For people who would find attending a brick-and-mortar art school inconvenient, an academy of art online could suit their purposes. When choosing the academy that best suits one's needs, there are a few points to consider. A potential student should investigate how programs are structured, what kind of instruction is offered, and whether or not the academy is accredited. Depending on the student's own motivations for wanting to study at an academy of art online, these factors will vary in terms of priority.
If a person is seeking a qualification to help secure professional or further educational opportunities, it is of the utmost importance that the institution's programs are accredited. There are many diploma mills online that dole out unaccredited qualifications at a low cost and with little learning benefit. Other academies might provide good learning tools and interesting courses, but still lack the accreditation needed for employment or further study. Esteem for certain accreditation bodies can vary from country to country, so one should inquire to local institutions or companies to determine whether or not they would recognize an institution's particular accreditation. A potential student should also research instructors' qualifications and backgrounds before applying to an academy of art online.
Studying at an academy of art online can present students with unique benefits and drawbacks. It is up to each student to decide which of these outweigh the others. Commonly cited benefits include greater flexibility in terms of study hours and the comfort of being in one's own home with personal art supplies on hand. Despite interactive learning technologies such as chat rooms or virtual classrooms, however, some online students still miss the face-to-face contact with instructors and classmates. Art students may also feel they lack some degree of hands-on support in developing their artwork — a visual arts teacher helping a student to mix colors on a pallet, for example, or a music instructor correcting a student's posture with a guiding tap on the back.
Academies of art online can be structured in many different ways, and not all will offer the same amount of flexibility in terms of choosing one's own hours. The type of qualification being pursued will often determine both the amount of dedicated time needed to complete a program as well as its intensity. An accredited academy of art online might offer online arts education that ranges from short-course certificates to BAs, MFAs, or even PhDs in fine arts.