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frequently asked questions |
PARENT FAQs
PROSPECTIVE STUDENT FAQs
PARENT FAQs
1. What kind of education will my student receive at CVA?
2. How will my student fit in at CVA?
3. What financial aid is available for my student?
4. How will CVA prepare my student for a career?
5. What career opportunities are there for artists?
6. What about housing?
7. What does CVA do to ensure my child’s safety on campus?
1. What kind of education will my student receive at CVA?
At CVA, we understand the importance of a well-rounded and complete education — One that speaks and exercises both the left brain and the right brain.
Our program is deeply steeped in liberal arts course work — 48 challenging liberal art credits are needed to graduate from our program. There are 78 studio art credits to feed the imagination in a multitude of disciplines.
Our faculty are all working artists and scholars in their fields. They are dedicated to teaching their students what it’s like to be a working fine artist, illustrator, photographer or graphic designer in the real world. Our small and intimate environment allows for a lot of one-on-one time with faculty. At CVA, you are never a number.
2. How will my student fit in at CVA?
The Admissions office invites you and your student to experience the CVA community in a one-on-one personal campus visit. Let us introduce the CVA world to you through an informational interview with the admissions office, and a tour of campus facilities with a student representative.
You will have the opportunity to:
- talk openly with our admissions counselors,
- ask questions about financial aid,
- view the resources that are available, and
- ask CVA students about their own personal experiences.
Through this personal visit, you and your student will be able to decide if this unique college community is the right fit.
3. What financial aid is available for my student?
Please see the Admissions information on financial aid.
4. How will CVA prepare my student for a career?
Every CVA student receives a thorough preparation for a career in the arts. Professional practices are taught in every major department – preparing the students to navigate the art world and present their work effectively. Our faculty, as working artists and scholars, relay their own personal experiences to assist students for life in the real world. Students who graduate have a thorough understanding of what it takes to be a successful, working artist.
5. What career opportunities are there for artists?
Art touches all aspects of our lives – from the books and magazines we read, to the packaging of all the products that we buy, to the images that we view on TV, the movie or digital screen, to the sculpture that we view in a public setting. There are opportunities for artists who design everything from music videos, to wallpaper patterns to cereal boxes. At CVA, we prepare our students for careers in such areas.
CVA graduates work for major ad agencies, design studios, and major corporations like Target, Marshall Fields, and General Mills. They are inspiring new generations of artists at high schools, and colleges. They are exhibiting their work nationally and internationally. Most of all, they are realizing their dream of living their lives as working artists.
6. What about housing?
At CVA, we do not have any on-campus dormitories. Director of Student Life Paul Gaines assists new and current students with their housing needs. We conduct a Housing Day in June for new fall students, providing them with listings of available apartments in the neighborhood, information about being a first time renter, as well as matching up CVA students who would like to room with other CVAers.
7. What does CVA do to ensure my child’s safety on campus?
All of CVA’s campus buildings have a security key code pad for entry. We also employ a full-time guard who circulates amongst CVA’s five buildings, and also provides escorts to students’ cars.
PROSPECTIVE STUDENT FAQs
1. What degree does CVA offer?
2. What are the admissions requirements?
3. What if I am an international student? What are my requirements?
4. How can I arrange a campus visit / tour?
5. What should I put in my portfolio?
6. What accreditation does CVA have?
7. What is a typical academic year schedule?
8. Will I get a well-rounded liberal arts education at CVA?
9. What’s your student to teacher ratio?
10. How many faculty members teach at CVA?
11. What is a typical student workload?
12. Do you have study abroad opportunities?
13. What about transfer students, and transfer credit?
1. What degree does CVA offer?
We offer the BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts), in the following areas of study:
graphic design/interactive, illustration, photography, drawing/painting, sculpture and
interdisciplinary art & design studies.
Please see the Programs information on BFA Program.
2. What are the admissions requirements?
- Application and $40 application fee
- Official transcripts from high school and any colleges attended
- ACT/SAT scores
- Personal statement of interest
- Immunization records, physician’s statement, liability release form
- Portfolio review
3. What if I am an international student? What are my requirements?
Please see the Admissions information on International Students.
4. How can I arrange a campus visit / tour?
Call 651.224.3416 or 800.224.1536, and ask to speak with an admissions counselor or email us at admissions@cva.edu. We will personally accommodate you and your schedule for a personal one-on-one informational interview and tour of campus facilities by a student representative.
5. What should I put in my portfolio?
Your portfolio should best represent who, you as an artist, are today. We look at a variety of different areas:
- Presentation
- Variety of media
- Drawing skills
- Use of color
- Perceptual/creative skills
6. What accreditation does CVA have?
CVA is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission: a Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
7. What is a typical academic year schedule?
The CVA year is divided into two main semesters – the fall semester that usually begins right after Labor Day, and the spring semester, which usually begins right after Martin Luther King Day. The college also offers studio and liberal art courses in the summer. These courses are offered for credit and are the same content and expectations to the courses offered during the regular semester.
8. Will I get a well-rounded liberal arts education at CVA?
Yes! CVA requires that students complete 48 credits in the liberal arts. You are required to complete credits in composition, art history, humanities, history and social studies, mathematics and biological and physical sciences.
9. What’s your student to teacher ratio?
16:1
10. How many faculty members teach at CVA?
The eight full-time faculty members and more than 40 adjunct faculty members give CVA students the advantage of learning from the Twin Cities most successful working artists and scholars in their fields.
Please see the information on Faculty.
11. What is a typical student workload?
On average, students register for between 12 and 18 credits (4 to 6 classes). Most students are in class for 20 to 30 hours per week and will spend the same amount of time in preparation, studying and the completion of projects.
12. Do you have study abroad opportunities?
Yes. Please see the Programs information on Study Abroad.
13. What about transfer students, and transfer credit?
Please see the Admissions information on Transfers.
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