College of Art and Design
Welcome to Lesley University College of Art and Design!
Founded in 1912 as the School of Practical Arts, the original focus was teaching commercial art skills. In 1967 the school changed its name to the Art Institute of Boston (AIB) and expanded its reputation as a professional art and design school. AIB merged with Lesley University in 1998, and in 2015, the college moved to the Lunder Arts Center in Porter Square, joining its sister colleges in Cambridge. This merger and move broadened the college’s curricula as one of the few professional art and design schools within a university that provides a strong liberal arts education rooted within an art and design practice.
As an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and a proud member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD), we provide a vigorous studio education paired with a strong liberal arts curriculum. Our programs are designed to educate skilled artists and designers and thoughtful, contributing citizens. This commitment is reflected in our high post-graduate employment rate and partnerships with over 50 community organizations, where students gain real-world experience teaching, creating, and exhibiting their work.
Three gallery spaces feature over multiple exhibitions per year by professional artists and designers, community artists, and students. Undergraduates benefit from studying with graduate students in the Art and Design MFA programs, ranked in the top 20 in the United States. With 300+ students, the college is not too big, not too small, but rather just right - a close, inclusive, supporting community. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Heather Shaw
Vice Provost for Art +Design
College of Art and Design Degree Programs
The College of Art and Design offers fully accredited Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree programs 120 credits which are: Animation, Film, Game Art, Game Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Studio Arts (with specializations in Painting, Printmaking, Photography and Ceramics/3D), UX/UI Design, Visual Effects (VFX) and Visual Narrative as well as a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Art and an online Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Design for User Experience. The College also offers Post-Baccalaureate Certificates (18 credits online) in Graphic Design, User Experience and Web Design. These are in addition to various minors available to students. The College also offers two low-residency Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A) degrees. The College of Art and Design also offers a dual degree, BFA/M.Ed., in Visual Art Education for Initial License as Teacher of Visual Art for students interested in becoming an artist as well as a licensed visual art teacher in public schools (PreK-8 or 5-12). Students can begin M.Ed. coursework while completing their BFA degree.
All Art and Design BFA majors incorporate 18 credits of studio foundation requirements, 15 credits of art history/theory requirements, 48 credits of studio requirements dedicated to the major, 27 credits of general education (CommonLynx) requirements, with 12 remaining credits of free electives for a total of 120 credits. Roughly 2/3 of the BFA 120 credits are completed through studio-based art and design classes, and professional development coursework appropriate to the specific program of study. University-wide General Education Standards are designed to expand students' knowledge and experiences, not only through classroom learning, but through external experiences and interdisciplinary opportunities as well. This credit structure was recently reimagined and redesigned by faculty and administration, and meets the NASAD accreditation standards and guidelines. Each undergraduate program at Lesley University, including the studio BFA programs, strives to meet those standards with specific competencies through a combination of student experiences. Our General Education and Liberal Arts components are offered and taught by Lesley University faculty.