Columbus College of Art and Design

Welcome to Columbus College of Art & Design.We’re one of the nation’s top private art institutions, and we’ve been leading the way in educating elite talent for more than 135 years. Here, you’ll be pushed to think, create and work at the highest level. You’ll explore different media in our state-of-the-art facilities and grow from close mentorships with our world-class faculty. You’ll bring your ideas to life, and you’ll gain the tools to change culture and business for the better.

Together, CCAD and Columbus are a powerful combination: CCAD provides the education, and the city provides networking opportunities that launch careers into both the local and international creative industry. Our strong alumni network and our partnerships help our students land jobs right out of college. In fact, 84 percent of our graduates were employed or involved in further education within six months of graduation in 2015. You’ll find our alumni all over the globe and at all types of companies, including American Greetings, DreamWorks, General Electric, General Motors, Nike, and Paramount.

Columbus College of Art & Design offers Bachelors of Fine Arts in Advertising & Graphic Design, Animation, Comics & Narratives Practice, Contemporary Crafts, Fashion Design, Film & Video, Fine Arts, History of Art and Visual Culture, Illustration, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Photography.

Students who pursue degrees are preparing to shape culture and business at the highest level in the midst of a thriving artistic community in Columbus, Ohio. CCAD caters to the enterprising creative with a selection that matches its rich history as one of the oldest colleges of its kind in the United States.

CCAD offers many programs to give you exactly what you’re looking for, including condensed “mini-mesters,” summer classes, honors classes, and opportunities beyond our campus. Columbus is a growing creative hub for the region, and we want you to be a part of it. Our connections offer you exposure to business, community, and cultural leaders who are driving forces in the city’s art scene. And for artists looking even further, we’ve also established partnerships that allow you to study at different institutions in the U.S. and abroad, for both short-term and semester-long programs.

CORE Studio provides robust interdisciplinary experience in a broad array of digital applications, traditional and hybrid media and experimental processes. Designed to complement your work within your area of specialization, CORE ensures that you’ll collaborate with students from other majors. First-year courses develop essential software skills through practice in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. You'll also take intro courses dedicated your major, emphasizing studio practice through project research in both historical and contemporary contexts.After the first year, CORE concentrates on technical studies (second year), conceptual studies (third year) and professional studies (fourth year).

CCAD teaches undergraduate and graduate students in the midst of a thriving artistic community in Columbus, Ohio.Founded in 1879, CCAD is one of the oldest private, nonprofit art and design colleges in the United States, offering 12 four-year undergraduate programs and two graduate programs in art and design that produce graduates equipped to shape culture and business at the highest level.

CCAD is a 501(c)(3) non-profit committed to diversity and has been educating elite talent for more than 135 years.It's a place for people who think differently, care about the larger world, and strive for greater understanding of the human community.

CCAD fosters a community that educates diverse students so they can unleash their creative power to shape culture and commerce.

CCAD will be recognized as a top-tier college of art and design, a cultural leader, and the engine of Columbus’ creative economy. CCAD will have a global reputation for delivering an innovative and relevant creative educational experience of value to its students, alumni, and society.

Explore on- and off-campus housing options. Whether you're from the Columbus area or outside locations (including international), all are welcome.Animation is a big deal at Columbus College of Art & Design. We have amazing faculty.We have incredibly talented students. And starting in fall 2018, we’ll have a fantastic new state-of-the-art animation facility.

Called the Cloyd Family Animation Center, this new facility is going to be an animator’s dream. It’ll have all sorts of amazing features for 2D, 3D, and experimental animation — from a digital drawing lab with state-of-the-art touch-screen Cintiq displays to a virtual reality drawing lab and a dedicated stop-motion lab.Plus, the new animation center will be in the same building as the growing Ohio Film Group. So you can walk down the hall and see the pros at work (and land an internship or job).In other news, Animation Career Review recently ranked CCAD as one of the Top 5 Graphic Design Schools and Colleges in Ohio.

Animation is a booming industry here in Columbus and around the world. The Cloyd Family Animation Center will be our new state-of-the-art animation facility that will help our students tell impactful stories and change the world.With help from alumni & friends of CCAD, we can make this dream a reality. Right now, all alumni gifts will be matched dollar for dollar.

CCAD is one of America’s oldest and most prestigious art and design schools. We got our start in 1879 — and people have been raving about us ever since. Even Oscar Wilde, when he stopped in Columbus in 1882, said he was impressed that “the capital city (has) a leading art school."