Biomedical Art at CIA
One of only a few BFA degrees of its kind in the United States, our Biomedical Art program combines applied art, science, and technology to create visual education materials on scientific and medical topics.
Merging Tradition with New Technology
Based on the traditional field of scientific and medical illustration, our curriculum incorporates leading-edge digital media techniques, interactivity, and animation. As a Biomedical Art major, we blend your artistic talent with knowledge of natural science, a biomedical intellect, and strong visual communication skills.
You will learn about illustration, information design, 3D modeling, and animation through conventional and digital methods. With a flexible course of study, you can take courses in:
- Computer imaging and animation
- Editorial illustration
- Instructional design and multimedia
- Medical sculpture
- Surgical and natural science
- Business and professional practices
Benefit from a Wealth of Resources
Our dedicated, highly-trained faculty is one of our greatest assets. Each Biomedical Art instructor at The Cleveland Institute of Art is accredited by the Association of Medical Illustrators as a Certified Medical Illustrator. Besides their expertise, our faculty have established great relationships with the region’s extraordinary medical, scientific, and cultural communities. Our professional partnerships with Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, and the Cleveland Clinic as well as The Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Cleveland Botanical Garden will provide you with amazing exhibition opportunities and medical illustration projects.
Learn More
Find out more about our biomedical art facilities, faculty, courses, and available scholarships. Check out potential career paths in biomedical art or works created by our students.
Download our Biomedical Art brochure
Download the Biomedical Art program of study
Access Course Schedules and Descriptions
Biomedical Art Courses
- Visual Organization and Media
- Narrative, Image, and Sequence
- Web Presence and Practice
- Anatomy for the Artist
- Natural Science and Zoological Illustration
- Human Forms: Heads, Hands, and Feet
- Line: Information Visualization
- Digital Color: Style and Representation in Science
- Introduction to 3D Modeling
- Veterinary Illustration
- Interactive Narratives
- Digital Texture, Lighting, and Rendering
- Forensic Modeling and Reconstruction
- 2D/3D Compositing for Special Effects
- Bioart Ethic and Image Interaction
- Macro to Micro Simulation and Story
- Surgical Illustration and Media
- General Biology
- Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy
- Anatomy and Physiology I & II
- Microbiology
- Embryology
- Histology
- Micro Narratives
- Human Biology
- Introduction to Digital Biomedical Illustration
- Introduction to 3D Animation
- Advanced Problems, Concepts and Media
- BFA Preparation
- BFA Thesis and Exhibition
Freshman Environmental Elective