Oklahoma Art Colleges: Forging Your Own Artistic Path

There are a number of ways to pursue art studies in Oklahoma: liberal arts universities and colleges that have art programs, independent art institutes, technical colleges and colleges of art. Online degree programs are offered in all phases of art by Oklahoma colleges and institutions.

America's Great Plains and Southwest regions are rich in culture. Oklahoma's leading art museums include the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. The state of Oklahoma boasts several well-regarded art and design schools. The University of Oklahoma-School of Art and Art History (est. 1890), is accredited by the National Association for Schools of Art and Design and enrolls over 20,000 students, and offers online degree programs. Other Oklahoma art schools offering online programs include the Academy of Art University, the Art Institute Online and Full Sail University.

The College of Fine Arts and Design at University of Central Oklahoma (est. 1890) is part of a university system that enrolls over 14,000 students overall. Additionally, Oklahoma State University (est. 1890) offers art programs.

Several Oklahoma art programs are accredited by the Council for Interior Design; these include programs at Oklahoma State, the College of Fine Arts and Design at the University of Central Oklahoma, and the University of Oklahoma Design Division.

The first step in pursuing a degree in art is identifying your artistic and career goals. Do you want to work in commercial art or fine art? Do you imagine your ideas leading to work that is hung in a museum, or decorating people's homes, providing aesthetic pleasure? What media are you interested in working in? Do you like working with oil paint, watercolors, pencil, clay, computer graphics, moving images? Are you interested in making prints or other kinds of reproduced images? You can study painting, sculpture, illustration or drawing in art school.

Alternatively, maybe you want to design objects that will be used. Perhaps you love illustrating stories or narratives. Or, perhaps you are interested in cartooning or comic illustration. You could pursue studies in illustration or design, product development or interior decoration. Illustrators and designers work in book publishing, advertising, magazine illustration, product design and television graphics. An art degree can lead to a career as an illustrator, an animator or an art director You can also study film design and media at art school, leading to a career in set design, production design, art direction or film-making.

Going to art school will help you develop as a creative person and obtain specific skills. And, a degree in art presents a range of career pathways. Art schools offer programs in commercial arts such as fashion design, photography, animation and film. Art colleges in Oklahoma will offer programs in everything from graphic design to architecture. So, if you are interested in expressing ideas, emotions and information through visual presentation, there are a wide variety of options for you in an art career.

Look at the work you have done and explore the career options available to artists. Go to your library and explore the career sections, as well as books on art and design, as you begin to focus on what you find most compelling about the arts. As an applicant to an art school you will be required to provide a portfolio. Sometimes working on assembling your portfolio can help you identify your core interests. You maybe asked to provide portrait sketches, landscapes, 3-dimension drawings, models or photographs. This process may help you identify your strengths and talents, as well as your goals.

Most art colleges will allow you to explore a variety or aspects of the visual arts before you are expected to choose a major and specialize in a particular art form. Art school is a significant commitment of time and money, so it's worth your while to spend the time to examine your goals and learn about the career options that will result from pursuing pre-professional studies in the arts.

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To learn more about Oklahoma Art Colleges, including curriculum and program info, visit Design Schools. To learn more about other Oklahoma art schools, visit the Find your art school in Oklahoma.