SVA is a fully accredited for-profit college that requires the completion of a four-year, 120 credit course for a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. This includes 72 accumulated credits' worth of studio classes (where the curriculum requires the creation of some type of art), 30 accumulated credits of Humanities and Sciences courses, 12 accumulated credits of art history courses, and six discretionary credits.
The Master of Fine Arts and Master of Professional Studies degrees require completion of 60 credits and a thesis project.
The MAT degree requires the completion of 36 credits and a thesis project.
As of 2006, the undergraduate degrees offered at SVA are Advertising, Animation, Cartooning, Computer art, Film & Video, Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Design, Photography, and Visual & Critical Studies.
In 1983, the school introduced its first graduate offering, a Master of Fine Arts program in painting, drawing and sculpture. Since then, SVA has added nine more graduate programs: Art Education; Art Criticism & Writing; Art Therapy; Computer art; Design; Design Criticism, Digital Photography; Illustration as Visual Essay; and Photography, Social Documentary Film, Video and Related Media.
There are also non-degree departments offering courses in Art History and Humanities & Sciences, and a Continuing Education Division that offers non-credit courses from most SVA departments.
