Who would make a good candidate for Expression College, and why should this person choose Expression over other higher education or vocational training?

How long is the program? Is it divided up into semesters?

What is the cost of tuition?

Do you offer scholarships or grants or loans?

What is the ratio of male to female students? What is the average student age?

What percentage of your student body comes from the San Francisco Bay Area? What percentage is from out of area?

How do you assist students in finding jobs?

How else do you connect students with the industry?

What time are classes?

How much do books cost?

What are the requirements for admission?

How do I apply?

Can I transfer general education credits from another school towards my BAS degree at Expression?

What if I do not have prior experience?

What kind of equipment do you have?

How does your accelerated degree program work? How big are the classes?

Are you accredited?

What is the difference between a Bachelor of Applied Science and B.A. or B.S.?

Do you have student housing?

Who are your teachers?

What differentiates your Industry and Career Services from traditional colleges?

Answers

Who would make a good candidate for Expression College, and why should this person choose Expression over other higher education or vocational training?

Good candidates for Expression are passionate, creative people who are not afraid of hard work and commitment. They have a great attitude and can work well in a team environment.

Expression is based on an accelerated and demanding curriculum which allows students to get what is typically a 4-year Bachelor's degree in about 2 1/2 years. Our facility is open 24-7 and days can be long. If a student is not committed and they don't love it, they won't make it.

Expression College for Digital Arts offers a learning environment tailored to help our students succeed. Our limited classes insure an intimate learning experience and plenty of hands-on time, as much as 7 to 8 hours per day depending on where the student is in the program. To make sure that our students are prepared to meet the challenges of a digital arts career, we provide professional grade facilities, and equipment and regularly upgrade our software, hardware and programs. Expression prides itself on a diverse and fast paced curriculum, hands-on experience, and high job assistance rates. *At this time, job assistance is not available to International students.

 

How long is the program? Is it divided up into semesters?

Expression College for Digital Arts offers a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in the areas of Sound Arts, Animation and Visual Effects, Motion Graphic Design, and Game Art and Design. To complete a program at Ex’pression requires 4 academic years or approximately 32 months if enrolled as a full-time student. One academic year at Ex’pression is approximately 31 weeks. The program is broken into semesters. Each semester at Ex’pression consists of approximately 15 weeks. Classes at Ex’pression may run for 5 weeks, 7.5 weeks, or 15 weeks depending on the selected course schedule.

 

What is the cost of tuition?

Tuition is currently $84,320* for the entire program and includes books, materials and supplies.

*Students who do not pay in full for the entire program at the time of enrollment will be subject to periodic tuition increases which will increase the total amount of the program.

 

Do you offer scholarships or grants or loans?

Ex’pression does offer a scholarship and our Financial Aid Office can also provide you with a list of available scholarship databases to assist you in your search.

Financial Aid is available for those who qualify. Ex’pression is approved by the United States Department of Education as eligible to participate in the following Federal Student Aid Title IV Programs: Federal Family Education Loan Program, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Pell Grant, and Federal Work Study. Additionally, Ex’pression participates in the California State Grant Program (Cal Grant).

 

What is the ratio of male to female students? What is the average student age? The ratio is currently 15% female and 85% male.
The age range is 18 to 60.
The average age is 22.

 

What percentage of your student body comes from the San Francisco Bay Area? What percentage is from out of area? Currently, about 65% of our student body is from the Bay Area and 35% are from out-of-state or other parts of California. A small percentage are International.

 

How do you assist students in finding jobs? Our Industry and Career Services staff utilizes their own industry experience and contacts to provide personalized career development to all Expression students in their last months prior to graduation. In addition to helping students with networking and job opportunities, the department sponsors regular workshops on interviewing and other job-seeking skills. * Job assistance is not available to International students.

 

How else do you connect students with the industry? As an Expression student, you have the opportunity to connect with industry professionals throughout your program. Top industry professionals, from Grammy Award-winning producers and Academy Award-winning visual effects artists and animation directors, to renowned graphic designers give lectures at our industry Insider Days. Insider Days are an integral part of the curriculum and attendance is required.

Additionally, students in good academic standing may have the opportunity to be mentored by industry professionals in our mentor program.

 

What time are classes? Core classes are generally 7 to 8 hours a day and General Education classes are generally 3 to 4 hours a day. Times of day for classes depend on the particular course or stage of the program. While most classes are held between 8 AM. and 6 PM, Expression is a 24-7 facility and labs and classes may be scheduled at any time during the week.

