This question was posted to the NACAC listserv for college counselors:

“I am seeking suitable colleges for a senior who would like to study fine/ studio art at a liberal arts college or university with the goal ultimately of working in some type of art field (restoration? gallery management?)...prepared to provide a portfolio, but specifically is not seeking education at an art school.”

Here are the collected responses (by no stretch of the imagination comprehensive, but a start):

 

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Barry Beach (http://www.artscounselor.com) offered these helpful overall tips:

 

Numerous colleges offer visual art as a major:

A primary question which will help determine where to study art is how much of your studies do you want to be devoted to art? This is determined by the type of degree you wish to pursue, not the college. There are two types of visual art degrees: BA (Bachelors of Art) and BFA (Bachelors of Fine Art). Students in BA programs spend on average 20-40% of their studies in art. BFA students can take up to 65% of their studies in art classes. BFA programs are typically offered at colleges of art, and BA programs are typically offered at universities and liberal arts colleges. However, some universities and liberal arts colleges offer the BFA as an option to students majoring in art, often having a mid-program review for acceptance into the BFA program. Some colleges of art have teamed up with universities to offer joint degree programs as well. (Colleges of art admit directly into their BFA programs.)

 

Two organizations can be checked when considering the quality of an art program at a college:

The first is NASAD - National Assoc. of Schools of Art & Design,  a national accrediting agency for visual arts programs. While voluntary, it is one level of an institutions commitment to visual art as it takes time and effort to become accredited. Their website lists member institutions at the link below once you hit the "submit" button at the bottom of the page (don't enter anything to get the complete list of 299 institutions)

http://nasad.arts-accredit.org/index.jsp?page=Member+Lists

 

Second is National Portfolio Day Association. The Association consists of representatives from regionally accredited colleges and universities, which are also members of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The NPDA is the only organization of its kind, and its membership represents the highest standard of visual arts education available in the United States and Canada.

This organization exists to host National Portfolio Day events around the country. These events provide free artistic feedback to high school student artists. Students can bring their art portfolio (collection of artwork) to the event to receive free advice from college professionals/artists in the field from numerous institutions. I think that getting a portfolio review by a representative of a college is the next best thing to visiting the college to determine fit.

Their member list can be found at the link below:

http://www.portfolioday.net/content/view/23/37/

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Alfred University (NY) - http://www.alfred.edu

 

American University (DC) - http://www.american.edu

 

Bard (NY) - www.bard.edu

 

Boston College (MA) - http://www.bc.edu/

 

Boston University (MA) - http://www.bu.edu

 

Brown (RI) - www.brown.edu [students can take courses at Rhode Island School of Design and Brown now has a joint degree program with them]

 

Cal State University Fullerton (CA) - http://www.fullerton.edu

 

Cal State University Long Beach (CA) - www.csulb.edu/

 

Clark University (MA) - http://www.clark.edu

 

Colgate University (NY) - http://www.colgate.edu

 

College of Charleston (SC) - http://www.cofc.edu/

 

Columbia University (NY) - www.columbia.edu

 

Connecticut College (CT) - http://www.conncoll.edu

 

Drexel University (PA) - http://www.drexel.edu

 

Furman University (SC) - http://www.furman.edu/

 

Goucher (MD) - http://www.goucher.edu

 

Hollins (VA) - http://www.hollins.edu 

 

Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY) - www.hunter.cuny.edu/

 

Lewis & Clark (OR) - http://www.lclark.edu/

 

Manhattanville (NY) - http://www.manhattanville.edu/

 

New College of Florida (FL) - http://www.ncf.edu/

 

New York University (NY) - www.nyu.edu

 

Northeastern (MA) - www.northeastern.edu - [students can take courses at School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston & Northeastern has a dual degree program with them]

 

Oberlin (OH) - http://new.oberlin.edu/

 

Princeton University (NJ) - http://www.princeton.edu

 

Reed College (OR) - http://www.reed.edu/

 

Rochester Institute of Technology (NY) - http://www.rit.edu

 

Scripps (CA) - http://www.scripps.edu

 

Shepherd University (WV) - http://www.shepherd.edu/

 

Skidmore (NY) - http://www.skidmore.edu

 

Southwestern University (TX) - http://www.southwestern.edu/

 

State University of New York (SUNY) New Palz - www.newpaltz.edu/

 

Susquehanna (PA)- http://www.susquehanna.edu/ 

 

Syracuse University (NY) - http://www.syracuse.edu

 

Tufts (MA) - www.tufts.edu - [students can take courses at School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston & Tufts has a dual degree program with them]

 

University of Arkansas Main Campus (AR) - http://www.uark.edu/

 

University of California Davis (CA) - http://www.ucdavis.edu/

 

University of California Los Angeles (CA) - http://www.arts.ucla.edu/

 

University of Cincinnati (OH) - http://www.uc.edu/

 

University of Delaware (DE) - has major in Art Conservation. http://www.artcons.udel.edu/

 

University of Louisiana (LA) - http://www.louisiana.edu/

 

University of Maine (ME) - http://www.umaine.edu/

 

University of Michigan (MI) - http://www.umich.edu

 

University of North Carolina Greensboro (NC) - http://www.uncg.edu/

 

University of South Florida (FL) - http://www.usf.edu/

 

Vassar (NY) - http://www.vassar.edu

 

Virginia Commonwealth University (VA) - http://www.vcu.edu/

 

Washington University (MO) - http://www.washu.edu/

 

Wheaton (MA) - http://www.wheatoncollege.edu/

 

Williams (MA) - http://www.williams.edu/

 

Yale (CT) - http://www.yale.edu/