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Majors

A student and faculty are working together on a glass piece.

I am pretty sure I know what discipline I’m into, but I’m also eager to explore CIA’s majors during my Foundation year.

Student adjusting a lightning fixture in studio.
A student is sitting on the floor while painting and working on a piece.
Foundation Liberal Arts Pre-College Real-World Experience
  • Animation

    I dream of designing relatable characters that come alive inside worlds of my own imagination.

    A student is drawing on a digital tablet in the animation studio.
  • Craft + Design

    I push the limits of traditional and contemporary craft techniques.

    A student is hand forming clay in their personal ceramics studio.
  • Drawing

    I use my art as a tool to understand and interpret the world around me.

    Julissa Bruno is in her studio working on a piece on the wall.
  • Game Design

    I dream up the trickiest puzzles, the hardest battles, and the most delightful surprises.

    A student is presenting his VR game for his BFA. He is wearing a VR headset and standing in front of a screen.
  • Graphic Design

    I shape culture and build community through visual communication.

    Student is working on a 3D object in a graphic design workshop.
  • Illustration

    I push my own creative boundaries to communicate ideas and emotions through pictures.

    A student is working on their new project in their illustration studio.
  • Industrial Design

    I visualize and execute designs for the most essential products that all of us use every day.

    Professor Dan Cuffaro is working with a student in their individual studio.
  • Interior Architecture

    I combine an extensive understanding of materials and sustainability to design places that make people feel good.

    Two interior architecture students are sitting at a drafting table talking and working on a project.
  • Life Sciences Illustration

    I have the capacity to captivate and educate at the same time with my work.

    Daly is working on her BFA presentation.
  • Painting

    I am driven by a need to show the world my creativity through every brushstroke.

    Janoi is working in her studio. She is wearing a glove and holding a paint brush. The paint brush is pressed against the canvas.
  • Photography

    I always see the world in rich color, texture, context, and scale.

    Students are looking over a computer during a photo shoot with faculty member and guest lecturers.
  • Printmaking

    I value experimental methods of image making and the influential history of printmaking on our modern world.

    A student and faculty are working together to pull a large print using a silk screen.
  • Sculpture + Expanded Media

    I’m obsessed with the connected relationship between concept and hands-on work.

    Nat is working on wiring lights for a new work in their studio.
A group of commencement graduates are standing in regalia and posing for a photo. We can see the photographer in the bottom right corner.

Minors

Minors are optional but perfectly compliment your other course work. And they are designed to easily fit into your schedule.

The Craft + Design Minor allows you to gain hands on making experience across the three disciplines (Ceramics, Glass, and Metals) to complement your major. This minor allows for flexibility in course selection providing a multidisciplinary approach that can both support your major and present opportunities to explore new areas.

Explore the curriculum

Support your visual storytelling with written words while exploring new styles of writing. Screenwriting, Poetry, Interactive Fiction, Graphic Narratives and so much more. You’ll gain confidence in your voice. And the best part? This minor is designed to easily work with your other requirements.

Explore the curriculum

Step into the future of art and design with the Virtual + Augmented Reality Minor. In collaboration with the Interactive Media Lab, this program gives you a strong foundation in designing immersive experiences and understanding interactive media. You’ll explore how new technologies shape society while developing the skills to merge disciplines, experiment with emerging tools, and create innovative, engaging work.

Through hands-on projects, you’ll examine how XR, VR and AR enhances our interactions with the physical world—whether in painting, sculpture, illustration, or fields like medicine, engineering, gaming, and media studies. Expand your creative possibilities and push the boundaries of immersive storytelling and design.

If you are an art history or theory buff, this minor is for you. It will help you develop advanced critical skills that will complement your work as an artist and designer. You’ll study art history, theory and criticism, writing and research and more!

Explore the curriculum

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