Admissions Office - Ringling College of Art and Design

About

Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota, FL - shattering the myth of the "starving artist."

Story

Ringling College of Art and Design is a private, not-for-profit, fully accredited college offering the Bachelor's degree in 12 disciplines: Business of Art & Design, Computer Animation, Creative Writing, Film, Fine Arts, Game Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Design, Motion Design, Photography & Imaging, and Visual Studies. The College is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design [AICAD] and is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design [NASAD], the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree [SACS], and by the First Professional Degree Level by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation [CIDA], formerly [FIDER].

Located on Florida's Gulf Coast, the picturesque 48-acre campus now includes more than 110 buildings, and attracts close to 1,300 students from 44 states and more than 50 countries. It is recognized as being among the best and most innovative visual arts colleges in the United States as well as a leader in the use of technology in the arts. With a better than 2:1 student to computer ratio, Ringling College's computing infrastructure rivals even that of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology [MIT].

Potential students pursuing admission to Ringling College, as well as art teachers, guidance counselors and others are encouraged to visit the campus for a personal tour hosted by one of our Office of Admissions and Development staffs. It's impossible to appreciate all the ways Ringling College inspires creativity just by reading about it. You need to experience it for yourself.

Visit our beautiful campus. Have lunch with some students and faculty. Check out our studios and residence halls. Observe a class or two. It is the best way for you to really get a feel for the true Ringling College "personality" and imagine what life here is like. To set up your tour, just fill out a prospective student campus tour request. We will contact you to finalize your arrangements.

Mission

Ringling College of Art and Design recognizes that artists and designers play a significant role in society. The College's primary mission is to provide programs leading to degrees that prepare students to be discerning visual thinkers and ethical practitioners in their chosen area of art and design.

Visual arts professionals must understand diverse aspects of past and present cultures, and develop their capacity for creative expression and effective communication. Ringling's curriculum, therefore, balances the teaching of technical knowledge and skills with the development of critical, conceptual and creative abilities and supports courses that provide historical, multicultural, global and future perspectives. Ringling faculty consists of professionally active and teaching-oriented artists, designers and scholars.

Ringling College of Art and Design strives to enroll both full- and part-time students from diverse backgrounds who intend to become professionals in the visual arts. Through its policies and practices, the College supports excellence in teaching and fosters the aesthetic, intellectual, professional, personal, and social development of its students. Academic programs and advising, career services, and an extensive co-curricular student life program prepare students for an art or design profession, or when appropriate, for continued studies on the graduate level.

In addition to its degree program, Ringling College offers courses, lectures, exhibitions and other art-related services to the local and regional community through its gallery, library, continuing education and community service programs.

Through the efforts of its Board of Trustees, administrators, faculty, support staff, alumni, and friends, Ringling endeavors to provide the necessary resources, services and environment to fulfill its institutional mission.

Products

Great art comes from great ideas. As an artist-citizen, you have tremendous potential to make a difference in the world. The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program, offered in 13 studio majors, is a four-year sequence of studio art, art history and liberal arts courses designed to prepare you for life as a professional artist or designer. The Bachelor of Arts degree program in Business of Art & Design combines business, art and liberal arts to prepare you for a creative business career. We’ll challenge you to develop resources you never knew you had.