 

How much do books cost? Books are included in the tuition fee.

 

What are the requirements for admission? We require all applicants to have graduated from high school or hold a GED or equivalent. Applicants for our visual programs are required to either provide a portfolio of creative work or to pass a drawing skills test. A state-approved comprehensive math and English test is administered to all domestic applicants. Please speak to an admissions representative regarding any additional questions you have about admissions requirements.

 

How do I apply? You must complete an Admissions Application and submit a $95 non-refundable application fee. You will also need to select a specific start date. There are 8 or 9 start dates per calendar year and your admissions representative can work to help you select a start date that meets your schedule and goals.

Once the application has been submitted, you will also need to complete an entrance interview and fulfill the entrance requirements. *International applicants - please see application process under the International section.

 

Can I transfer general education credits from another school towards my BAS degree at Expression?

Expression may accept general education courses transferred from accredited post-secondary institutions if certain conditions (as outlined in the college catalog) are met. Credit for any other courses may be granted on a course-by-course basis based on a transfer request made by the student prior to matriculation.

Here are some helpful definitions regarding course types at Expression College:

General Education at Expression consists of courses in English, Psychology, Ethics, History, Humanities, Math and Science, and are designed to give students the intellectual foundation and skills necessary to achieve academic and professional success and pursue life-long learning.

Common Core Courses

Expression believes that a basic understanding of the digital arts is necessary for academic and professional success. Common Core courses at Expression are designed to provide students with foundational skills in areas such as film making, DVD authoring, presentation skills, media related business skills, & resume development.

Core Program Courses

Core Program courses are courses directly related to the field of study for which the degree will be awarded. Core program courses at Expression are designed in a way to build upon the previous course.

 

What if I do not have prior experience? While experience is always welcomed, our programs are designed to train students from the ground up. We seek individuals who bring passion, commitment and the ability to work well in a team environment.

 

What kind of equipment do you have? Expression strives to maintain professional grade learning facilities; we regularly consult with industry professionals to keep our programs and our equipment current with industry standards.

 

How does your accelerated degree program work? How big are the classes?

One of the advantages of attending Expression is the cross media training all our students receive, regardless of what program they take. Students at Ex'pression take several common core courses together with student from all programs. The common core lectures have no more than 50 students per class. Those needing General Education courses will also take these classes with students from all programs. General Education courses are limited to no more than 60 students per class. Core program lectures in the visual programs are limited to 24 students per class; labs are limited to 12 students per instructor with up to 24 students in a lab with two instructors. Sound Arts lectures are limited to 40 students per course and labs are limited to 8 students per lab group.

There is a one-to-one student to computer ratio, and the limited class sizes allow students to receive plenty of attention and assistance.

 

Are you accredited? Expression is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). Expression is also approved to operate and to grant degrees by the State of California’s Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (BPPVE), part of the California Department of Consumer Affairs.

 

What is the difference between a Bachelor of Applied Science and B.A. or B.S.? The BAS you earn at Expression is a recognized degree that indicates the program is geared toward the training and application of knowledge for a specific vocation. "Applied science" is the exact science of applying knowledge from one or more fields to practical problems. Other Bachelor's degrees prepare students to pursue further study or research in given areas and may be more focused on theory rather than application.

 

Do you have student housing? Yes, Ex’pression offers student housing through a partnership with Collegiate Housing Services. CHS will assist students in finding appropriate housing. For more information on their housing programs, please visit www.housingservices.com, or call 1-800-U-MOVE-IN (1-800-866-8346).

 

Who are your teachers? Expression's faculty is composed of a wide range of skilled teachers from many varied backgrounds. Expression requires that instructors have the minimum of a Bachelor's degree plus four years of industry experience in order to be considered for positions on our faculty. Many of our teachers have far more years of industry experience and a number continue to work outside of the College on projects. We have a comprehensive database of faculty and staff bios available online.

 

What differentiates your Industry and Career Services from traditional colleges? Expression's personalized career development process has been designed to prepare, empower and motivate the student by providing them with job seeking tools, individual support and guidance, and a better understanding of the industry. We have a long list of well known companies in relevant industries that have hired Expression graduates for internships or jobs. Our experienced career development professionals work one-on-one with you to help you with networking and job opportunities.