The SAW Full-Year, Low-Residency Comics Certificate Program

The low-residency year-long program isn’t simply ‘online classes’. By transitioning to a mixture of online and in person classes we’re expanding the material and faculty students have access to.

Our current online classes are limited to short periods of time with restricted access to the instructors. The new low-residency program includes online classes (a mix of existing and new materials), as well as the option to join our three weeklong in person workshops or move to Gainesville and access the SAW studio and community.

This new program is also our first certificate program.

While past classes won't be credited to the certificate program, we want to make sure that every student is receiving new and engaging learning opportunities that meets their needs. Contact us and together we can figure out the best approach for you!

Our online courses are a kind of 'best of' teaching resources from our faculty so there may be some cross over with past class content. If that's the case, we have a growing catalog of alternative classes that can be substituted for any student who feels like they're repeating a class they've already taken.

The biggest differences between the three options is the availability of resources, price and time commitment to study.

The online only includes, A program of 9 core classes with unique SAW course material, community accountability and personal mentoring to help you achieve your goals and reach the target, optional classes at additional price.

The Low-Residency program includes these things as well as, 3 intensive weeks at SAW. 2 out of 3 of these workshops are required, with the third Visiting Artist Workshop optional. During these 3 weeklong intensives students have direct access to instructors and faculty.

The Full Immersion program includes access to all of the above as well as, 24/7 access to the SAW studio, classes with our Gainesville teachers, mentors, and community, with ongoing extracurricular programs throughout the year.

Our online classes are run through Thinkific. Each student has access to the course material through a personal portal. Our online forum operates through The Mighty Network. We already have a thriving community there, with a mix of free and pay walled resources.

As to tech support, we’re still just two people - Tom and Emma - who are an email or direct message away. Whatever issue you’re having, we will respond within 24 to 48 hours.

And yes, you will continue to have access to the course material through Thinkific when the program is completed.

We ask that our students commit a minimum of one and a half hours per class each week.

That having been said, this is comics! It’s an all consuming pursuit that is very easy to get lost in! If you have the time and flexibility the material and homework can be expanded for a much greater time investment.

There are three classes per six week block, with additional classes available for people who have the time and means to expand their study. We are not currently offering this program part-time.

What you pay depends on the program you’re taking, and how much you earn.

SAW currently operates on a sliding scale payment option. Payment is based on your yearly income and is tied to which program you choose to engage with. That means, depending on the program you’re in, we ask you to pay what you can, over and above our minimum tuition fee.

This system is really important to us as a non-profit organisation, and helps us in our commitment to make comics available to everyone.

Our refund policy is to return payment within two weeks of the beginning of classes.

Online classes can be hard to stay engaged with, we know that! Facing a computer each day, it can be difficult to feel like you’re part of a community. We also know that there are students from all over the world, across many different time zones so we will have live zoom calls for different subjects that aren't compulsory but do come highly recommended. On top of that we have a three fold strategy for keeping students engaged.

Number 1. A pass, fail system for classes. If you are unable to demonstrate your engagement with the course materials and homework tasks, you are unable to move on to the next set of classes.

Number 2. The low-residency weeks are intended to bring students together to put faces to the names of the online community and function as a goal during the semester while students are working independently.

Number 3. Our Mighty Network group is active 24/7, wherever you are in the world. Not only do you have access to your classmates, but you have access to other comics lovers. Each week there will be discussion opportunities, as well as work sharing not only with your peers but with the course instructors.

We believe being able to work independently and motivate yourself is a huge part of being a professional artist. Our goal is to give our students the tools and inspiration to leave the classroom fold and continue to create comics for themselves!

There are approximately 12 hours of class contact time over the course of the week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday), meaning it is definitely viable to have a part time job alongside our SAW classes.

We’ve had students from all over the world come and live off saved money during their time here and greatly benefit from the opportunity to only focus on comics for a year, while we've also had many students balance part-time work.

We do expect that all students attend all classes. Community is built on showing up for your peers and your teachers. That means coming to class, as well as completing homework tasks and honoring your commitment to comics by working on your own projects.

We're here to answer them. First check out our general FAQ over at https://www.sequentialartistsworkshop.org/faq-year-long-intensive/ or send us a message via the chat box!