The Art Institute of Atlanta is a private art school in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

. It is owned by

Education Principle Foundation Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...

. The school is one of eight

Art Institutes The Art Institutes (AI) are a collection of private for-profit art schools in the United States. Since 2019, the schools have been owned by Education Principle Foundation (aka Colbeck Foundation), a non-profit that also owns South Universi ...

. It awards

associate's An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The f ...

and

bachelor's degrees A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

, including Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degrees,

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

(BA) degrees, and

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

(BS) degrees, and also offers diploma and non-degree programs.

History

The Art Institute of Atlanta was founded in 1949 as Massey Business College, with diploma programs in basic business and secretarial skills. The school added liberal arts, fashion, and interior design during the next two decades. In 1975, the school was acquired by Education Management Corporation (EDMC) and was renamed The Art Institute of Atlanta. The college also shifted its focus to a creative applied arts curriculum. Located at 6600 Peachtree Dunwoody Road N.E., 100 Embassy Row, Atlanta, GA 30328 (the 5-story building was torn down around 2004.) Accreditation by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools soon followed. In 1999, the college moved to its current location; a 5-story building in

Sandy Springs Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia and an inner ring suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's seventh-largest city. It is the site of several corporate headquarters, i ...

and later expanded to a second building across the street. In 2004, the school added Audio Production to their growing list of programs. The newest program, Fashion & Retail Management, was added in January 2007. Student enrollment peaked by 2012. In 2017, EDMC, struggling financially, sold the Art Institute of Atlanta and 30 other Art Institute schools to Dream Center Education, a Los Angeles-based Pentecostal organization. By 2019–2020, Ai-Atlanta's enrollment had declined to 814.

Branches (closed)

Several Art Institutes schools were branches of the Art Institute of Atlanta. These branches are now closed. * The Art Institute of Tennessee – Nashville *

The Art Institute of Washington The Art Institute of Washington was a for-profit college in Arlington, Virginia. It opened in 2000 and was a branch of The Art Institute of Atlanta. It was accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Scho ...

* The Art Institute of Charleston

Student outcomes

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the Art Institute of Atlanta has a 21% graduation rate and a 15% student loan default rate.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Art Institute Of Atlanta Universities and colleges in Atlanta Art schools in Georgia (U.S. state)

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

Educational institutions established in 1949 Private universities and colleges in Georgia (U.S. state) Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Design schools in the United States Cooking schools in the United States Graphic design schools in the United States Fashion schools in the United States For-profit universities and colleges in the United States Film schools in the United States 1949 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)