Full Sail Real World Education
Encyclopedia
Full Sail University is a for profit trade school located in Winter Park, Florida
, and founded in 1979 in Dayton, Ohio, as Full Sail Recording Workshop. Full Sail relocated to Florida in 1980, adding video production
and film production courses and, with the move in 1989 to its current campus, expanded its curriculum to include other entertainment and media-related areas of study. Full Sail began offering online degrees in 2007.
Full Sail awards associate's
, bachelor's degree
s, and master's degree
s in audio
, film
, design
, computer animation
, business, and other fields, and is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). The school offers 33 degree programs and has a current student population of more than 12,400.
program was added in 1988, which marked the school's initial expansion beyond audio-only programs. In 1989, Full Sail moved to its current location in Winter Park, Florida; the following year, the school was accredited to award specialized associate's degrees.
Full Sail began to receive notice within the audio industry for its programs, and for three years in a row, 1989–1991, the school won Mix
magazine's TEC (Technical Excellence and Creativity) award for Best Recording School/Program.
Between 1995 and 1999, Full Sail added specialized associate's degrees or associate's degrees in Computer Animation, Digital Media, Game Design and Development, and Show Production and Touring. All of these degrees have since been expanded into full bachelor's degree programs.
On March 24, 2008, Full Sail changed its name to Full Sail University after attaining university status from the Florida Department of Education's Commission for Independent Education. At the press conference announcing the change, they unveiled a 1700 feet (518.2 m) long backlot
, which includes 18 city facades.
(president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences), filmmaker Kevin Smith
, recording artist Anthony Hamilton
, and others. Six graduates were inducted into the Hall of Fame including Sebastian Krys (producer/engineer, four-time Grammy Award winner, seven-time Latin Grammy Award winner), Gary Rizzo
(sound re-recording mixer and Oscar award winner for Best Achievement in Sound), and Phil Tan
(mix engineer and three-time Grammy Award winner).
In June 2010, the second set of inductees was selected and added to the Hall of Fame including Leslie Brathwaite (mix engineer and Grammy award winner), Marc Fishman (sound re-recording mixer, Emmy winner), and Martin "Tike" Santos (live sound engineer, Paul McCartney).
, 8.6 miles (13.8 km) northeast of downtown Orlando
. The college campus contains the central administrative offices, university library, and academic buildings, including a production backlot, more than 110 studios and production environments, film backlot, auditorium, and Full Sail Studios. The university moved to Winter Park in 1989. Renovation and expansion into surrounding buildings began in 1995, growing into three additional buildings by 2004. In 2009, the university expanded into a fifth building, a 49000 square feet (4,552.2 m²) space near campus to accommodate educators for the online degree program.
A 2.2 acre (0.89 ha) facility named Full Sail Studios opened in 2010, consisting of a 22000 square feet (2,043.9 m²) multi-purpose venue and a two-story 10600 square feet (984.8 m²) recording studio and game production studio named Blackmoor
after the late Dave Arneson
, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons
and instructor from 1999 to 2009. This addition also completed the film backlot, totaling 2078 linear ft (633 m) and 19 outdoor scenic environments.
In November 2010 the Sports Lab Powered by ESPN
was added to the campus, a facility for research and development of new studio and remote technologies. The lab works in association with the ESPN Innovation Lab located at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World and is the first and only sports technology lab to be constructed at a Florida college or university.
In January 2011, approximately 200 Full Sail Online administration and support team employees moved into the Gateway Center in Downtown Orlando. Also in 2011, the university announced plans to construct an 86000 square feet (7,989.7 m²) educational building to house 475 faculty and staff, additional film and television soundstages and classrooms, and is scheduled for completion in Spring 2012.
Full Sail education is "accelerated"—the school's degree programs can be completed in less than half the time of a typical college degree—as the associate's programs are 12 months long, the bachelor's programs are 21 to 32 months long, and the master's programs range from 12 to 13 months long.
Full Sail's degree programs start monthly. Throughout the course of a program, the average Full Sail student will have two courses at one time, with one course convening on three days a week and the other course convening on two or three depending on the class. This course load can fluctuate, however, according to the student's program and month.
