Over 100 institutions of higher learning in the U.S. and Europe have granted credit to students (graduate and undergraduate) for periods of study at the Aegean Center.
Although the Aegean Center is not itself accredited by choice, many colleges and universities in North America have granted credit for work done through our programs. The Aegean Center, founded in 1966, is unique in many ways; nevertheless, our semester-long courses often dovetail with those institutions who think it valuable for a student to have a study abroad experience.
Each student is responsible for arranging academic credit with her or his college or university prior to their attending the Aegean Center program.
In the past students have had few problems receiving credits for the work they did while at the Center. The schools you see listed below having granted credits to Aegean Center students are schools that a student was enrolled in prior to coming to the Center and to which they returned at the conclusion of study period at the Center. It seems each school has a different way of reviewing a student's work and experience from their participation in an independent study abroad program and granting credits for their study. Most regularly, however, the Center provides evaluations (and grades if requested) of the student's work, performance and participation. These evaluations, along with the work the student accomplished during their stay at the Center, is typically presented to a committee back at the student's home school usually comprising of teacher, advisor and/or administrator for their own evaluation from which credits will be granted. The more enlightened schools and programs will also take the time to discuss a student's study abroad undertaking, in context to the cultural and world experience, to gain a more inclusive understanding of their total unified learning experience. We also find that some schools do make it easy for students wanting to study abroad and offer assistance to them in the pre-attendance stage so their student might have the very best possible experience during their time abroad as well as upon their return.
We recommend a student first go directly to the study abroad office and speak with the director about their plans. We further suggest that a student go to their advisor and department heads to organize a plan and a cooperative effort between them, yourself and the Aegean Center. The Aegean Center usually offers five courses a semester. The amount of class time and work they require varies, but generally they are equivalent to 3 or 4-credit courses at a standard American college. Ambitious students often accomplish much more work than this, and consequently receive a lot of one-on-one attention from instructors, especially in the intense studio-arts courses.
We would also like to mention that many schools have in place a 'Tuition Sharing Program' whereby a student accepted into an independent study abroad program will pay tuition to their home institution and they in turn will pay up to a certain percentage of this paid tuition to cover the study abroad program costs. Typically this percentage is in the range of 70 to 80%. Ask your home school administration if they have such a program in place or if they would be willing to consider such an arrangement.
The Aegean Center conducts a program which places a student's individual growth ahead of other factors; such as ranking within the class, or comparison with statistical averages of student work. We are a small program by design and non-accredited by choice. Our educational principles are firmly based in the Socratic method as well as the Oxford type tutorial. If a student is excelling, or conversely having a problem with their course work, we do not need or depend on grades to indicate this to us and we interact accordingly. Our teachers are highly specialized and have long experience teaching in our small-group tutorial environment. Most large style institutions of learning are forced to deal with the individual student as a number and a statistic by virtue of its size. This may well require them to "standardize" and to test and issue grades but it does not compel us to follow. However, if it is imperative a student attending the Aegean Center receive letter grades in order to be granted credits at their home institution we will cooperate with their home school and accommodate this requirement.
We are justly proud of our educational methods and almost four decades of providing a unique study environment and life experience to so many students. We do not feel that the burden falls on us to meet the requirements of other institutions. It has been proven to us time and time again that the students who participate in our program learn differently, and learn at a ferocious rate. We stand ready to assist you and your home school in every way possible to organize and accommodate your study for credit while at the Aegean Center. Our long history and record of distinction continue to satisfy many of the finest schools in North America on an ongoing and durable basis.
This Is a Partial List of Schools That Have Granted Credit for Study at the Aegean Center for the Fine Arts:
Alfred University
American University
Antioch College
Atlanta College of Art
Bard College
Barnard College
Beloit College
Boston Museum School
Bowdoin College
Bradford College
Bristol Polytechnic
(England)
Brown University
California College of Arts and Crafts
Calvin
College
Carleton College
Central Michigan University
Chicago Art Institute
Colgate University
College of the Atlantic
College of the Redwoods
Colorado Rocky Mountain School
Colorado State University
Columbia University
Converse College
Corcoran School of Art
Cornell College
Emory University
Evergreen State College
Flagler College
Florida State University
Franconia College
Friends World Institute
Goddard University
Hampshire
University
Harlech College (Wales)
Harvard University
Humbolt State
University
Ithaca College
James Madison University
Johnson State College
Kansas City Art Institute
Knox College
Lake Erie College
Leslie College
Lewis and Clark College
Louisiana State University
Lyndon State College
Manhattanville College
Marlboro College
Maryville College
Massachusetts
College of Art
Michigan State University
Middlebury College
Minneapolis
College of Art and Design
New York University
Ohio University
Pacific
Northwest College of Art
Pennsylvania State University
Philadelphia College
of Art
Pomona College
Portland School of Art
Portland State University
Pratt Institute
Princeton University
Queens College, City University of
New York
Rhode Island School of Design
Rollins College of Art
Royal
Academy of Fine Arts (Belgium)
Sarah Lawrence College
St. Cloud State
University
St. John's Graduate Institute in Liberal Education*
San Francisco
Art Institute
School of Visual Arts
Scripps College
Simon's Rock College
Skidmore College
State Universities of New York: Albany,
Binghamton, Cortland, New Paltz, Purchase
Swarthmore College
Towson State
University
Tyler School of Art*
Tufts University
US Armed Forces Base School
University of Alaska
University of Arizona
University
of British Columbia
Universities of California: Los Angeles, Santa Cruz
University of Hartford
University of Hong Kong
University of Illinois
University of Kansas
University of Louisville, Kentucky
University of Maryland
University of Massachusetts
University of Michigan
University of New Hampshire
University of New Mexico*
University of North Carolina
University of Oregon
University
of Southern Oregon
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
University of Southern California*
University of Texas
University of Vermont
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin
University Without Walls
Webster College
West Virginia University
Western Washington University
Worchester Art Museum School
Yale University
Social Security Administration
*graduate credit