The Art Department is excited to announce students may now receive accredited degrees

AUSTIN, TX — November 7, 2012 - The Art Department (www.theartdepartment.org) is excited to announce students may now receive accredited degrees. Starting in the spring of 2013, the Associates of Arts in Fine Arts (AFA) and the Bachelor of Science in Fine Arts (BSFA) with concentrations in Illustration, Drawing and Painting, Entertainment 2D and Entertainment 3D will be available to students by enrolling in these programs at Aspen University (www.aspen.edu).

The Art Department (TAD) in cooperative collaboration with Aspen University has successfully incorporated the proven art education philosophies and the highly effective teaching methods pioneered and perfected by TAD into Aspen's nationally accredited academic programs.

"I am extremely excited about Aspen's newly accredited Fine Arts programs. The mission here is to offer students professional guidance directly from the best artists in the industry giving the student the best opportunities to develop their creative careers at a reasonable price. These programs represent the future of art education, and the future is now." John English, CEO of The Art Department."

The Fine Arts classes are led by an elite team of qualified instructors composed of the most successful practicing artists in the industry today. The courses are designed to fully immerse students in their chosen concentration. Classes are delivered in a rich virtual classroom environment providing the opportunity for students to participate and interact directly in real-time with their instructors. All sessions are recorded live and made available to students for unlimited review at their own convenience.

Current students and alumni of The Art Department display and publish their work in some of the top galleries, magazines and websites around the world. Many have won awards from The Society of Illustrators, Spectrum Live and others. TAD artists also provide work and expertise to the NBA, Riot Games, the United States Postal Service and many of the top entertainment companies globally.

The Art Department was created in 2009 by founders of the award-winning Illustration Academy (est. 1995) and leading art education portal Conceptart.org (est. 2007) and is considered the first art school in the entertainment industry focused on both digital and traditional media, delivered by top industry professionals.

Aspen University is a nationally accredited, distance learning university that was established in 1987. Aspen offers degrees in business management, nursing technology, information systems, project management, addiction counseling, fine arts and criminal justice. Aspen offers degree programs at the bachelors, masters, and doctoral level in addition to many certificate programs. The University is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). The Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency, and is a recognized member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).