Southeast Missouri State University is pleased to announce it has been awarded associate accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

The NASAD Commission awarded the accreditation in April following self-study and peer review processes. The associate accreditation is for four years, with the University’s next full review slated for the 2022-2023 academic year.

“We are absolutely thrilled to receive NASAD accreditation.  This is the fourth and final accreditation in the arts for Southeast,” said Rhonda Weller-Stilson, director of the Earl and Margie Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts and associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “With this last accreditation, we are the only school in Missouri nationally accredited in all four arts areas – music, art, theatre and dance.”

With this announcement, NASAD accredited art programs at Southeast are as follows:

• Bachelor of Arts in art
• Bachelor of Science in art education
• Bachelor of Science in human environmental studies (interior design option)
• Bachelor of Fine Arts in art (ceramics, digital arts, graphic design/illustration, painting, printmaking and sculpture options)
• Master of Arts in human environmental studies (interior design option)
• Master of Arts in secondary education (art option)

NASAD is an organization of schools, conservatories, colleges and universities with about 352 accredited institutional members. It establishes national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees and other credentials for art and design and art/design-related disciplines, and provides assistance to institutions and individuals engaged in artistic, scholarly, educational and other art/design-related endeavors.

Southeast’s Department of Art offers students the opportunity to hone their talents and prepare for careers through study and hands-on experiences in ceramics, digital art, graphic design, illustration, painting, printmaking and sculpture. Students regularly exhibit their work in the River Campus Art Gallery, the Dobbins Hallway Gallery, the Rosemary Berkel and Harry L. Crisp II Museum and the Catapult Creative House Gallery.

Southeast’s NASAD accredited art and design programs now find themselves among prestigious company, including the New York Film Academy, California State-Fullerton, Syracuse University and Saint John’s University, all NASAD accredited schools.

Southeast’s Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts now holds four major national accreditations. In addition to NASAD, Southeast’s Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD). The University’s Department of Music is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). Southeast is also a proud member of the esteemed National Association of School of Theatre (NAST).

Other NAST accredited institutions include the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, UCLA and several State University of New York (SUNY) campuses. Among a number of NASD accredited institutions are the Limon Institute and the California Institute of the Arts. Institutions with NASM accreditation include the Eastman School of Music and The Collective, among others.

“We have strived to create programs and curriculum that not only provide an excellent education to our students but also have been verified by professional consultants in each area as appropriately demanding,” Weller-Stilson said. “We set high goals for our students, and this affirms that we are meeting national expectations.