FAQ

You’ll meet in the virtual classroom as a group daily for demonstrations, lectures, studio sessions and critiques. You’ll join workshop sessions and visiting artist lectures and have time for other activities such as portfolio reviews. In addition to the set meeting times, there will be assignments you will complete on your own schedule. You will have at least two scheduled one-on-one advising meetings with your faculty and graduate teaching assistants for input and feedback on work, but they will be readily available to assist outside of these times as well. 

Our online programs are designed to run synchronously, however, lectures and demonstrations may be recorded so international students can choose to join live or watch the recordings at a later time. Please email us at ecp@saic.edu so that we may confirm with the instructor that this is possible. We cannot guarantee that this course can be taken asynchronously.

Also, international students may be required to schedule one-on-one meetings with the instructor and they may be required to join the class critiques at the regularly scheduled time (Central Time).
 

All faculty are practicing artists who bring their real world experience into the classroom to help you develop a more meaningful art-making practice. Many of these faculty also teach in the undergraduate degree program at SAIC.

Faculty will work with each student individually and will help you come up with an in-depth plan to ensure that you are using your studio time wisely and will be readily available to assist you when you need help.

All students are required to have their own cell phone, tablet, or computer in order to participate in this program. If you are enrolled in Animation and Video Projects, Visual Communication Design or Design Projects, you will need a computer that can support Adobe Creative Cloud. Microsoft Windows 10; Mac OS X v10.12 and later. 

Juniors and Seniors, ages 15 to 18, enrolled in an ECPOSI course will be eligible to receive college credit upon successful completion. This credit may be applied towards an undergraduate degree at most colleges or universities.

Students enrolled for credit are expected to attend all classes at the scheduled time, arrive prepared, and successfully complete all homework and assignments.
 

These are studio classes and you will be actively making artwork. You will participate in demos, lectures, critiques, and presentations from visiting artists—all with the intention of making portfolio-quality work for college admissions. The goal is that you are able to walk away with artwork that you can use as part of a competitive portfolio.

The focus of these courses is to develop portfolio ready work. This means developing cohesive and meaningful artwork that is true to who YOU are as an artist and designer. We will also be connecting you with SAIC Admissions through the course for portfolio reviews and admissions advice. Through the course you will have a direct line to your admissions counselor at SAIC, who is an invaluable resource throughout the application process. 

Financial assistance is available in the form of need-based aid and merit scholarships. Need-based aid is available to US residents only. All students may apply for merit scholarships. Learn more about how to apply for tuition assistance.

No, we require that you are enrolled for college credit. You can enroll in multiple sessions if you would like to earn more than one college credit.

All courses have 14 or fewer students per class, providing you with a phenomenal teacher-to-student ratio.

Yes, during the program you will meet individually with an admissions counselor to discuss your artwork and learn more about SAIC’s undergraduate curriculum.