Courses are generally four weeks long, but some are longer, and new courses start every four weeks. This schedule allows Full Sail a fluid, if intense, operating method. If a student fails a course for poor grades (as opposed to poor attendance), they can take the course over again the following month at no additional cost, as long as the schedule for the degree is maintained. If a student fails a class for poor attendance, however, they must pay for the course cost again.
, a master's degree in Entertainment Business. Currently, the school offers a total of 22 online degree programs: seven master's degrees, thirteen bachelor's degrees, and two graduate certificate programs. Nine of the online degree programs are directly based on campus-based degree programs, and the other thirteen are exclusive to Full Sail University Online.
Online students at Full Sail utilize much of the same software and creative tools students use in campus-based programs. Additionally, Full Sail custom-built a learning management system
for use with their online courses; the LMS is Macintosh-based, and utilizes content created by an in-house curriculum development team in conjunction with campus-based instructors. The curriculum used for Full Sail University Online is generated utilizing the same educators and advisory boards as campus-based programs.
. Most degree programs start a new class monthly, with classmates who start at the same time frequently staying together throughout the program.
, AIGA
, IGDA
, MEISA, Toastmasters
, and others. Students in the relevant degree program generally manage the groups, with an instructor providing support.
Other clubs include the Entertainment Networking Society, Veterans Group, International Film Society, Gay–Straight Alliance, among many others. The clubs meet to socialize, participate in public service events, and in the case of the Black Student Union, perform and direct live theatre.
and career schools in the U.S. The Commission's accreditation standards require measurement of student outcomes, graduate employment assistance, and a baseline rate of job placement. Additional accreditation standards require instructors to have experience in their respective industries, as well as necessary academic credentials, and that accredited schools maintain an advisory committee composed of industry professionals who help determine curriculum goals and content.
Most four-year colleges do not recognize credits from Full Sail. As Full Sail does not have accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
, credits may not be transferable to many other schools.
Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park is a suburban city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 24,090 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 28,083. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and founded in 1979 in Dayton, Ohio, as Full Sail Recording Workshop. Full Sail relocated to Florida in 1980, adding video production
Video production
Video production is videography, the process of capturing moving images on electronic media even streaming media. The term includes methods of production and post-production...
and film production courses and, with the move in 1989 to its current campus, expanded its curriculum to include other entertainment and media-related areas of study. Full Sail began offering online degrees in 2007.
Full Sail awards associate's
Associate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...
, bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
s, and master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
s in audio
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
, computer animation
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
, business, and other fields, and is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). The school offers 33 degree programs and has a current student population of more than 12,400.
Early history
In 1978, Full Sail was founded by Jon Phelps. The following year, the school relocated to Orlando, Florida and new courses were added to the core recording arts program. A filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
program was added in 1988, which marked the school's initial expansion beyond audio-only programs. In 1989, Full Sail moved to its current location in Winter Park, Florida; the following year, the school was accredited to award specialized associate's degrees.
Full Sail began to receive notice within the audio industry for its programs, and for three years in a row, 1989–1991, the school won Mix
Mix (magazine)
Mix magazine is a periodical billing itself as "the world's leading magazine for the professional recording and sound production technology industry". The magazine is distributed in 94 countries....
magazine's TEC (Technical Excellence and Creativity) award for Best Recording School/Program.
Between 1995 and 1999, Full Sail added specialized associate's degrees or associate's degrees in Computer Animation, Digital Media, Game Design and Development, and Show Production and Touring. All of these degrees have since been expanded into full bachelor's degree programs.
Recent history
In 2005, the school launched its first bachelor's degree program, in Entertainment Business. In 2007, the school introduced its first master's program, also in Entertainment Business, launched a Graphic Design Associate of Science Degree, and announced its first online degree program — an online version of the Entertainment Business Master's Degree. Full Sail's online offerings have expanded since that time to include fields not represented among their campus degrees, including Internet Marketing and Sports Management, as well as online versions of their campus degrees, such as Web Design & Development and Computer Animation.On March 24, 2008, Full Sail changed its name to Full Sail University after attaining university status from the Florida Department of Education's Commission for Independent Education. At the press conference announcing the change, they unveiled a 1700 feet (518.2 m) long backlot
Backlot
A backlot is an area behind or adjoining a movie studio, containing permanent exterior buildings for outdoor scenes in filmmaking or television productions, or space for temporary set construction....
