Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Does CC teach Graphic Design?
What
degrees are offered at CC?
Is CC accredited?
By whom?
What are the top 10 things that make
the Creative Center different?
Can anyone come tour the Creative Center?
Is CC easy to get to?
Why
do parents have to come
to the interview?
What
is a typical class day
like at the Creative Center?
How can students from the
Creative Center earn a BFA in three
years?
When do classes start?
Can I take one or two classes,
possibly at night?
How much does it cost to
attend CC?
Does CC offer scholarships?
Is
financial aid available,
and if so what kind?
Does CC have student housing?
Do I have to take the SAT
or ACT?
Does
the Creative Center offer
placement assistance? What is your
placement rate?
How much money do entry level graphic designers make?
What types of companies hire your
graduates?
What
is your rate of completion?
What
is a Program Advisory Committee?
Do you have one? Who is
on it?
Does CC assist students
with finding part-time work during
school? Are there part-time jobs
available near TCC?
Do CC credits transfer to other colleges?
What do graduates from the Creative
Center have to say about your
college?
What do employers say about your college?
How can I access your Campus Security Report?
Absolutely! The Creative Center offers degrees in multiple aspects of graphic design and advertising. Within that field, however, students have a multitude of directions in which they can focus, such as print, advertising, illustration, web, video, multimedia, 3-D imaging, signage, and much more.
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What
degrees are offered at CC?
The Creative Center offers two degrees:
1) an Associate of Occupational
Studies in Design, Illustration, and Computer Graphics
and
2) a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design
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Is CC accredited? By whom?
Yes! You can find documentation of CC’s accredited status online at www.accsc.org and www.nde.state.ne.us.
* The Creative Center is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC).
* The Creative Center is accredited by the Commissioner of Education under section 85-1619.
* The Creative Center is authorized to operate by the Nebraska Commissioner of Education under the provisions of Nebraska Revised Statute, Sections 85-1601 through 85-1658.
* The Creative Center is authorized to operate as a four-year college offering a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree by the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education under section 85-1105
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What are the top 10 things that make the Creative Center different?
10. CC was founded by the owner of an award-winning art and design studio = that means we know what you need to know to be successful in the field of graphic design.
9. CC treats education like a business, holding classes five days per week from 8:30 - 3:30 = that means you concentrate on the subjects that you’re going to use on the job -
it’s like on-the-job training.
8. CC hires educated, seasoned, creative professionals as instructors = that means you’re taught current, applicable techniques and styles to use in your portfolio (your portfolio is going to get you a job)
7. CC provides a lock-step program = that means TCC offers only the classes you need when you need them - and no long registration lines!
6. CC provides personal, one-on-one attention and professional critiques = that means you get all the information you need to create your best portfolio, and a better portfolio means a better job.
5. CC students receive placement assistance = many employers come to TCC to fill their design positions; that means you have help in finding that perfect job!
4. CC exposes multiple aspects of Graphic Design to their students = that means TCC students work in graphic design areas such as print, advertising, branding, web, signage, illustration, video, 3-D, animation and more.
3. CC students continue to win top awards around the region, country and even the world = that means TCC students are recognized as great graphic designers (future employers like to see that!)
2. CC students own their own laptop computer and software = that means your skills won’t get rusty while you’re attending all those interviews - or even over the weekend.
1. CC students can earn their BFA in Graphic Design in only three calendar years! (Do we really need to explain why that’s so great?)
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Can anyone come tour the Creative Center?
Absolutely!
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Is CC easy to get to?
Super-Easy! Just find I-680 and get off on the
Maple Street exit (#4).
• Turn west onto
Maple Street and drive one block to your first set of lights; this is 108th
Street.
• Turn right (north) onto
108th Street and drive one block; this is Emmet Street.
• Turn left (west) onto
Emmet Street, then take your first right into the Creative Center’s
parking lot.
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Why do parents have to come to the interview?
Parents are important for a couple
of reasons. First, students with a support system (read: parents) are much
more likely to be successful with their studies than those without. Also, regarding
financial aid, students are considered dependent until they are 24 years old,
so parent information will be required. Plus, it’s a lot easier for your parents
to attend a tour than to try to explain to them how great we are.
