Majors
CIA prepares students for successful careers designing products, working on film and animation pipelines, maintaining studio-art practices, and becoming leaders in their fields.
Cleveland Institute of Art studentCleveland Institute of Art
CIA Major: Animation
The CIA Animation department—recently ranked No. 2 in the world by The Rookies—teaches students how to produce professional content to support their vision, with an emphasis on storytelling.
Student ArtworkCleveland Institute of Art
CIA Major: Illustration
Illustration majors build their figurative and observational drawing and design skills while learning to creatively translate concepts and emotions into imagery that tells a story.
Open work studio at the Cleveland Institute of ArtCleveland Institute of Art
CIA Major: Life Sciences Illustration
Life Sciences Illustration students work on topics in biological, zoological, botanical and health sciences while becoming skilled in illustration, animation and information design.
Students working on a photography projectCleveland Institute of Art
CIA Major: Photography
Photography emphasizes the importance of the photographic image and visual storytelling. Coursework provides students with an advanced and diverse skillset designed to prepare you for a career in fine art, educational and professional endeavors.
Video + Digital Cinema at Cleveland Institute of ArtCleveland Institute of Art
CIA Track: Video + Digital Cinema
Video + Digital Cinema is ideal for students who want to gain professional-level skills in the use of digital filmmaking, sound, motion and sequence-generated content.
Virtual reality at the Cleveland Institute of ArtCleveland Institute of Art
CIA Major: Game Design
Game Design majors build the foundation for a career in game design in art- and media-related industries while working with 3D modeling, animation, programming, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and more.
Cleveland Institute of Art Painting DepartmentCleveland Institute of Art
CIA Major: Painting
CIA's Painting Department has a long history of producing successful artists. Students acquire a broad knowledge of the visual arts and in-depth knowledge for maintaining a studio practice.
Live drawing class at CIACleveland Institute of Art
CIA Major: Drawing
Drawing students use traditional and nontraditional materials and tools to master a visual vocabulary that includes scale, proportion, perspective, composition, line and modeling.
CIA MajorsCleveland Institute of Art
CIA Major: Sculpture + Expanded Media
At CIA, sculpture is a hybrid practice that links materials with time-based work and interactive technologies. Each student finds their own path, specializing or combining processes.
Printmaking student at the Cleveland Institute of ArtCleveland Institute of Art
CIA Major: Printmaking
Printmaking majors develop an approach to image making that embraces and challenges technology—from relief printing to online distribution of digital products.
CIA MajorsCleveland Institute of Art
CIA Craft + Design Major: Glass concentration
CIA's Craft + Design major allows students to focus on glass, where they concentrate on working with hot glass, working cold glass, working in a kiln environment and flameworking.
CIA's Ceramics departmentCleveland Institute of Art
CIA Craft + Design Major: Ceramics concentration
In CIA's Craft + Design major, students learn the art and science of ceramics. Sculpture, pottery, design and imagery coalesce in students' individual pursuits of creating in clay.
CIA MajorsCleveland Institute of Art
CIA Craft + Design Major: Jewelry + Metals concentration
Also in Craft + Design is the Jewelry + Metals program. Students work with contemporary and traditional processes to design jewelry, fashion, accessories and functional objects.
CIA MajorsCleveland Institute of Art
CIA Major: Industrial Design
CIA's Industrial Design program is known for producing graduates who work at the top of their field, solving real-world problems and becoming successful entrepreneurs.
CIA MajorsCleveland Institute of Art
CIA Track: Transportation Design
Transportation Design allows students to focus on meeting the ever-changing needs of companies that envision the future of transportation. CIA alumni have worked on many well-known automobiles, including the Corvette C8, which was MotorTrend's 2020 Car of the Year.
CIA MajorsCleveland Institute of Art
CIA Major: Interior Architecture
CIA's Interior Architecture program emphasizes commercial, retail, architectural, functional and spatial design. Students study processes and knowledge of materials specification.
CIA MajorsCleveland Institute of Art
CIA Major: Graphic Design
Graphic Design majors explore innovative and traditional methods of graphic design, including typography, print and web design, package design, and signage.
CIA Commencement photoCleveland Institute of Art
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