Established in 1921, The Art Institute of Pittsburg aims to provide individuals with specialized skills in visual and practical arts for a challenging and rewarding career. It has graduated more than 30,000 students so far. The institute is authorized by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to award Bachelor of Science and Associate of Science degrees. Most importantly, the institute is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). The accreditation means that the institute meets or exceeds their stated criteria of educational quality.

The Art Institute Online, which is a division of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, provides online degree programs. This serves to provide an opportunity for individuals who can not attend on-campus programs to fulfill their dreams of getting the qualifications they want. The bachelor degrees being offered are Graphic Design, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Interior Design and Interactive Media Design. The associate degrees being offered are Graphic Design and Interactive Media Design. The courses offered through associate's degree program are fully transferable to bachelor's degree program at The Art Institute Online.

Do you like creating graphics? If you do, you can consider taking the Graphic Design course. This course aims to equip students with design and creative problem-solving skills. The students can choose to specialize in areas such as corporate design, editorial design, advertising, book design, environmental design and entertainment design. Graphic design requires a combination of design flair and creative imagination.

If you think that your interest and creativity lies in the hospitality and food service area, the institute's Hotel and Management course may appeals to you. This interesting course focuses on aspects of hotel management such as front room and front office procedures, kitchen preparation process and other fundamental behind-the-scenes operations. It is facilitated by a group of instructors who have vast professional experience in their respective fields. This course prepares students for a career in catering, banquet events, hotel lounges and many other hospitality and food service positions. Perhaps, after completing the course, you may want to set up a restaurant serving your own unique food!

Do you like what you see when you walk into a building, meeting room, restaurant or pub? How do you feel when you see the interiors of these places? If you have the chance, would you want to change the interior decor of these places? The interior design and decoration of a place has an impact on a person's mood and emotion. If you are keen in creating a pleasing environment for people to enjoy, you can consider taking the Interior Design course. This course will give you the skills to create wonderful environments which many people would appreciate and enjoy. With the appropriate skills and some creativity, you can turn a boring design to a stunning one.

If you prefer working with computers and wish to combine your creative skills and computer technology, you can consider enrolling in the Interactive Media Design course. This course focuses on areas such as visual design, digital image manipulation, multimedia system design, audio, web site design, scripting, video, animation, text, and business and project management.

If you want to obtain skills and knowledge to attain entry level positions in graphic design or interactive media design, you can consider doing the associate degrees first. You can opt to do the bachelor degree courses later on. As mentioned before, the courses taken at the associate's degree level are fully transferable to the bachelor's degree program.

Discovering your passion and fulfilling your dream in art and design is not an impossible venture. You should give yourself a chance of unleashing your creativity in this area. If you have a dream of excelling in the world of art and design but do not know exactly where to start, you can consider taking up a course. With the advancement in telecommunication technology, the course can now be delivered online. The Art Institute Online provides online courses which give you tremendous flexibility and freedom. You can study any time you like and at any place you feel comfortable.