CTE - Arts, A/V Technology, and Communications
Career and Technical Education (CTE) Arts, A/V Technology, and Communications Education leads to creative jobs in photography, interactive media, social media, illustration, design, and more.
Public schools prepare students enrolled in CTE Arts, A/V, and Communications for careers in visual arts, social media marketing, audio-video, and more.
A variety of industries employ creative skills derived from fine arts, graphic design, and technology. The Arts, A/V Technology, and Communications CTE cluster prepares students for careers in designing, writing, producing, performing, exhibiting, and publishing multimedia content. These CTE programs include visual arts and performing arts, as well as design, journalism, audio/visual production, and entertainment services.
Design and Multimedia Arts
The Design and Multimedia Arts pathway explores a broad range of curriculum, including visual arts and performing arts. CTE’s design courses encompass a variety of design fields like graphic design, industrial design, and video game design.
Industrial Design
According to one of the top art and graphic design schools, Savannah College of Art and Design, “Industrial designers shape our world, from games and gadgets, to bicycles and boats, to highchairs and helmets”. Industrial designers invent practical solutions to real-world challenges.
Video Game Design
Game designers and video game developers use creativity and design skills to create entertaining or educational video games. Video game design combines unique and interactive stories, characters, rules, and challenges,
The New York Film Academy describes a few in-demand game design jobs like game animators, game artists, and testers. Game animators use 2D and 3D techniques to bring characters to life. Game artists work with creative directors to create the visual elements of games. Game testers are responsible for finding glitches and identifying areas that need improvement.
Visual Arts and Photography
Photography is a popular visual arts pathway for students in high school. CTE Photography classes give students an introduction to photography basics and portrait photography, as well as architectural and sports photography.
Photography for beginners online classes can also be found free on YouTube. Students can also major in photography in college through a Bachelor of Fine Arts program.
Fashion Design
Careers in the fashion industry span all aspects of the fields of textiles and apparel. Fashion Design program students will learn design and construction techniques as well as the business aspects of fashion including promotion and retailing.
Students can aspire to become future fashion designers, fashion journalists, buyers, pattern makers, retail managers, or textile designers.
Digital Communications
The CTE Digital Communications pathway explores the field of audio and visual media production. This can include broadcasting, video production, advertising, and cinema production. This program of study includes learning skills to operate equipment like microphones, speakers, screens, projectors, sound boards, etc.
Communications involve the study of TV and film production, as well as traditional and online journalism.
Film, Animation, and Video Production
In Film/Animation/Video CTE courses, students explore the art of the moving image. They learn to use tools needed to a creative vision using film, interactive media, animation, and/or installations. Students can learn to write, direct, produce, and shoot scenes on film, as well as taking video editing courses. They can learn the introductory basics for careers such as cinematography, game design, lighting, sound engineering.
Beyond high school, the Rhode Island School of Design states that students “bounce ideas off each other while focusing on making documentary, experimental and narrative films, or animated work using a wide range of techniques, from CGI to hand-drawn to stop-motion animation and more.”
Journalism and Communications
Writing for Film, TV, and Theater
Courses for movies and television writing are available at many public high schools, as well as higher education institutions, such as The Academy of Art University.
Writing classes can introduce students to the basics of how to write a book, which can lead to writing screenplays and scripts for film, tv, and theater.
Online Content Writers
Web Development and Interactive Media Design
Web developers design, build and implement websites. A web developer designs a website’s layout and maintains a user-friendly interface. A web developer can create content and upgrade pages when needed.
An interactive media designer creates graphics and animations for media outlets and electronic devices. These can include cell phone apps, web-based computer games, or interactive websites. CTE coursework that can prepare students for interactive media design can include animation or website development.
Sources and Additional Information on Getting an MFA and other Creative Jobs and Creative Careers:
- Learn How to Become.org
- Jobs with a Masters of Fine Arts (MFA)– Payscale
- Visual Arts and Performing Arts– Jail Art Center
- Performance Arts vs Performing Arts– Barry John Acting Studio
- The Designers Toolbox– Graphic Design is My Passion
- Graphic Design vs Game Design– RSWEBSOLS
- Top Game Design Schools– The Princeton Review
- Video Production Classes- High School Video Production Curriculum– TXCTE
- Texas Photography Schools Overviews– Study.com- Photography Classes Near Me
- Study Abroad Visual Arts Programs– School of Visual Arts, New York City
- Benefits of Art Education– Dominican University of California Literature Review
- 5 Tips to Prep for Graphic Design School Classes– All Art Schools- How to Get into Graphic Design and Prepare for Classes
- SXSW Interactive Archives– SXSW Art Conference Info, Art/Film Panels, Applications
- Degree Query- What Can I Do With a Fashion Degree?
- Digital Communications Program of Study
- Design & Multimedia Arts
