Academics . Majors
Cleveland Institute of Art offers 15 majors in art, design, craft, and digital media. You enter your major as a sophomore and spend three intense years building skills and mastering techniques. CIA faculty will encourage you to develop a wider perspective by experimenting with media outside your major through interdisciplinary study.
Students begin their career in our Foundation program, designed to introduce students to all of our highly selective majors while building the skills necessary to be successful in any discipline. This ensures that you’re learning the skills that will be most beneficial to your development as an artist and positions you for success when you apply for a major in the spring semester of your first year at CIA.
In your major, you’ll learn from world-class faculty who are leaders in their fields. You’ll gain real-world experience working on real-world projects. You’ll learn to think critically about the work you’re making. And you’ll learn to communicate your ideas so that you can collaborate with others to create work that makes a difference in the world.