The International Academy of Design and Technology (IADT), often referred to as the Academy, is a private for-profit four-year postsecondary institution. It strives to be a supportive and creative higher education community that enables students to complete their education in a comprehensive learning environment. Students are able to develop abilities and gain confidence to pursue creative careers. The educational programs are structured to promote career success in design and technology areas. The Academy is committed fostering academic excellence by providing theoretical and practical learning through industry-standard curricula in a learning atmosphere that commemorates diversity and creativity. It is also dedicated to employing highly qualified faculty and staff members who support high standards of service and are devoted to personalized attention for all students.
IADT Online is the state-of-the-art virtual campus of the institution. It is committed to providing industry-current programs in a supportive learning environment to help students develop as skilled professionals ready to success in various creative and technical industries. The completely online courses were created using sophisticated web technology to develop a comprehensive learning environment to meet the needs of students that includes a virtual campus, online library, and an array of resources. IADT Online courses are extremely interactive and are designed to provide students with control over their educational experiences. To meet the individual needs of students, IADT Online created the My Unique Learning Experience, which is an innovative student-centered course content delivery platform that enables students to participate in course content using various methods that support multiple styles of learning.
The Academy offers course schedules in five-week sessions and the sessions are grouped into two units to provide a 10-week academic term. The online courses are delivered through the asynchronous Virtual Campus Learning Management System. The virtual learning environments are designed to promote learning through various activities including multimedia presentations, topic-based discussion forums, group projects, assignments, and synchronous one-hour chat sessions that are held twice a week by instructors to present structured presentations. IADT Online offers programs at the associate and bachelor degree levels in the areas of design, fashion, and media arts and technology. The programs include graphic design, building information modeling, information technology, web design and development, internet marketing, advertising design and communications, fashion merchandising, game design and production, and digital media production and animation.
Clem Stein, Jr. established the IADT as the International Academy of Merchandising and Design in 1977. An additional campus was founded in 1984 that offered associate degrees in interior design, fashion design, and fashion merchandising. The institution continued to grow and add additional programs and it gained accreditation from the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools in 1990. The institution changed its name to the International Academy of Design in 1999 to better reflect its mission and academic offerings. In 2000, it started to offer technology-related programs and the words “and Technology” was added to the name of the school. Throughout the next five years, the Academy experienced rapid growth and added new campuses. The institution was awarded approval to offer online programs in 2007 and it separated the online delivery platform into an individual entity, IADT-Online in 2009. In 2010, all campuses are a part of a consortium agreement with IADT-Online and all students are able to complete campus-based courses with online courses.
Accreditation
The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) accredits the International Academy of Design and Technology to award associate and bachelor degrees. Additionally, the Council for Interior Design Accreditation accredits individual programs at certain IADT campuses. The Tennessee Higher Education Commission authorizes IADT Online to operate as a postsecondary education institution.
Scholarships Offered
The International Academy of Design and Technology offers an array of institutional scholarships and grants such as the Academy Grant, Art and Design (A&D) Grant, and President’s Institutional Tuition Scholarship. Individual campuses also offer additional scholarships and grants. IADT also accepts outside scholarships such as the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program and Imagine America Scholarship.
Financing Options
The International Academy of Design and Technology participates in financial aid programs for students who meet certain qualifications. Financial aid programs include the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Direct Stafford Subsidized Loan, Federal Direct Stafford Unsubsidized Loan, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loans, Federal Direct Parent Graduate PLUS Loans, Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG), National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (SMART), Florida Student Assistance Grant (FSAG), and Veterans’ Educational Benefits. The Academy also accepts private loans and offers a deferred payment program.
Credit Earning Options
IADT awards credits for previously completed coursework from other accredited colleges and universities. All transfer courses must have earned a grade of a C or above and be similar to courses offered at the Academy. Students seeking transfer credit must submit official transcripts and course descriptions and syllabi and college catalogs may also be required.