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What is a
typical class day like at the Creative Center?
Classes are Monday through Friday
from 8:30am until 3:30pm. Students take one class per day, so Mondays might
be Art History and Tuesdays might be Drawing. The breakout of a single day
goes like this:
8:30 Class begins – Instruction
and Lecture
9:30 Break
9:40 Work
on Assignments; Teacher one-on-one and Lab
10:40 Break
10:50 Work
on Assignments; Teacher one-on-one and Lab
11:50 – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 Instruction
and Lecture
2:00 Break
2:20 Work
on Assignments; Teacher one-on-one and Lab
3:30 Class
ends
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How can students from the
Creative Center earn a BFA in three years?
Good Question! Any degree requires
a minimum number of earned credit hours. Credit hours are determined by taking
the number of hours a student spends in lectures, the hours in a supervised
lab setting, and the hours working on coursework outside of the classroom,
mixing all these hours into a formula, and spitting out the the number of credit
hours that the course is worth.
Due to the unique way that our college is set
up, students spend a lot more time in a supervised classroom than in a typical
university in addition to the regular number of lecture hours. More time in
the classroom means more hours in the formula, which means more credit hours
per course, which means less calendar years in school, which means graduates
who are employed sooner!
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When do classes start?
CC has one start date per year and runs on a semester
system. For the 2011-2012 school year, classes start Monday, August 8.
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Can
I take one or two classes, possibly at night?
The Creative Center does not currently
offer evening courses, however, students are able to complete either program
by attending part-time. Keep in mind that all courses are interweaving, so
subject matter and applications that are covered in one class may be built
upon in another class. For example, if you are looking for a class to learn
InDesign, the Creative Center interweaves that program into three separate
courses during the spring semester of first year.
Also keep in mind that all
first-year courses must be completed before a student can begin the second
year, and all second-year courses must be completed before a student can graduate
from the AOS program or begin the third year.
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How much does it cost to attend
CC?
Tuition for the 2011-2012 school year is $11,800 per semester.
Students are also responsible for book and software, and lab fees
each semester, a computer fee the first semester, and a matriculation
fee the last semester of each program.
When
comparing tuition costs with other colleges, be sure to match apples to apples.
The Creative Center’s program is set up so that a student can complete a bachelor of fine arts degree in three years; according to the College Board’s
2006 Reports on College Pricing and Financial Aid, among bachelor degree recipients
in 1999-2000, those who began their studies at four-year public colleges and
universities took an average of 6.2 years to earn their degree. That means
CC students have the potential to earn three years of employment income before
their peers have graduated!
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Does CC offer scholarships?
The Creative Center offers scholarships to new
students who exhibit exceptional talent, creativity and academic standing.
For all the details about our scholarships, come visit one of our admissions
representatives.
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Is financial aid available. . .?
Yes, for students who qualify.
Qualifying means providing the Financial Aid department with tax information
and filling out a FAFSA
form every school year.
The types of financial aid available
to students are:
1) Federal Pell Grants
2) Academic Competitiveness Grants
3) Nebraska State Grant (NSG)
4) Federal Student Stafford loans
5) Federal Parent PLUS loans
6) Private Educational loans
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Does CC have student housing?
The Creative Center does not own any student
dormitories or apartments, however, we work with a nearby apartment complex
to help arrange housing and roommates for first-year students.
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Do I have to take the SAT or ACT?
Nope; in order to apply for acceptance to
the Creative Center you need the following items:
1) Your Portfolio (10-15 examples
of creative work).
2) A one-page letter explaining why you wish to attend the
Creative Center.
3) A letter of recommendation, preferably from your high school
art teacher.
4) Your current high school transcript or GED results. (A final,
official transcript will be required after you graduate from high school.)
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Does
the Creative Center offer placement assistance? What is your placement rate?
Absolutely! In fact, many employers come to CC to fill their design positions. As of July 26, 2010, the 2008 graduating classes were 87% placed – that's 36 out of 41 students employed in the field that we know about!