, which includes 18 city facades.
Hall of Fame
On April 20, 2009, Full Sail marked its 30th anniversary with the opening of the Full Sail University Hall of Fame. The event included testimonials from Neil PortnowNeil Portnow
Neil R. Portnow is the current president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences . Portnow was formerly the vice-president of the West Coast division of Jive Records.-Early career:...
(president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences), filmmaker Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
, recording artist Anthony Hamilton
Anthony Hamilton (musician)
Anthony Hamilton is an American R&B, and soul singer-songwriter, and record producer who rose to fame with his platinum-selling second studio album Comin' from Where I'm From , which featured the singles "Comin' from Where I'm From" and "Charlene."-Life and career:Hamilton was born in Charlotte,...
, and others. Six graduates were inducted into the Hall of Fame including Sebastian Krys (producer/engineer, four-time Grammy Award winner, seven-time Latin Grammy Award winner), Gary Rizzo
Gary Rizzo
Gary Rizzo is an American sound engineer. He has won an Academy Award for Best Sound and has been nominated for another two in the same category...
(sound re-recording mixer and Oscar award winner for Best Achievement in Sound), and Phil Tan
Phil Tan
Phil Tan is an Atlanta, GA-based music/audio engineer.He is a 3-time Grammy Award recipient, as mixing engineer for Mariah Carey's "The Emancipation of Mimi" , Ludacris' "Release Therapy" and Rihanna's "Only Girl " .Among the artists on Tan's list of credits: Jill Scott, Jennifer...
(mix engineer and three-time Grammy Award winner).
In June 2010, the second set of inductees was selected and added to the Hall of Fame including Leslie Brathwaite (mix engineer and Grammy award winner), Marc Fishman (sound re-recording mixer, Emmy winner), and Martin "Tike" Santos (live sound engineer, Paul McCartney).
Campus
Full Sail University’s 191 acre (71 ha) campus is located in Winter Park, FloridaWinter Park, Florida
Winter Park is a suburban city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 24,090 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 28,083. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, 8.6 miles (13.8 km) northeast of downtown Orlando
Orlando
Orlando is a major city in the U.S. state of Florida.Orlando may also refer to-Places:* in Florida** Orlando, a major city** Greater Orlando, the 27th-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. The college campus contains the central administrative offices, university library, and academic buildings, including a production backlot, more than 110 studios and production environments, film backlot, auditorium, and Full Sail Studios. The university moved to Winter Park in 1989. Renovation and expansion into surrounding buildings began in 1995, growing into three additional buildings by 2004. In 2009, the university expanded into a fifth building, a 49000 square feet (4,552.2 m²) space near campus to accommodate educators for the online degree program.
A 2.2 acre (0.89 ha) facility named Full Sail Studios opened in 2010, consisting of a 22000 square feet (2,043.9 m²) multi-purpose venue and a two-story 10600 square feet (984.8 m²) recording studio and game production studio named Blackmoor
Blackmoor
Blackmoor is a fantasy role-playing game campaign setting generally associated with the game Dungeons & Dragons. It originally evolved in the early 1970s as the personal setting of Dave Arneson, the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, first as a setting for Arneson's miniature wargames, then as an...
after the late Dave Arneson
Dave Arneson
David Lance "Dave" Arneson was an American game designer best known for co-developing the first published role-playing game , Dungeons & Dragons, with Gary Gygax, in the early 1970s...
, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
and instructor from 1999 to 2009. This addition also completed the film backlot, totaling 2078 linear ft (633 m) and 19 outdoor scenic environments.
In November 2010 the Sports Lab Powered by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
was added to the campus, a facility for research and development of new studio and remote technologies. The lab works in association with the ESPN Innovation Lab located at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World and is the first and only sports technology lab to be constructed at a Florida college or university.
In January 2011, approximately 200 Full Sail Online administration and support team employees moved into the Gateway Center in Downtown Orlando. Also in 2011, the university announced plans to construct an 86000 square feet (7,989.7 m²) educational building to house 475 faculty and staff, additional film and television soundstages and classrooms, and is scheduled for completion in Spring 2012.
