SCAD Atlanta

SCAD Atlanta
Name	SCAD Atlanta
Established	2005
Type	Private art and design university branch
Parent	Savannah College of Art and Design
City	Atlanta
State	Georgia
Country	United States
Campus	Urban
Website	Savannah College of Art and Design

SCAD Atlanta SCAD Atlanta is a branch campus of the Savannah College of Art and Design located in the Midtown and Downtown corridors of Atlanta, Georgia. The campus operates within a network of cultural and commercial institutions including Piedmont Park, Georgia Institute of Technology, Fox Theatre, High Museum of Art, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, situating its programs amid regional arts, media, and corporate partnerships. SCAD Atlanta emphasizes professional preparation across visual and applied arts fields with ties to organizations such as Coca-Cola, Turner Broadcasting System, Delta Air Lines, CNN, and Emory University.

History

SCAD Atlanta opened as an extension of Savannah College of Art and Design in the mid-2000s during a period of expansion that paralleled growth at institutions like Parsons School of Design and Rhode Island School of Design. The Atlanta campus repurposed historic commercial buildings inspired by adaptive reuse projects similar to Tate Modern and Ghirardelli Square, reflecting trends in urban revitalization observed in cities like New York City and Chicago. Administrators built partnerships modeled after collaborations between Columbia University and Lincoln Center to integrate exhibitions, internships, and guest lectures from professionals at Warner Bros., Electronic Arts, The Coca-Cola Company, and regional arts festivals such as Atlanta Fest. Over its history the campus hosted events linked to SXSW, Dragon Con, Art Basel, and local biennials influenced by institutions like Museum of Modern Art.

Campus and Facilities

SCAD Atlanta occupies multiple facilities in midtown and downtown Atlanta that include studios, galleries, and digital labs comparable to resources at CalArts and Pratt Institute. Key spaces feature specialized studios for animation and visual effects akin to facilities at Industrial Light & Magic and Weta Digital, sound stages reminiscent of Pinewood Studios, and fabrication labs that parallel equipment at Massachusetts Institute of Technology makerspaces. Galleries on campus stage exhibitions in dialogue with collections from High Museum of Art, Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, and touring shows once hosted by Smithsonian American Art Museum. Student housing and community spaces interface with transit nodes such as MARTA stations and landmarks like Georgia State University campuses.

Academic Programs

SCAD Atlanta offers undergraduate and graduate degrees aligning with programs at peer schools such as University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, Savannah College of Art and Design programs, and School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Disciplines include animation and visual effects, film and television, graphic design, interior design, fashion, and sequential art—fields that feed employment pipelines at companies like Pixar, Disney, Netflix, HBO, and Lucasfilm. Course offerings incorporate industry-standard software used at Adobe Systems, Autodesk, Dassault Systèmes, and Unity Technologies. Faculty hire patterns reflect professional networks similar to those connecting Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and Riot Games to academic programs.

Student Life and Organizations

Student life at the campus features clubs and organizations comparable to student chapters at AIGA, ASME, and SIGGRAPH that host workshops, screenings, and portfolio reviews. Student-run publications and galleries coordinate events connecting students to juried exhibitions like those seen at Frieze Art Fair and film festivals such as Sundance Film Festival and Atlanta Film Festival. Campus programming includes career services that recruit employers including HBO Max, WarnerMedia, Amazon Studios, Zappos, and tech incubators modeled on Atlanta Tech Village. Social activities often intersect with civic events at Woodruff Arts Center and music venues used by touring acts represented by agencies like WME and CAA.

Notable Alumni and Faculty

Alumni and faculty associated with the campus have moved into roles at major studios, agencies, and cultural institutions including Marvel Studios, DC Comics, Nickelodeon, Blue Sky Studios, The New York Times', and design firms like Frog Design. Visiting artists and lecturers have included professionals connected to Academy Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, Pulitzer Prize winners, and leaders from organizations such as Getty Trust, Rhizome, and Amon Carter Museum. Faculty backgrounds frequently mirror hires from universities such as University of California, Los Angeles and New York University as well as industry veterans from DreamWorks Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks.

Community Engagement and Partnerships

The campus maintains community engagement initiatives with regional partners such as Atlanta BeltLine, Park Pride, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and cultural organizations including Alliance Theatre and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Collaborative projects have involved municipal agencies like City of Atlanta departments and nonprofits similar to Teach For America and Habitat for Humanity. Partnerships extend to corporate internship pipelines with companies like State Farm, CNN Worldwide, Cox Enterprises, and creative incubators modeled on TechStars and 500 Startups.

Admissions and Tuition

Admissions processes at the campus compare to competitive art and design institutions including Pratt Institute, Maryland Institute College of Art, and Otis College of Art and Design, requiring portfolios, transcripts, and standardized credentials. Tuition and fees align with private specialized art schools and financial aid options include loans and scholarships analogous to awards from National Endowment for the Arts and institutional grants similar to fellowships offered by Guggenheim Foundation. Prospective students are advised to consult enrollment services and career placement offices that maintain employer relationships with entities such as Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Category:Universities and colleges in Atlanta