The Art Institute of Pittsburgh is Granted Accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education

The Board of Trustees and President George L. Pry announced today that The Art Institute of Pittsburgh has been granted accreditation by The Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Middle States accreditation marks the culmination of The Art Institutes’ academic transition, beginning in 2000, when it received authorization by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to award baccalaureate degrees.

“This is a significant and defining chapter of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh’s history and our process of redefining our mission as an academic institution,” said George L. Pry, President. “The recognition of the Middle States Commission is an important validation of how we have woven academic rigor into our core mission of graduate career preparedness,” he said. “The Art Institute has always placed great importance on accreditation and its value on a student’s investment.”

The college maintains programmatic accreditation with the American Culinary Federation (ACF) and the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA).

The accreditation process was managed by a steering committee comprised of faculty and staff under the leadership of Dr. Cynthia Liefeld, Vice President of Academic Affairs with focus on collegiate mission, strategic planning and assessment of outcomes and investments.

A two-year, substantive college-wide self-study analysis was evaluated during a formal review by an eight-member visiting team who spent several days on campus in March 2008 chaired by Ms. Patricia McGuire, President of Trinity Washington University in Washington D.C.

“The visiting team observed a deep sense of mission and purpose flowing through the work of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh,” said President McGuire. “In addition to our recommendation for accreditation, the team commends The Art Institute on their commitment to excellence in the creative and commercial arts.”

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh has met all fourteen Characteristics of Excellence in Higher Education—including eligibility requirements and standards for accreditation -- as defined by the regional accrediting agency, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

“This peer-reviewed accreditation is an expression of confidence that The Art Institute of Pittsburgh will continue, over the years, to substantially accomplish its mission and goals,” said Dr. Liefeld. “We have demonstrated that we methodically evaluate student learning outcomes and institutional effectiveness and use the results toward a continuous cycle of improvement.”

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh currently offers 14 Bachelor of Science degree programs and is comprised of approximately 12,300 students, as of Spring 2008, who pursue degree programs through coursework both at the Downtown Pittsburgh campus and through The Art Institute of Pittsburgh – Online Division.

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh offers bachelor’s degree programs in Advertising, Culinary Management, Digital Media Production, Entertainment Design, Fashion & Retail Management, Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Hotel & Restaurant Management, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Media Arts & Animation, Photography, Visual Effects & Motion Graphics and Web Design & Interactive Media.

Associate’s degree programs are also offered in Culinary Arts, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Photography and Video Production.

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh is accredited by The Middle States Commission on Higher Education.  For more information, contact the college at 1-800-275-2470 or visit artinstitutes.edu/pittsburgh.
 
Advertising, Fashion & Retail Management, Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Media Arts & Animation and Web Design & Interactive Media programs are also available fully online through The Art Institute Pittsburgh – Online Division.

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of 40 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

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About accreditation: Accreditation is a process of peer review that the educational community has adopted for its self-regulation since early in the 20th century. It is a voluntary process intended to strengthen and sustain the quality and integrity of higher education, making it worthy of public confidence. Institutions choose to apply for accredited status, and once accredited, they agree to abide by the standards of their accrediting organization and to regulate themselves by taking responsibility for their own improvement.

About the Middle States Commission on Higher Education: As a regional accreditor, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education examines the entire institution, including its educational programs and curricula, student achievement, faculty, facilities and equipment, student support services, recruiting and admissions practices, the institution’s financial condition, administrative effectiveness, governing boards, and several other aspects of the institution.

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is a voluntary, non-governmental, membership association that defines, maintains, and promotes educational excellence across institutions with diverse missions, student populations, and resources. The Commission is dedicated to quality assurance and improvement through accreditation via peer evaluation. Middle States accreditation instills public confidence in institutional mission, goals, performance, and resources through its rigorous accreditation standards and their enforcement.

Terms and Timing of Accreditation: Colleges and universities in the Middle States region normally are evaluated every five years, but Commission staff members also monitor each institution in the interim to determine if special circumstances require more frequent evaluations.
The most comprehensive evaluation is based upon a report that the institution prepares about itself, called a self-study report. This evaluation always includes a visit by a team of evaluators who report to the Commission. It occurs immediately before a candidate institution is granted initial accreditation, five years after that initial accreditation, and every 10 years thereafter.

Source: The Middle States Commission on Higher Education