Art Exploration
Art Exploration
Spend up to a year exploring RIT’s art majors before you declare a major.
Overview for Art Exploration
- Learn about the three majors in the School of Art: illustration, medical illustration, and studio arts.
- Spend a year exploring majors and deciding which one best fits your career goals and interests.
If you want to pursue studio arts but are unsure which major or program option best matches your interests, the studio art exploration option is for you. (This program was formerly know as art exploration.)
The School of Art offers majors in:
- illustration
- medical illustration
- studio arts, where you can choose an option in ceramics, expanded forms, furniture design, glass, metals and jewelry design, painting, printmaking, or sculpture.
In your first year, you will work closely with your academic advisor to select courses that best align with your career aspirations.
The art exploration option requires the submission of a portfolio. View our Portfolio Requirements for more information.
Featured Work
Drawing Projects
Emily Glass
A survey of projects by first-year students in Senior Lecturer Emily Glass's Drawing 1 class. The foundations course is an introduction to the visualization of form, thought, and expression through...
'Nailed It!' ceramics assignment
Equal parts art history lesson and hands-on making, the RIT ceramics Josiah Wedgwood's Legacy course examines the evolution of 18th-century European ceramics under the influence of Josiah Wedgwood’s...
Featured Profiles
Molten Glass 3D Printer
RIT's glass program hosted the artist/designer/engineer team behind Evenline as artists in residence for the spring 2023 semester. The innovative company stationed its only-one-of-its-kind molten...
'Sp(arrows)' Exhibition
Taylor Kennedy, Annalisa Barron
"Sp(arrows)" is a two-person exhibition at RIT City Art Space featuring Annalisa Barron and Taylor Kennedy '15 (fine arts studio), whose combined work explores the cathartic relationship of...
Pre-College Portfolio Prep Workshop
RIT's annual Pre-College Portfolio Preparation Workshop offers students an engaging and rewarding experience. The course, taught by our School of Art's drawing and painting faculty, is a visual arts...
Admissions and Financial Aid
First-Year Admission
A strong performance in a college preparatory program is expected. This includes:
- 4 years of English
- 3 years of social studies and/or history
- 3-4 years of mathematics
- 2-3 years of science
- Studio art experience and a portfolio of original artwork are required. View Portfolio Requirements for more information.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
100% of all incoming first-year and transfer students receive aid.
RIT’s personalized and comprehensive financial aid program includes scholarships, grants, loans, and campus employment programs. When all these are put to work, your actual cost may be much lower than the published estimated cost of attendance.
Learn more about financial aid and scholarships
Latest News
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November 6, 2023
![A student has her artwork reviewed by faculty member Don Arday.]()
Prospective students explore RIT art and design programs at National Portfolio Day event
The College of Art and Design welcomed 226 young artists to campus for its National Portfolio Day event, where prospective students met one-on-one with faculty about their artwork and different programs.
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August 30, 2023
![Wall signage with College of Art and Design in big, silver letters.]()
New School of Design director, faculty hires ready for 2023-24 academic year
The College of Art and Design welcomes new hires to its faculty roster while longtime faculty Alex Lobos assumes a role as director of the School of Design.
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October 4, 2022
![An overhead view of a student getting their portfolio reviewed by RIT faculty.]()
RIT welcomes prospective students for National Portfolio Day
RIT's College of Art and Design faculty, along with those at 25 other top art and design schools, reviewed students' portfolios as they prepared their artwork for the college admissions process.
