In the 2008 U.S. News magazine rankings, Rhode Island School of Design ranks top in the Best Fine Arts School and ranks number three in Multimedia/ Visual Communications category. The school is located in Providence, Rhode Island and was founded in 1877, making it one of the earliest art and design schools in America. There are approximately 2,300 full-time students pursuing Bachelor's and Master's degrees in various fields. An example of the innovative and experimental technology being used at the Rhode Island School of Design is the fact that students are finding uses for spatial operating environment in which they use hand and arm gestures as they would normally use a keyboard or mouse.
As of 2008 U.S. News magazine rankings, Yale University ranks number two in the Best Fine Arts School category and number 15 in the Multimedia/ Visual Communications category. Yale University is a recognized leader among institutions of higher learning. The School of Art is for students that have already received their Bachelor's degree or equivalent diploma from a four-year art school. Getting admitted into their art program is not easy, as many top students worldwide apply for admission. Yale University also offers an intensive summer program called the Yale Summer School of Art and Music to help further a student's knowledge of art and music.
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago ranks number three in the Best Fine Arts School category and number three in the Multimedia/ Visual Communications category in the 2008 U.S. News school rankings. One of the things that sets this school apart from others is that it has no majors, as students are allowed the freedom to enroll in any of the courses which the school offers. The school has both undergraduate and graduate degrees available. An example of this is the Master of Fine Arts in Studio Program.
Nashville is known throughout the world as the capital of country music and the SAE Institute of Technology is located in Nashville's Music Row District. Many professional studios are within close proximity of the institute. The SAE Institute boasts of having over 20 recording arts studios or workstations with special surround sound and digital control rooms. Students are exposed to the latest in audio and video software in the SAE's Audio Technology Program (ATP). This special program is focused on preparing the graduate for entry-level positions in the music industry.