Accreditation & Memberships
Watkins College of Art, Design & Film is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC) to award the Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, the Associate of Fine Arts degree, the Bachelor of Arts degree, and the Certificate in Film. Contact the Commission on colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Watkins College of Art, Design & Film.
Watkins College of Art, Design & Film is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Interior Design is additionally accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA).
Watkins is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD)
Watkins has an agreement with Belmont University that allows students in Belmont’s Mike Curb College of Music and Entertainment Business to take the precribed coursework for a minor in Film and allows Belmont Honors Students to take Watkins coursework selected to complete their Plan of Study. The agreement also allows Watkins students to take classes in the Mike Curb College of Music and Entertainment Business and classes within Belmont’s general course offerings.
Watkins College of Art, Design & Film has been designated as a major cultural institution by local and state arts agencies and receives funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the Tennessee Arts Commission (TAC), and the Metro Nashville Arts Commission (MNAC). Watkins is authorized to offer undergraduate college degrees by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. Held in trust by the State of Tennessee, Watkins is also the recipient of direct state funding through periodic acts of the General Assembly of Tennessee.
Watkins has established 2+2 articulation agreements for Film, Graphic Design, and Fine Art with Columbia State Community College, and a 2+2 agreement for Graphic Design with Pelissippi State Technical Community College. The College also has an academic partnership with Fisk University that allows Fisk art majors to earn a concentration in Graphic Design, and allows any Fisk student to earn a minor in Film Studies or Interior Design.