While SCAD summer classes will continue amidst the COVID-19 pandemic through the university’s preeminent virtual learning platforms, the SCAD family eagerly anticipates the arrival of fall—when students will, once more, be able to take classes in-person and hang out in SCAD residence halls.
As students look first to the summer quarter and then to the fall, preparing to make the journey to Savannah and Atlanta—many for their first year of university!—SCAD continues to provide updates about the forthcoming fall quarter, including information about course delivery, ongoing admission processes, and tuition. So, students and parents who are excited about the fall quarter: look no further! Here’s the latest intel on what to expect at SCAD and for real-time updates follow SCAD on Twitter.
Key Dates
Summer 2020 orientation for all new students—SCAD Savannah, Atlanta, and eLearning—will take place on June 19, with the summer quarter beginning June 22 and running through August 27.
The first five-week session of summer quarter runs June 22 to July 23, with a drop/add period of June 22-26.
The second five-week session of summer quarter transpires from July 27 to August 27, with a drop/add period of July 27-31.
(Students enrolled for Summer 2020 should have paid their tuition, housing, and meal plan balances by June 1.)
For SCAD Atlanta, Savannah, and eLearning students enrolling in the Fall 2020 Quarter, housing, meal plan, and tuition balances are due on August 1.
The fall quarter begins September 14 and runs through November 19, with a drop/add period from September 14-18. Midterms will be held the week of October 12, and students can begin registering for Winter 2021 on October 15.
Admission
SCAD admission professionals approached the pandemic with positivity and flexibility and have used the past three months to further enhance the recruitment, admission, and enrollment experiences for prospective students.
Indeed, SCAD admission has been busy over the summer, offering virtual daily tours of SCAD Atlanta and SCAD Savannah and chatting with tens of thousands of students over social media and Zoom, not to mention the phone. Admission staff have also created new events, such as virtual Accepted Student Celebrations, to create early connections among soon-to-arrive first-year students.
Whether enrolling in the fall or getting a jumpstart in the summer, SCAD students will arrive to campus with burgeoning friendships and all the resources they need to learn.
What Will Fall 2020 Look Like at SCAD?
SCAD looks forward to welcoming back students to university locations in Savannah and Atlanta for the Fall 2020 Quarter, while SCAD eLearning continues to provide exciting educational opportunities to learners around the world.
To prepare for the physical return of students in the fall, SCAD has stayed in continuous contact with leading public health and safety experts, who have helped plan and develop policies, procedures, and practices to ensure a safe, fun, and enlightening academic experience. Guided by Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization recommendations, a specialized task force of SCAD leaders have already begun putting in place safety measures, including:
- Social-distancing plans for SCAD facilities and learning environments, including studios, material and computer labs, classrooms, and university residence halls;
- Enhanced and adapted services in departments from residence life to dining, all of which are designed to promote health and well-being;
- Further enhanced cleaning and inspection of high-use, high-traffic areas, such as learning labs and university buses;
- Requirements and recommendations for personal protective equipment (PPE) to complement and support social-distancing efforts;
- Health resources—such as support for testing, contact-tracing, and established spaces for quarantine—in the event COVID-19 cases appear at SCAD locations; and
- Ongoing and transparent communication to all members of the SCAD family, including students, parents, faculty, staff, and alumni.
In terms of actual fall classes, SCAD used the university’s quick transition to virtual learning in the spring and the subsequent summer to study students’ learning experiences, further train and equip faculty to teach in today’s dynamic environment, and further prepare for the future of higher education.
To support SCAD students returning to campus and taking in-person classes, the university will deliver a hybrid model of instruction, featuring on-ground (in-classroom) instruction, real-time virtual instruction, and anytime online instruction. The goal is to give students options that best match their individual learning styles and reinforce the university’s strong sense of community, not to mention safeguard their health and well-being.
Many courses will have both real-time, in-person components and real-time, virtual components, which allows students to engage and interact with peers and SCAD faculty at a level that’s comfortable for them and tailored to their individual needs. Such a setup also provides for uninterrupted student learning in the event students in a class need to self-quarantine, for example.
Meanwhile, the university’s anytime online classes, rooted in SCAD eLearning’s award-winning instructional design expertise, allow students to thrive in self-directed learning, engaging with course material at their own pace week by week.
Of course, all three modes of instruction feature the hallmarks of SCAD’s preeminent instruction: clearly defined and supremely relevant learning outcomes; at least five assignments/grading opportunities; masterclasses and mentor visits helmed by SCAD alumni and top-tier industry professionals; and a minimum of 50 hours of formal instruction.
Additionally, SCAD students can continue to take advantage of SCADamp, the university’s new professional communication studio that teaches the art of pitching, presenting, and, generally, compelling audiences to pause, listen, and delight in cutting-edge ideas, concepts, and thought leadership. Furthermore, SCADpro—the university’s research-and-design consultancy—stands ready to pair students with today’s top designers, thinkers, and makers as teams tackle invigorating design challenges.