Online Education

For nearly two decades, Academy of Art University has been offering accredited art and design degree programs. As an early pioneer in online learning, our online programs are designed to provide the same quality of education as what we offer on-campus students, but with greater flexibility. This is your chance to learn from expert instructors that will equip you with work-ready skills and help you succeed. Choose from 120+ undergraduate and graduate degrees offered 100% online by one of the nation’s top art and design schools.

2019 Hollywood Reporter: Top 10 Visual Effects Schools
2018 and 2019 Rookies: Best Digital Illustration School in America and Top 3 in the World
2019 Rookies: Top 5 Creative Media and Entertainment schools
2019 Rookies: Top 10 in the world for Best Animation School
2019 Rookies: Top 5 in the world for the Best Architectural Visualization School
2018 Rookies: Top 5 in the world for 3D Motion Graphics School
2020 Military Friendly: 2020 Military Friendly School
2018 Trip Odyssey: Top 10 for Best Photography Schools in the World

Earn your art and design degree from anywhere in the world

Academy of Art University is ranked as one of the top art and design online programs in the world. Our accredited online courses utilize custom-built content taught by instructors who are top industry professionals to give you the flexibility to earn your degree on your own terms.

900+

Online courses

1500+

Instructional videos per semester

50+

Countries that our students represent

Since 2002

Offering online education

7000+

Members of the student-run Facebook group

Why Choose the Academy’s Online Education?

Learn Work-Ready Skills from Industry Experts

The Academy's online courses are taught by the same faculty and instructors who teach on-campus students. All of our instructors bring foundational knowledge, as well as their personal experience and perspective, into their online courses.

Exclusive and Custom Content

Course content is proprietary, created in-house, and exclusive to the Academy. The classes are a mix of lecture and written content, recorded audio, interactive slideshows, and hands-on work. The curriculum is created by industry professionals to create the same quality of education as that of on-campus students.

Join the Artist Community

Each online course offers a discussion area where fellow classmates and instructors can freely share thoughts and revelations, post work, provide or receive helpful critique, and collaborate. Students support each other, which pushes artistic growth and forges long-lasting connections with peers and faculty.

Dedicated Support from Day One through Graduation

A dedicated team of Academy of Art support staff are on hand to help you receive the best learning experience. You have access to the same learning resources and support system as on-campus students, including on-demand demonstration videos, one-on-one sessions with your director, career & mentor chats, director Q&A, career services, and more.

Degrees Available Online

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Communications & Media Technologies

BA MA

Fashion

BFA Certificate MFA

Graphic Design

AA BFA Certificate MA MFA

Interior Architecture & Design

AA BFA Certificate MA MFA

Motion Pictures & Television

AA BFA Certificate MA MFA

Photography

AA BFA Certificate MA MFA

VIEW ALL

Alumni Success

Meet our alumni who earned their degrees from Academy of Art University’s online education program and who are thriving in the art and design field today. Many who choose Academy of Art for their online education are working professionals. Explore how they were able to update their skills and advance their careers through the Academy’s online education program while balancing their jobs and other day-to-day responsibilities.

MFA Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media

Mark Cofer

Mark Cofer is a music composer who has created music for Broadway shows and TV spots for a number of films, including the 2015 Rocky Balboa spin-off, Creed, and, The Magnificent Seven. He took Academy of Art University’s online program from his home Nashville and was one of the first graduates of MFA Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media program. Studying online allowed him to balance spending time with his daughter while also cultivating his skills. Apart from composing music for TV, shows, and films, he is also teaching Music Editing for Visual Media courses at Academy of Art University.

MFA Fashion Design

Maria Aalto

Maria Aalto won the Rei Kawakubo / Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between Design Contest in the Graduate student category while she was taking the Online MFA Fashion Design program from her home town in Iowa. She showcased her work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and interned at the office of Comme des Garçons in New York. The capability of learning fashion from industry experts 100% online led her to the Academy’s MFA Fashion Design program.

MFA Photography

Greg Beams

Gregory Beams is a professional fine art photographer who creates staged large-scale photo-cinematic images of surreal urban scenes and isolated characters. He completed his MFA in Academy of Art University’s online program from his home in Seattle. His work was featured at the Sutter gallery in San Francisco. The Academy’s online program allowed him to find his voice, and with that, his photographs and his career changed for the better.

Tools and Resources

Online students can take advantage of Academy of Art’s rich resources and industry-standard tools to work on your projects. Here are some of the tools and resources that you can enjoy as an online student at the Academy:

Free subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud
Online library – Access e-books, full-text periodical articles, and images and more
Online Music library – Music resources for use in assignments and projects.
Tutorials & instructional videos
VIP guest speaker series and archives videos