AMP Institute Offers Creative Arts Education Courses In Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, VA — AMP Institute, a new school for creative arts students, is opening a location in Springfield, with the first classes starting in late March.

AMP Institute offers in-person learning of creative arts, taught by professionals in art, music and photography. The institute aims to help creative people who want to learn and expand their creativity in a shorter time and at a more reasonable cost than the tuition of a four-year college.

Classes will begin in Springfield at AMP Institute’s partner facility, WorkAway Solutions, on March 27. WorkAway Solutions is located at 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 211 in North Springfield.

"We're very excited, and very driven to help fellow creatives not only learn more in their interests, but help them secure employment or open their own business," Frank Monahan, founder of AMP Institute, said in an email to Patch.

AMP Institute touts two key features of its diverse programs: students do not have to pay extraordinary tuition, and they do not have to spend four years at a school that does not focus on their dreams.

Another key component that sets AMP Institute apart from four-year colleges is that it offers students access to the AMP Career Incubator, a feature that is included in a student’s tuition. The incubator works with students during their learning to prepare them for finding employment in their specialty, and self-employment education for starting their own business.

Monahan noted how the COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental effect on the job market.

"We're certain there are people who are creative and not ready to go back to their previous work," he said. "We can help them develop a whole new line of work, and with the AMP Career Incubator, they would receive help finding work or developing their own business with their new certification."

Monahan also expects AMP Institute to attract young people who do not know what they want yet, but "have creativity in their heart and soul, and would find us helpful in getting them started in creative work."

AMP Institute offers three types of scholarships to students: a need-based scholarship, general scholarships for any student deserving, and a special scholarship — the Michael C. Monahan Memorial Scholarship — named for Monahan's late brother, who was a creative person with natural illustrative talent.

AMP Institute has six locations where it teaches courses, including the Springfield location and a location in Gloucester, Scotland. The institute issues certifications to students who complete the coursework.

In order to be registered for the trimester beginning in late March, students are advised to register as quickly as possible, as classes fill up quickly. Registration ends on Feb. 10 or when classes are full at each location.

The number of students accepted for classes depends on the type of creativity chosen. If Sound Engineering is chosen, there will likely be 10 students accepted as the maximum. Courses such as Creative Writing or Graphic Arts would accept more than 10 students.

"But if any course has early registration mounting past limits, we'll hire additional professionals from the industries," Monahan said.

Each major chosen by students at AMP Institute has a different number of courses required to mark the end of their work at the school. AMP Institute's trimesters consist of 10-week studies, with two courses each trimester. Some majors require six trimesters, while others need only three trimesters.

Some forms of sophisticated Sound Engineering can take up to nine trimesters, Monahan noted.

Later in 2023 and in the years to come, AMP Institute plans to open in more locations in the U.S., Canada and Europe. This summer, AMP Institute will have a location outside Los Angeles where several actors, actresses, musicians, songwriters, creative writers, and illustrators will be teaching.