Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with university and design

Distance Ed

simplesharps — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:33:57 -0800

I stopped 3/4 of the way through my degree. I'd like to get the piece of paper, but I don't necessarily want to study on campus or with that Australian university. I was bored with its syllabus difficulty (not it's content: web, video and graphic design) and decided to see if I could make it in the real world. I've since been working in the industry for 4 years with some success. I thought it was time that I made another change so I quit my job, traveled remote parts of SE Asia without dying OR contracting horrible diseases. I came back refreshed and got straight into freelancing. Still haven't quite mastered all the ins and outs, but the freedom of waking up and starting work in pajamas is something else.

Now that I have the opportunity, I'd like to finish a similar degree with a respected Australian institution who is well known for its creative graduates. I can't study on campus, so I'd need to apply for some form of distance ed. I'm not sure how all of this works - any recommendations much appreciated.

University of Graphic Design?

kaozity — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:33:40 -0800

What schools (colleges/universities) are good for graphic design in NYC? I know almost nothing about the college world in graphic design

Two parts to this question... My cousin is looking for schools in graphic design in the NYC area. The only one she is aware of if the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).

1. What other schools are good options for this field of study in the area?

2. Of these schools, which are kind to the student when it comes to financial aid packages?

Thanks so much in advance all!

Oh the places I might go

tmcw — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:54:01 -0800

Looking for serious, modern, and fun art schools in Europe, or possibly the US. I'm a CS major (Rel minor), and I want to rejuvenate my art & design experience with a semester (summer semester, most likely, possibly something else) abroad, at a school that has a good art/design program. So, serious classes (not 'fun abroad bullshit'), something of a cool scene (not raving, but music, technology, cities, etc), and, a bonus would be if it offered a CS course or two, or if I could take one at a local U. Tuition is not a huge problem here. Languages - basically just english. I understand maybe 20% of Spanish.

Thanks for any guidance.

Good examples of organizational web presence?

olinerd — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 19:03:56 -0800

What are some good examples of an offline organization (business, university, nonprofit, etc) that has built itself an established dynamic web presence? Asking for two friends!

The context: there is a university website which could use a redesign. Currently, it is (and has been) an excellent PR piece -- pictures from campus, similar text to the mailed literature, blurbs about various faculty and students. More recent updates to the site have added limited "dynamic" content: a blog from an admission officer, a blog from students, and so on. However, this has basically made it a dynamic brochure -- it doesn't really capture what all actually goes on at the school in a genuine way.

My friends are trying to demonstrate to the PR people at the school what a real dynamic web presence looks like, but most of the examples we're familiar with are new media sites. Can you suggest any sites they could show university PR people to demonstrate what's possible? Examples of non-web organizations that have built a really good web presence would be ideal. We'd also appreciate any pointers to particular aspects you think work well.

Thanks!

How do I learn editing and layout?

ITheCosmos — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 12:49:58 -0800

I'm in college. I'd like to be trained to do editing and layout for a living. How do I proceed? Do you know anything about Simon Fraser's Editing program? I've always been interested in art, but at the end of high school I opted to go to a 'real' university, rather than an art school. Now I'm in my third year of a BA in Philosophy. I love philosophy, but I don't want to be a professional academic.

While at school, I've been working on a school magazine, and have discovered I really like editing and layout/graphic design.

I'm going to finish my BA, but I've been thinking about subsequently going to school to learn editing and layout. Preferably both, if that's possible. Very preferably in Canada, since that's where I am and I'd like to stay here, but suggestions in America are also welcome.

1. Should I be going to school for this at all, or just looking for internships/entry level jobs?
2. What kind of program should I be looking for?
3. Are there any schools that I should especially avoid or especially try to get into?

Drastically Disparate Double Marjos– Can it work?

dantekgeek — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 14:35:34 -0800

Is it foolhardy to pursue such different double majors as graphic design and neuroscience? (Apologies for the extreme length)

I've long planned to pursue a double major in graphic design and neuroscience (biology) for my undergraduate education, but I've recently been seriously questioning if that wouldn't be making a big mistake.

Art and Science have long been the guiding passions of my life, and I expect they will continue to be. I get just as much enjoyment out of one as I do the other, but each serves to stimulate my mind and soul in a different way. The interplay between the two is fantastic, and I can't imaging trying to live with only one or the other.

If I do complete both degrees, I'll likely work in the user-experience field for a few years before going on to other things.

For a long time growing up, I was convinced that I wanted to go to medical school, and although the idea still greatly appeals to me, I'm wondering if maybe I should go down a different path– that of research. Whatever the case, I know I'll eventually want to pursue some sort of post-graduate education in the sciences.

Can something like this work? Is it foolhardy to invest so much time, money, and effort, into a degree (design) that will likely not be my eventual career? Is it silly to get a degree in your hobby? (although design is much more than a hobby, and I predict that even after settling into a career in the sciences, I will continue to be a practitioner of design on the side)

Graphic Design Scholarship

golo — Wed, 12 Jan 2005 01:06:25 -0800

I would like to help a very talented friend to get a scholarship to study graphic design (postgrad) in Europe or the US.
She lives in an Arab country, which in my naive opinion could work for her advantage (with all the bridge-building that should be going on right now). From Google I got dozens of graphic design schools to which apparently she would have to apply, get accepted and then apply for a scholarship. Does anybody have some personal/anecdotal knowledge that could help her? Schools with better chance of offering her a full scholarship or some relevant EU program maybe. Thanks She's speaks english fluently, by the way