Founded in 1930, ArtCenter College of Design is an independent, nonprofit institution of higher learning located in Pasadena, CA. Since its earliest days, ArtCenter has provided educational pathways to successful careers in the creative disciplines. The College’s mission statement, “Learn to create. Influence change.”, reflects a tenet that well-trained artists and designers can have a tremendous impact on society.

ArtCenter offers undergraduate degrees in Creative Direction, Entertainment Design, Film, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interaction Design, Photography and Imaging, Product Design, Spatial Experience Design, and Transportation Design. Our traditional graduate-level programs include Art; Brand Design and Strategy; Film; Furniture, Lighting and Fixtures; Graphic Design; Industrial Design; Interaction Design; Media Design Practices; Spatial Experience Design; and Transportation Systems and Design. In fall 2021, ArtCenter announced Masters of Design (MDes)— a fully online, graduate degree-conferring, one-year program for working professionals and other individuals looking to enrich their existing skill sets and position themselves for higher-level roles in the design industries. Initial MDes offerings are Brand Design and Strategy and Interaction Design.

The College’s distinguished faculty of professional artists and designers all maintain active creative practices outside of their teaching roles. A core institutional strength is a low student/faculty ratio (8:1), emphasizing individualized instruction and mentoring. All of ArtCenter’s educational programs strive to engage as many students from underserved backgrounds as possible through highly intentional outreach and generous scholarship opportunities.

An essential counterpart to ArtCenter’s degree programs is ArtCenter Extension, which presents professional artist- and designer-led courses for learners of all ages. Its signature programs include ACX (adult students), ACX Teens (grades 9-12) and ACX Kids (grades 4-8). Extension recently launched ArtCenter Online, a born-digital program offering real-time and asynchronous, non-degree instruction for teens and adults in transportation design. We intend to expand ArtCenter Online to include a broader range of creative disciplines.