hoping that y'all could point me in few more directions. 

I appreciate any advice that y'all can give me. I'm sorry if this question has been asked a lot in the past, I'm still getting familiar with this forum and haven't found much of an answer using the search feature. 

Thank you for your time.

[rachel83az]

https://www.xamk.fi/en/open-amk-courses/...-creation/ - foreign credits from a legit university that could potentially be transferred into a degree centered on graphic design. You need not complete all the modules (I.E., the programming modules can be skipped if desired). ECTS credits are usually evaluated at approximately 1/2 a semester credit hour.

Sophia.org is free right now, until July 31st. You do not need to complete the courses by then so long as you are signed up by July 31st. This will be good to fill out any GE credits that might be too old or that got skipped over in the process of getting an associate's degree.

I think there are some posts on here about how to potentially get a BA in Art from TESU online (it's not considered an online degree by them).

Several people here have used SNHU for their degrees. They're not completely competency-based but they have a graphic design degree: https://www.snhu.edu/online-degrees/bach...media-arts

They have other art degrees, too: https://www.snhu.edu/liberal-arts/design

[mt91]

https://www.xamk.fi/en/open-amk-courses/...-creation/ - foreign credits from a legit university that could potentially be transferred into a degree centered on graphic design. You need not complete all the modules (I.E., the programming modules can be skipped if desired). ECTS credits are usually evaluated at approximately 1/2 a semester credit hour.

Sophia.org is free right now, until July 31st. You do not need to complete the courses by then so long as you are signed up by July 31st. This will be good to fill out any GE credits that might be too old or that got skipped over in the process of getting an associate's degree.

I think there are some posts on here about how to potentially get a BA in Art from TESU online (it's not considered an online degree by them).

Several people here have used SNHU for their degrees. They're not completely competency-based but they have a graphic design degree: https://www.snhu.edu/online-degrees/bach...media-arts

They have other art degrees, too: https://www.snhu.edu/liberal-arts/design

Thank you so much for the information, I will look into it.

[LevelUP]

https://www.xamk.fi/en/open-amk-courses/...-creation/ - foreign credits from a legit university that could potentially be transferred into a degree centered on graphic design. You need not complete all the modules (I.E., the programming modules can be skipped if desired). ECTS credits are usually evaluated at approximately 1/2 a semester credit hour.

Sophia.org is free right now, until July 31st. You do not need to complete the courses by then so long as you are signed up by July 31st. This will be good to fill out any GE credits that might be too old or that got skipped over in the process of getting an associate's degree.

I think there are some posts on here about how to potentially get a BA in Art from TESU online (it's not considered an online degree by them).

Several people here have used SNHU for their degrees. They're not completely competency-based but they have a graphic design degree: https://www.snhu.edu/online-degrees/bach...media-arts

They have other art degrees, too: https://www.snhu.edu/liberal-arts/design

Thank you so much for the information, I will look into it.

Finding what you want to do as a job for a career you have to balance things. 



SNHU has good reviews and they do allow you to transfer in up to 90 credits.  TESU has a Computer Science degree you can do all outside TESU.

Sophia.org is free and has a Visual Communications course that is geared towards artists. (Good if you need elective)

I have hired designers in the past and I go exclusively by their portfolio as it is mostly a skilled based profession.  I would guess a large firm might hire some entry-level positions if someone had a degree in art.  I would lean towards getting a degree as fast as possible and building up your portfolio.  Narrow down what you want to specialize in.

[natshar]

Hello everyone and thank you for stopping to read my post,

TLDR; I'm having trouble finding a way to put together a BA in Arts to get my wife's foot in the door to a graphic design career. So far I have found Hodges University and hope that some of you fine people can help me find a few more options.

So a little about what I'm trying to achieve.  I am attempting to help my wife change careers relatively quickly into graphic design (her passion) but hitting a few roadblocks. Recently I changed careers myself from a detective to a software engineer with no formal training, I had to bust my butt studying non stop and do somethings I'm no exactly proud of (exaggerate some experience) but I was successful in finding a great job at a major tech company and now lead a team of engineers. I never went to college at all so i consider myself lucky. 

My wife on the other hand has two Associate degrees that she got after high school for computer science related fields that she has never used in a professional setting (it's a shame honestly). She was comfortable in her job even tho she found it mind numbing. Once me and her got together I encouraged her to leave because she was not happy. In search for finding something that gave her more fulfilment she has tried several fields and finally learned that graphic design is really what she loves. I know that this isn't a field that requires a degree but the more research I do the more I see that most people wont give you a chance without a BA in Arts or a graphic design degree (if you have no experience). Her earning an income at the moment isn't necessary so I told her that any chance to gain experience she should take. She has been studying on her own for about 8 months now and is working on her portfolio but hasn't been lucky to find any opportunity outside of freelancing to gain real experience as yet so I'm revisiting the formal education route. I have found Hodges University as an option for a competency based program from an old thread on this forum and was hoping that y'all could point me in few more directions. 

I appreciate any advice that y'all can give me. I'm sorry if this question has been asked a lot in the past, I'm still getting familiar with this forum and haven't found much of an answer using the search feature. 

Thank you for your time.

University Maryland Global campus has a few. And you can transfer 90 credits. They are a straighterline partner school and if you do 4 straighterline courses you get in state tuition.


https://www.umgc.edu/academic-programs/b...-major.cfm
https://www.umgc.edu/academic-programs/b...-major.cfm

[mt91]

thank you everyone for the additional suggestions and snippets of advice. I really appreciate it.

[Ideas]

Ask graphic designers. I think that most would say to skip the degree. A certificate may make sense, but an internship seems more valuable in terms of getting hired.