Cleveland Institute of Art: Courses, Admission, Cost

One of the leading and globally acclaimed private colleges of art and design in Ohio's Cleveland City, Cleveland Institute of Art was originally founded as the Western Reserve School of Design for Women in 1882. In 1949, the school became officially known as the Cleveland Institute of Art. For over a century, the Art Institute has been producing graduates in the field of studio artistry, designing, photography, and so on. The institute is accredited by NASAD (National Association of Schools of Art and Design) and NCA (North Central Association of Colleges and Schools).

The CIA campus is located east of downtown Cleveland, in the heart of Cleveland’s cultural district, University Circle. The college shares its sprawling campus with the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University, which provides students with an opportunity to experience an active college environment. The top-notch facilities at the Cleveland Institute of Art offer students with a space that is specifically designed for living, studying, and exhibiting art. The friendly and creative atmosphere of the college campus allows students to pursue their dreams more freely.

Cleveland Institute of Art offers 15 majors in the fine arts, design, craft, and interactive media. Students can choose their area of study from amongst Animation, Ceramics, Drawing, Game Design, Glass, Graphic Design, Illustration, Industrial Design, Interior Architecture, Jewellery & Metals, Life Sciences Illustration, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture & Expanded Media, Transportation Design, and Video & Digital Cinema. Other programs offered here apart from mainstream degree programs include Pre-college Programmes, Summer Workshops, and Young Artists' Programme. CIA has nearly 50 full-time and 60 adjunct faculty, who are all professional artists, designers, and scholars. The student-to-faculty ratio is 10:1.

Cleveland Institute of Art offers financial aid to help students meet college expenses and continue with their academic courses. Financial aid is offered in the form of federal work-study programs, loans, scholarships, and grants. Merit scholarships are awarded based on the student's academic qualifications, such as test scores, grades, as well as artistic achievements demonstrated in the portfolio.

The institute welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with leading global organizations and companies to provide students with lucrative job opportunities in the specialized field of study. Some of the top employers hiring interns and graduates at CIA include Nike, Dell, Disney, Doner Advertising, Cleveland Clinic, National Geographic, Pottery Barn, Reebok, Frye Boots, American Greetings, Design Central, Fisher-Price and Little Tykes, among many others.

Cleveland Institute of Art provides aspiring graduates with part-time and full-time internship opportunities. These internships can be unpaid or paid and are held usually during the summer break. However, students can also enroll in internships throughout the academic year. Internships provide students with a hands-on learning experience, gain in-depth knowledge and understanding of the study program, and develop specific skills required for their respective career paths.

Amongst the notable alumni of Cleveland Institute of Art, they have painters and sculptors Charles Burchfield and Barbara Cooper, celebrity photographer Mario Casilli, artist and designer Thaddeus Wolfe, and illustrator Stevan Dohanos.