After DCAD

After DCAD

What comes next?

What happens after DCAD?

After graduating from DCAD with their Associate of Fine Arts degrees, students have a lot of options. They can transfer to one of our partner institutions, or they can simply enter the workforce and begin their creative careers.  

The foundational skills that students gain at DCAD are essential for their future success as artists and designers. DCAD’s accredited, two-year curriculum is designed to help graduates successfully transition into a four-year BFA or master’s program at other universities with whom we share articulation and 2+2 agreements. 

What are Articulation Agreements? 

Articulation Agreements are official guarantees that classes completed at one institution will be accepted at another institution when a student transfers from one to the other. They are partnerships between two institutions of higher education to recognize credits that will transfer and apply to the transfer student’s degree audit / major. For example, if School A and School B have an articulation agreement, a student from School A can transfer their credits to School B, whereupon those credits count towards the completion of a degree at School B.   

Articulation Agreements are especially beneficial for students in two-year degree schools. A student can complete their 2-year program and then, per articulation agreement guidelines, can transfer their credits easily to a 4-year program. This allows for students with an associate’s degree to pursue a bachelor’s degree at a 4-year institution. Articulation agreements allow students to save time and money, an extremely beneficial option given the ever-rising costs associated with pursuing a degree in higher education. 

What are 2+2 Agreements? 

Most higher education institutions in the United States are 4-year institutions. Students attend for 4 years in order to accomplish their degree requirements and achieve a bachelor’s degree. 2 + 2 agreements are transfer agreements set up between a 4-year institution and a 2-year institution. This allows a student to attend a 2-year institution, acquire an associate’s degree, transfer those credits to a 4-year institution, and earn a bachelor’s degree after completing the remaining 2 years of work.   

2+2 Agreements can offer students many benefits. They allow students earn credits at an institution, such as a community college, at a lower cost than if the student earned them at a 4-year institution. 2+2 Agreements are also proven to help students whose grades in high school were not strong, allowing them to build up good grades at a 2-year institution and transfer them in to the 4-year institution. This allows students to attend institutions that would have initially rejected their applications straight from high school.