California College of the Arts - Overview
California College of the Arts Is a World-Renowned College Offering 21 Undergraduate Programs in Art, Architecture, Design, and Writing
California College of the Arts (CCA) is an internationally recognized private college offering 21 undergraduate programs and 7 graduate programs in art, architecture, design, and writing. It was founded in 1907 and today has 2 dynamic campuses, one in San Francisco and one in Oakland. The college currently has 1,950 full-time students: approximately 1,450 undergraduates and 500 graduate students. CCA has world-class facilities, is fully accredited, and has been praised as one of the world's best design schools by "Business Week". Graduates leave school ready to make art that matters.
The most popular undergraduate majors include architecture, graphic design, animation, fashion design, illustration, industrial design, painting/drawing, and photography. Interaction design was recently added as a new major. Students can major or minor in "Visual Studies" or "Writing and Literature". Depending on his or her major, each undergraduate will earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Bachelor of Arts (BA), or Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) degree.
Ready to Make Art That Matters?
CCA students are educated in a multidisciplinary context that encourages them to push boundaries, develop bold and innovative practices, and prepare for creative professional careers. This distinctive approach to education -- "Make Art That Matters" -- integrates throughout the curriculum such important issues as social justice and ecological sustainability. CCA has been named a Top Green College by the "Princeton Review" for 2 years running.
Students have numerous opportunities to engage with local and global communities. ENGAGE at CCA is a family of courses open to students in any major in which they work with outside experts to find solutions to community issues. Another initiative is the IMPACT Social Entrepreneurship Awards, giving multiple $10,000 awards each year to interdisciplinary teams of students, enabling each team to undertake a major project over the summer, anywhere in the world.
Sponsored studios (studio courses funded by industry-leading companies) are offered every year in various disciplines, providing invaluable educational opportunities and professional connections.
Diversity of Perspectives and Opportunities for Expression
Students come to CCA from across the country and around the world. The college offers numerous opportunities for summer study abroad and international exchange. CCA's diverse community and travel opportunities ensure that students are constantly being introduced to new sources of inspiration and have access to the richest possible educational experience.
Internationally renowned visiting artists and scholars come to campus every semester to lecture, make studio visits, and participate in critiques. Other opportunities for community building and professional preparation include year-round exhibitions, organized museum and gallery outings, campus fairs, performances, and artist talks.
CCA offers a summer pre-college program for high school students in which participants earn college credit, as well as numerous courses for youths and adults.
First-Year Students Are Exposed to a Variety of Media, Building Skills and Experimenting
All first-year undergraduate students enter a structured core program in which they focus on skill building, experimentation, and critical thinking. It is a year of cross-disciplinary study that combines studio and academic courses, and exposes them to a variety of media. All first-year students are based on CCA's Oakland campus, a traditional college setting spread over 4 acres in a residential area of the city. 80% of first-year students reside in campus housing.
Financial Aid and Merit Scholarships
The college's financial aid programs are designed to help make CCA affordable, so that all students can reach their creative potential. CCA offers numerous institutional scholarships as well as federal and state grants, loans, and work-study. Merit-based scholarships are available to students who demonstrate outstanding creative ability and academic achievement. In total, the college awards more than $19 million each year in scholarships to qualified students; 78% of CCA students receive scholarships of some kind.
Admissions Policies Balance Academic Merit with Artistic Potential
CCA takes an individualized and balanced approach to its admissions process. Applications are reviewed on the basis of individual academic achievement; the portfolio and its demonstration of creative ability and potential; artistic and professional goals; personal achievements; and supporting documents such as teacher recommendations.
Mentoring Relationships with Faculty Members
CCA's faculty includes more than 550 nationally and internationally recognized artists, architects, designers, and writers, all of whom are actively working in their respective fields. CCA's student-to-faculty member ratio is 10:1, a very low number, meaning that students are able to make meaningful connections with their teachers. Faculty-student mentoring encourages artistic exploration, challenges students to take risks, and clarifies and deepens the processes of inquiry. It also means that students are better able to take advantage of their teachers' networks of professional connections, which can directly lead to opportunities after graduation.
San Francisco Bay Area Provides a Culturally Rich, Inspiring Setting
The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most beautiful places in the world. It is also home to more than 250 art venues, including numerous important museums and alternative galleries; 25,000 nonprofits; a renowned mix of historic and modern architecture; active endeavors in theater, music, dance, film, and literature; and many of the world's most important design and technology firms, from IDEO to Apple to Pixar. It is a high-density hub for entrepreneurship and venture capital. It is noted for its cultural and ethnic diversity, a long tradition of social awareness, and a deep dedication to environmental sustainability. This fertile environment is an ideal setting to learn and to build one's creative practice. The unique opportunities in the Bay Area enable CCA students to supplement their education in ways that would be impossible anywhere else.