Harrington College of Design (1931–2015) was a

for-profit college Proprietary colleges are for-profit colleges and universities. They are operated by their owners or investors, rather than a not-for-profit institution, religious organization, or government. Because they are not funded by tax money, their long ...

in the Loop area of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, USA, that closed in 2015. It offered students programs leading to either a

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

, bachelor's or

associate's degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of Tertiary education, 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 bachelo ...

upon completion of the

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordi ...

digital photography Digital photography uses cameras containing arrays of electronic photodetectors interfaced to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to produce images focused by a lens, as opposed to an exposure on photographic film. The digitized image ...

or communication design programs. Each program was credentialed with multiple levels of accreditation. The college was owned by

Career Education Corporation Perdoceo Education Corporation (PRDO) is a private company that currently owns four for-profit universities, including American Intercontinental University, Colorado Technical University, California Southern University, and Trident University I ...

History

The college traced its history to 1931 when Frances Harrington, a practicing interior designer, traveled to Chicago to provide a series of lectures for interior design professionals. She soon found a growing interest in the study of interior design and expanded her offerings by creating the Harrington Institute of Interior Design. As Harrington Institute grew, Harrington began providing diplomas to her qualified day division students. When she retired in 1959, her former student Robert Marks assumed leadership of the school. Marks added many programs and degree options to the school's curriculum. Changes in programs, which then under the guidance of the school's professional Advisory Board, were driven by input from the design industry's professional organizations. In 2003, Harrington Institute changed its name to Harrington College of Design after being purchased by Career Education Corporation, which proceeded to expand the school's design-related programs of study. The school moved to a new location at 200 W. Madison Street and mandated an annual 20% enrollment increase, which it were able to sustain for a few years until the economy faltered and then crashed in 2008. The campus at 200 W. Madison Street in Chicago closed at the end of the summer semester in August 2015.

Academics

Harrington College of Design offered bachelor's and associate degrees in interior design, digital photography and communication design.

Accreditation

Harrington was regionally accredited by

The Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools from January 1, 2010, until June 30, 2015, and nationally accredited by the

Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) is a non-profit education corporation that was recognized until 2021 by the United States Department of Education as an independent and autonomous national accrediting body. ...

to award associate, bachelor's and master's degrees. Since the school had both regional accreditation and

national accreditation Higher education accreditation in the United States is a peer review process by which the validity of degrees and credits awarded by higher education institutions is assured. It is coordinated by accreditation commissions made up of member ins ...

, most schools will accept its credits in transfer and recognize its degrees for entry into graduate programs. Additionally, Harrington was recognized as a private college by the

Illinois Board of Higher Education The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) is a state government agency that oversees higher education in the U.S. state of Illinois. The IBHE was created in 1961. Since 2012 the IBHE also permits and oversees business schools and other vocati ...

(IBHE) and was authorized by the IBHE to confer associate, baccalaureate and master's degrees. The interior design program leading to the bachelor of fine arts degree was accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (formerly FIDER). The college was also accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. Harrington College of Design's Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in interior design was accredited by the

Council for Interior Design Accreditation A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

(formerly FIDER). The Associate of Applied Science Degree in interior design was not accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation."Council for Interior Design Accreditation"

Campus

Harrington had a six-story, vertical campus located in the Chicago Loop. Three floors of the campus were a display space, designed to hold a mix of classrooms, galleries and offices. Harrington also had an extensive library that contains updated digital research for students.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Art schools in Illinois Universities and colleges in Chicago Former for-profit universities and colleges in the United States Universities and colleges established in 1931 Career Education Corporation Arts organizations established in 1931 1931 establishments in Illinois Educational institutions disestablished in 2015 2015 disestablishments in Illinois Defunct private universities and colleges in Illinois