What majors would I need to look into if I were interested in being a producer and art director.

Lauryn,

I'm a globally published entertainment professional, educator, CEO in the arts and a few other things.

First, never go to a for profit school like full sail or SAE. They give out pseudo degrees that are worth less than toilet paper.

Your goals are broad. Being a producer isn't a very good career path anymore. In fact i just left a lunch with a handful who lost there jobs at universal music a few weeks ago. With 77% of all music and lots of other media being stolen by consumers, there's no industry left there anymore.
Still, do it if you love it, just understand the only people making money are middle men and corporate thieves deep in the trenches of the business. No worries, the other shoe is about to drop on them like the filthy little bugs they are too.

So learning to produce music, film etc.. is easy and you really don't need formal schooling for it. There are tons of videos to teach every aspect of how to craft great media products on youtube alone.

Choose instead a real career that's applicable to the business. Things like finance, accounting, IT, computer engineering, attorney etc... these elements of the job will never go away and they're not limited by an every dying media marketplace.

If a career in the arts is where you want to go, then Cal Arts https://www.calarts.edu/ , RISD http://www.risd.edu/ , SVA in NYC http://http://www.sva.edu/ and my personal favorite ACCD here in Pasadena, CA artcenter.edu . ACCD was created as a school specifically for Disney and their graduates actually get real jobs in art instead of being office staff. Grads from there have had a major hand in everything from car designs to the Harry Potter films. In the arts it's always about how well vetted and connected your program is to other major industries!

If by chance you do end up in the Pasadena area, give me a shout through my website: Recalcitrant.Media and I'll show you around the area. Sheldon Cooper doesn't really live here but actor Wil Wheaton really does...lots of celebrities live here actually. Try not to stare and don't ask for autographs : ))

Lauryn,

Music production at higher education level can be approached from two angles...1) from the music itself as an arranger or composer interested in producing , or 2) from a technical/engineering standpoint, that is, an engineer or audio technician who knows how to operate the studio gear and has some musical training which enables him to direct production. Either is a valid approach. It depends on what your interests are and what you see yourself doing in the future.

When you search MUSIC PRODUCTION on the internet you'll get mostly technical majors that offer the possibility of taking music related courses as a complement to the technical and scientific education. Here is a list of really good schools for this approach: http://musicschoolcentral.com/top-10-colleges-for-music-production/

What I know about these schools is the following:

Full Sail University – Winter Park, FL - It is located just north of Orlando and Mickey Mouse. This is a University that specializes in every aspect and career in the Entertainment industry. It could be an interesting choice because they are an accelerated program where a bachelors degree is only 24 months away. But they have NO MUSIC at all. They are strictly technical.

California Institute of the Arts – Valencia, CA - This is a school of great tradition in the arts.

Georgia State University – Atlanta, GA - GSU has a really good music program that has grown impressively over the years.

New York University – New York, NY - It's a great school located in the heart of New York City where music happens all the time in the widest possible variety. So, there is a double education happening here: what you're taught in class andwhat you learn from being exposed to the cultural life in the city. It's expensive.

Berklee College of Music – Boston, MA - It is also expensive to study here but in Boston there is an enormous education community in music, technology and production.

From the musical approach, Berklee in Boston could also be interesting but not my first choice. North Texas University has an excellent music program that is not nearly as expensive as Berklee. Other good options are Indiana University, The New School in New York City, Rutgers University in New Jersey, and The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in the UK. Studying abroad may not be as complicated as it may seem. Here is an interesting article about this:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/10/29/7-countries-where-americans-can-study-at-universities-in-english-for-free-or-almost-free/?postshare=3431456005755099&tid=ss_wa

In my opinion, the approach should be musical. There is a time that is crucial for the development of musical skills. You can always learn how to operate the gear. In fact, most music schools provide the possibility to take complementary courses in music technology.

The key is to identify what you want to do and then research the institutions and their faculty to find where it's happening. Find the school and the faculty first, then worry about how to get there and pay for it.

Best of luck,

Israel

Hi Lauryn!
Good for you to be thinking about your future!

I'm a little confused...I get the art director part, but an art director of what? Are you thinking retail, fashion, advertising, theatre, interior design, publishing, movies...art is a huge field. Very few people out of college or university start out as art directors; they usually start out as interns and work their way up. Being an art director is being a manager of other artists/designers and projects, and it usually involves having a great deal of responsibility. Any area of the art business is very competitive. It takes time, patience, hard work, tenacity and respect, along with solid art skills to become an art director in any field.

A degree in art (BFA or the equivalent) from a college or university or art school would be the basic requirement, with some internship experience. If you know which area of art you are interested in, then you could investigate specific schools with strengths in your field of choice. If you really know you want to be an art director someday, having some business courses could be a help. Please don't be put off by what I just said, everyone has to start somewhere.

As for being a producer, again a producer of what? Film, music, commercials...? Again it depends on the area you are most interested in. I can't say much about music or film production, but I suspect, as with visual art, it takes experience before you become a producer.

If your school has a career office, I would visit there, or if not, check out careers in your local library. Talk to your school's art teacher, drama teacher, music teacher, and the person who handles the media (if you have a live news program for your school in the morning, that person). See what they have to say about getting your start.

Best wishes!