The California College of the Arts (cca.edu) offers undergraduate and graduate programs in a number of disciplines. Students can work toward a bachelor's degree in fine art mediums including glass, ceramics, sculpture, painting/drawing and photography. The school offers degrees in more than 20 art-related majors, including architecture, interior design, industrial design, fashion design and animation. CCA combines practical theory and practice in the arts to prepare students for a career as an artist. Campuses in San Francisco and Oakland feature residential housing; multi-material studio spaces, including welding lab and plaster studio, materials and equipment; and a student art gallery.
Academy of Art University (academyart.edu) awards bachelor's degrees in the fine arts and performing arts. The school offers 18 majors, including fine arts, illustration, graphic design, acting, art education and photography. The school aims to build students' portfolios and help them create and maintain a career plan. The school features fine art studios, digital art labs and an archive of student work used for inspiration. The school also offers an extensive online course catalog and online degrees.
City College of San Francisco (ccsf.edu) is a two-year community college that offers associate's degrees and certificates. The school offers art courses but does not have a degree-awarding program in fine art. Art course credits can, however, be transferred to a four-year university in pursuit of an art degree. Courses include ceramic art, metal art, sculpture, drawing, illustration, painting, printmaking and watercolor. Each medium has both an introduction course that focuses on fundamentals, materials and practices, and advanced courses that teach technique.
The San Francisco Art Institute (sfai.edu) is the Bay Area's oldest higher education art school, founded in 1871. The school offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the fine arts. Degree programs include film, design and technology, photography, printmaking, new genres, painting and sculpture. The school has two student art galleries, well -equipped studio space and equipment, computer labs and a library. The school focuses on an interdisciplinary approach to art education by putting emphasis on the liberal arts, critical thinking and creative development, while balancing practice, theory and history.
The San Francisco Studio School (sfstudioschool.org) is a fine arts school that awards non-accredited certificates in painting/drawing and photography. The school offers lectures in mixed media and critical studies that tackle social and political issues surrounding art. The school aims to provide an affordable advanced art school that focuses on the creation of art rather than an art career. The school's large loft studio space in downtown San Francisco holds small weekly classes where students can practice with the guidance of faculty and visiting professors.