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How much money do entry level graphic designers make?
Depending on the area of the country, size of the
company and exact job description, salaries will vary. According to the 2009
AIGA/Aquent Survey of Design Salaries, a median salary for an entry-level
designer is $35,000. In the Midwest, however, keep in mind that those numbers
will tend to be lower.
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What types of companies hire your graduates?
The great part of teaching multiple aspects of graphic design is that our graduates are employable for any number
of different companies, and are particularly suited for in-house work. Of course,
advertising agencies and design firms snatch them up as well, but we are continuously
surprised by the number of companies who hire our graduates that we have never
heard of. Here are just a handful of examples of companies who have hired our
graduates in the past:
Ameritrade |
Gourmet Candle |
Mutual of Omaha |
What is your rate of completion?
The average completion rate of all classes graduating in 2009 is 70%.
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What is a Program Advisory Committee? Do you have one? Who is
on it?
A Program Advisory Committee (PAC) is basically a
group of professionals who make sure that we, as a college, are doing a good
job. They confirm that we’re teaching the appropriate subjects, software,
theory, and projects in order to be sure that our graduates are employable.
And, yes, we have a PAC which meets twice per year. To see the current list of
PAC members, visit the program advisory committee page.
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Does CC assist
students with finding part-time work during school? Are there part-time jobs
available near CC?
Many of our students work part-time near The Creative Center
including locations such as restaurants, gas stations, and grocery stores.
Employment guides are posted weekly in the student lounge to assist students
in finding part-time employment during the school year.
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Do CC credits transfer
to other colleges?
The Creative Center holds articulation agreements with Bellevue University and the University of Phoenix., which means both universities will automatically accept our credits.
Transferability of credits from the Creative Center to all other colleges is
determined by each institution individually. Students should contact the registrar
at each college to see if they will accept credits from the Creative Center.
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What do graduates from The Creative Center have to say about your college?
"I enjoyed the Creative Center so much as a student, I continued my education and got my Masters degree, so I could come back and teach! Now, I teach part-time in an environment that I love."
Janelle DeBoer
Class of 2007
Omaha, Nebraska
“After
I graduated from a four-year university with a bachelor degree in advertising,
I was not convinced that I was prepared to work in the field. I had a well-rounded
education that focused on the business side, but I needed more hands-on technical
education in graphics to really have an edge. I applied and was accepted directly
into the second year of the Creative Center, and I learned more in one year
of study at CC than I did in four years at my previous university. My portfolio
is exclusively filled with work I did at CC. I even improved projects I had
done at the university once I had more technical knowledge.”
Angela Mazzei-Kennedy
Class of 2005
LeMars, Iowa
“Thanks to the assistance of my instructors at the Creative Center
I was able to design my projects with real depth. This not only gave me creative design skills but the convinced I needed in the field
”
Jacob Weichman
Class of 2004
Omaha, Nebraska
“After graduation, my first job was with an advertising agency.
I was pleasantly surprised just how well prepared I was for the “real world.”
Tara
Kautz
Class of 2001
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What do employers say about your college?
“In the past, we recruited from outside
Nebraska to find the talent that we needed to staff our Creative Department.
In the years since The Creative Center has been in operation, we have been
able to draw a steady stream of young and well-developed talent from their
graduating classes.”
Scott Moore
President & CEO; Bozell & Jacobs
"We hired a graduate from the Creative Center's two-year, Associate of Occupational Studies program. She was hired as a graphic designer and quickly rose to Assistant Art Director because of her fresh perspective, her great work ethic, and her ability to work quickly and efficintly. She has exceeded our expectations for the position."
Mark Carpenter
Partner; SKAR Advertising
“After an interview, I recommended a person
to attend the Creative Center even though they had recently graduated from
another college.”
Dan Hatfield
Creative Director; Anderson Partners
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How can I access your Campus Security Report?
The Creative Center prepares this report to comply with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act. The full text of this report can be found by clicking on this link. Copies of this report can also be obtained by contacting the Executive Director or by calling (402) 898-1000.
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