Degree programs
Full Sail awards Associate, Bachelor's, and Master's degrees. Associate degrees are offered on its campus but are not available online. It also offers two online graduate certificates in Education Media Design and Technology and Internet Marketing.Full Sail education is "accelerated"—the school's degree programs can be completed in less than half the time of a typical college degree—as the associate's programs are 12 months long, the bachelor's programs are 21 to 32 months long, and the master's programs range from 12 to 13 months long.
Full Sail's degree programs start monthly. Throughout the course of a program, the average Full Sail student will have two courses at one time, with one course convening on three days a week and the other course convening on two or three depending on the class. This course load can fluctuate, however, according to the student's program and month.
Courses are generally four weeks long, but some are longer, and new courses start every four weeks. This schedule allows Full Sail a fluid, if intense, operating method. If a student fails a course for poor grades (as opposed to poor attendance), they can take the course over again the following month at no additional cost, as long as the schedule for the degree is maintained. If a student fails a class for poor attendance, however, they must pay for the course cost again.
Advisory boards
Curriculum in each of the programs at Full Sail University is steered by Advisory Board panels, which are made up of industry professionals working in relevant fields. Companies that Advisory Board members work for include Adobe Systems, Sony Music Studios, Rockstar Games, Industrial Light and Magic, and Apple.Online programs
In 2007, Full Sail University offered its first online degree programOnline degrees
An online degree is an academic degree that can be earned primarily or entirely through the use of an Internet-connected computer, rather than attending college in a traditional campus setting...
, a master's degree in Entertainment Business. Currently, the school offers a total of 22 online degree programs: seven master's degrees, thirteen bachelor's degrees, and two graduate certificate programs. Nine of the online degree programs are directly based on campus-based degree programs, and the other thirteen are exclusive to Full Sail University Online.
Online students at Full Sail utilize much of the same software and creative tools students use in campus-based programs. Additionally, Full Sail custom-built a learning management system
Learning management system
A learning management system is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, and reporting of training programs, classroom and online events, e-learning programs, and training content...
for use with their online courses; the LMS is Macintosh-based, and utilizes content created by an in-house curriculum development team in conjunction with campus-based instructors. The curriculum used for Full Sail University Online is generated utilizing the same educators and advisory boards as campus-based programs.
Student life
Student life at Full Sail differs from that of a typical university due largely to the absence of a regular semester systemAcademic term
An academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called terms...
. Most degree programs start a new class monthly, with classmates who start at the same time frequently staying together throughout the program.
Clubs and organizations
There are more than 25 different student groups oriented toward student interests, including student chapters of Grammy UNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., known variously as The Recording Academy or NARAS, is a U.S. organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for music and its...
, AIGA
Aiga
‘Aiga is a word in the Samoan language which means 'family.' The aiga is the family unit of Samoan society and differs from the Western sense in that it consists more than just a mother, father and children. The Samoan family, also referred to as an 'extended family' is based on the culture's...
, IGDA
International Game Developers Association
International Game Developers Association is the professional society for over 10,000 video and computer game developers worldwide.It is incorporated in the United States as a non-profit organization....
, MEISA, Toastmasters
Toastmasters International
Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping members improve their communication, public speaking and leadership skills...
, and others. Students in the relevant degree program generally manage the groups, with an instructor providing support.
Other clubs include the Entertainment Networking Society, Veterans Group, International Film Society, Gay–Straight Alliance, among many others. The clubs meet to socialize, participate in public service events, and in the case of the Black Student Union, perform and direct live theatre.
Accreditation
Full Sail University is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) which is a national accreditor of vocational schoolsVocational education
Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
and career schools in the U.S. The Commission's accreditation standards require measurement of student outcomes, graduate employment assistance, and a baseline rate of job placement. Additional accreditation standards require instructors to have experience in their respective industries, as well as necessary academic credentials, and that accredited schools maintain an advisory committee composed of industry professionals who help determine curriculum goals and content.
Most four-year colleges do not recognize credits from Full Sail. As Full Sail does not have accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
, credits may not be transferable to many other schools.