UArts certificates give first looks

University of the Arts students don’t have to be in an undergraduate program to get the full undergrad treatment. Those in a certificate programs are given photo IDs, access to the school’s library and, at the end, their own graduation ceremony. They also get alumni status, which includes lifetime access to the career center. But for most of the students, the best career advice comes straight from the teachers.

“The faculty are professional photographers, designers, artists. They’re people doing what our students hope to be doing,” says Rob Craig, continuing-education coordinator at UArts. “The students not only get feedback and direction, but they get practical knowledge of what the work environment is like — that exposure is so beneficial.”

Among the most popular certificate programs at UArts are the website design and development tracks, geared toward designers — or aspiring designers — who need digital skills to land a job. In “Print + Web Design Dual,” students learn how to translate 2-D print designs into a 3-D environment, Craig says.

Hands-on workshops for your inner artist

Working adults looking for a way to express their artistic side can sign up for a series of weekend workshops at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art. The workshops meet every Saturday for eight weeks in the fall or spring. Starting this January, select workshops will also be offered in a compressed three-day format.

“They’re hands-on studio workshops for people who have a somewhat serious interest in fine arts,” says Terry Putscher, director of continuing education at Tyler.

Classes include stop-motion and digital animation, digital design and illustration, drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography and even glass blowing.