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The College of Art and Design is RIT’s creative hub where art, design, and technology intersect.

From centuries-old and contemporary methods of producing fine art to the latest in digital media, we have a wide selection of majors in disciplines related to visual communication, imaging, and science. If your interests are artistic, creative, and professional, a world of possibilities awaits you here.

Join us for Fall 2026

There's still time to apply. For some programs, applications will be reviewed on a rolling, space-available basis.

Application details

Join Us for Accepted Student Open House

Visit campus on March 28 or April 11 to meet faculty, tour campus, and ask your questions.

Schedule your visit

cover of an e-zine called Elevate.

Raising the bar in innovation

Our e-zine highlights the ways in which our faculty, students, alumni, and staff are impacting our world through their scholarship, learning programs, community engagement, and overall creative practice.

Issue 3

Issue 2

Issue 1

Statistics

15

Pulitzer Prizes Awarded

Eleven College of Art and Design graduates have combined to win 15 Pulitzer Prizes.

92%

Job Placement

College of Art and Design graduates have a 92 percent career outcome rate six months after graduation.

14:1

Student-to-Faculty Ratio

Students receive copious attention and guidance from the College of Art and Design’s committed faculty.

3

Science-Based Degrees

Our wide portfolio of offerings includes BS and MST degrees — in addition to BFA and MFA programs.

Back shot of a person in a sound studio

Undergraduate Reel

Whether it's art, design, film and animation, or photography, you can do it all here. Because here, creativity can't be contained.

Watch Student Reel

A grid of images of students working in art studios.

Graduate Reel

Elevate your creativity and innovation by studying in one of our graduate programs that place collaboration and advanced studio practice at their core.

Watch Student Reel

Art and Design viewbooks

Whether your interests are in art, American crafts, design, film and animation, or photography, we have you covered.

Explore Viewbooks

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What Interests You?

Two students working on a project in a lab

Find Your Fit

Meet the Dean

Todd Jokl

The College of Art and Design, with its five dynamic schools, galleries, and research centers, is a creative catalyst for RIT. Our students, faculty, and alumni are trailblazing artists, designers, and scientists who are leaders in their fields and engaged across the University, the region, and the globe. Our creativity and innovations are transforming the world.

Todd Jokl
Dean, College of Art and Design
tsjpgd@rit.edu
585-475-5392

Faces of RIT

Latest News

  • February 19, 2026

    Georg Seifert and Rainer Schiechelbauer both look at a computer as they present.

    Pioneering type design duo to receive RIT's 2026 Goudy Award

    Georg Seifert (from Germany) and Rainer Erich Scheichelbauer (Austria), cited for their innovative work with game-changing font editing software Glyphs, will accept RIT's prestigious Goudy Award in April. The honor has long celebrated outstanding practitioners in type design and related fields.

  • February 19, 2026

    Steve Matteson working at a letterpress.

    From hot metal to global typefaces, professor has lifelong love for letters

    Steve Matteson's two-year appointment as as the Melbert B. Cary Professor in RIT’s School of Design marks a return to where his affinity for letterforms all started. Since graduating from RIT, he went on to become a typeface trailblazer, responsible for creating recognizable fonts and graphic language for huge brands.

  • February 18, 2026

    Tommy Desjardins works in RIT's Simulation Lab.

    Student creates out of this world design for NASA internship

    Tommy Desjardins '26 (3D digital design) created an immersive environment for users to experience a visualization of the Psyche asteroid’s potential landscape. NASA's ongoing Psyche mission is aimed at reaching a metal-rich asteroid orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter to study its properties. 

  • February 16, 2026

    Charles Gaines works in his studio.

    Exhibition, talk features influential artist Charles Gaines '67

    Charles Gaines '67 MFA (art and design), a pivotal figure in the field of conceptual art, has an upcoming exhibition in RIT’s University Gallery that traces a loose arc of his career and illustrates his sustained interest in the lyrical potential of logical systems. He will also give a companion artist talk Thursday, March 26.