Grana Arsenal University

Grana Arsenal University of the Arts (Grana Arsenal University or GAU), officially Grana Arsenal University of the Arts of Riyata State University, is a public art and music school in Solisa, Grana. It is one of 16 Riyata State University (RSU) graduate-level universities located in the Grana metropolitan area. It is also one of four universities of the arts in the RSU system. As of winter 2023, it had an enrollment of 6,827 undergraduate and graduate students and 956 faculty members.

GAU was established in 1903 as Grana Arsenal College, a combined college. Built from 1832 to 1836, the building complex had been used to store arms and ammunition for the Imperial Riyatic Army, but had fallen out of use by 1891. The campus was acquired by the Grana Metropolitan Government on 12 January 1902 and ownership was transferred to Riyata State University later that year through an act of the Imperial Diet. Over the first half of the 20th century, Grana Arsenal College evolved from a small combined college to a major university of the arts. It began offering graduate programs after the Second World War, by which point it had phased out its two-year programs, though the total enrollment remained small.

Today, the university is organized into four schools: the School of Music Studies, the School of Visual Arts, the School of Digital and Emerging Media, and the School of Mathematics and Design. Altogether, the university offers 25 undergraduate majors and 30 graduate programs.

Name
The university's official name is Grana Arsenal University of the Arts of Riyata State University, but the more common and formal academic name is Grana Arsenal University of the Arts. The original name, Grana Arsenal College, refers to the main campus' former status as an arsenal for the Riyatic army, which was called the Grana Arsenal. Informally, the university is most commonly referred to as Grana Arsenal University, Grana Arsenal, or GAU, but is also sometimes called RSU Arsenal or simply Arsenal.

History
The Riyatic educational system was reformed in the late 19th century with the Education Act of 1888, which created a new level of schooling, basic-levels, between secondary high schools and tertiary four-year universities. The explosion of new “basic colleges” over the next decade was led by the private sector, but the newly-centralized Riyata State University also faced pressure to create basic-level programs of their own. Instead of establishing dedicated two-year institutions, as was common in the private sector, RSU began to establish six-year colleges that offered basic degrees as well as standard four-year programs. Grana Arsenal was among the first wave of these new, purpose-built “combined colleges.” Eventually, all four-year institutions in the Riyata State University system transitioned to the six-year model.



The abandoned Grana Arsenal was located in Taliqen Park, at the time a relatively poor and underutilized neighborhood of Solisa, and was purchased by the Grana Metropolitan Government from the Imperial Riyatic Army on 12 January 1902. The area was primarily a working-class community and was the center of a large area of Solisa island where there were no local colleges. The building complex was donated to RSU later that year, which had approved the creation of a new combined college in Grana but had not yet acquired a campus. Renovation and refurbishing of the buildings took place through 1902 and the next year before the official foundation of the Grana Arsenal College on 22 April 1903. The first academic cohorts, the classes of 1906 and 1908, were admitted in January 1904.

Starting in the 1930s, Taliqen Park underwent an urban renewal, initially driven by the opening of a new metro line through the area. The neighborhood quickly developed into a center of the Riyatic musical community, and the Grana Arsenal College's art and music programs experienced a rapid expansion, with the number of students in the School of Music Studies increasing by an average of 8.9% every year between its foundation in 1931 and 1938. After a period of interruption during the Second World War, during which the entire RSU system was shuttered by occupying Ta'arohan officials, Grana Arsenal became almost exclusively a performing arts school, with low enrollment in other departments. GAU began to phase out its basic-level programs immediately after the war, only opening admissions for previous students whose studies had been interrupted by the war. In 1947, Grana Arsenal officially restructured from a combined college to a university of the arts, becoming the second such institution in the RSU system after the University of Taxata School of Creative Arts.

In 1971, a group of students and faculty at the School of Music Studies organized the first official competitive music duel, inviting the Tolehua Symphony Orchestra to compete against the GAU Student Orchestra. The basic rules and concepts behind the sport were established during this match, such as practicing together beforehand in the spirit of "collaborative competition" and the seating of the audience between the performing teams. An instant success, the concept quickly spread to other RSU schools and was eventually organized under an official RSU sporting division in 1973. From there, competitive music spread to other areas of society, becoming very commercially successful across Vatupaya.

Organization
GAU is a public university and part of the wider Riyata State University system. Ultimately governed by the 25-member RSU Board of Directors, day-to-day administration is directed by the chancellor of the university and the university council.

There are four academic schools that make up the university:


 * The School of Visual Arts was founded in 1937 and offered the first graduate programs in the university’s history.
 * The School of Music Studies was founded in 1931 and is the largest academic unit at GAU by student enrollment. It is the largest and most comprehensive music school in the RSU system.
 * The School of Mathematics and Design was founded in 1956 and is the smallest of the four schools, offering programs in mathematics and mathematics-related fields like architecture and industrial design.
 * The School of Digital and Emerging Media was founded in 1988, offering a select range of programs such as advertising, media arts, and communications.

Campus


The main building complex consists of eight buildings, named buildings A through H, which are located in the Taliqen Park neighborhood of Grana. The campus was originally a military depot for the Riyatic army, the Grana Arsenal, and there is a small military museum open to the public on university grounds. There is a residence hall on 11th Street around two blocks away from the campus, where most students live.

Admissions and cost
Applicants to GAU must apply to a specific school and, if applying to art or music majors in the School of Visual Arts or the School of Music Studies, they must submit a portfolio along with their application. GAU does not require basic degrees for admission, though it is highly encouraged. Letters of recommendation from past teachers or industry professionals are also recommended. In some cases, such as for the music programs, in-person auditions are also required. GAU has close ties with local high schools, such as Solisa Central High School and Taliqen Park High School of Performing Arts, where students are allowed to enroll in special "pre-college" classes at the School of Music Studies.

Admissions to Grana Arsenal University are extremely competitive. In 2018, the university received 10,401 applications, of which 1,217 were admitted for an 11.7% acceptance rate. GAU admissions officers may offer basic-level or high school students preliminary acceptance based on demonstrated artistic or musical talent. Tuition was Ꝟ35,000 before aid in 2020, and average tuition after financial aid was Ꝟ29,836. The final average cost of attendance over a 4-year period is around Ꝟ160,000 including tuition, room and board, books, supplies, and other fees.

Degrees and programs
Grana Arsenal University offers 25 undergraduate programs and 30 graduate programs across the four academic schools, including both masters and doctorate programs. Students pursuing any doctorate program must either already hold the associated masters-level degree or be simultaneously taking the graduate and masters program.

Galleries and ensembles
GAU maintains four permanent art galleries: one on its primary campus, two in downtown Grana, and one in Ornes, Koranel. These galleries exhibit work from students, faculty, and established creative professionals. The Ornes and campus galleries serve mainly educational and preservational purposes, while the other two are commercial art galleries.

The School of Music Studies also runs two symphony orchestras: the GAU Student Orchestra and the GAU University Orchestra. The Student Orchestra is open for all students at the university, while only School of Music Studies students or faculty can audition for the University Orchestra. The GAU University Orchestra regularly plays at commercial venues in Grana and neighboring cities.

In addition to the two orchestras, GAU has a variety of other semi-professional ensembles, featuring both students and faculty. Among these groups are a chamber orchestra, a woodwind orchestra, two choirs, multiple string quartets, and a faculty brass quintet.