ArtCenter comprises a diverse community of singularly creative individuals drawn together by the desire to leverage the power of imagination to create change in ways big and small.

Founded in 1930 and located in Pasadena, California, ArtCenter College of Design is a global leader in art and design education. With a current enrollment of approximately 2,250 students (54% female and 46% male, representing more than 40 countries), the College has a student/faculty ratio of 8 to 1. ArtCenter offers 11 undergraduate and seven graduate degrees in a wide array of industrial design, visual and applied arts disciplines, as well as a joint MS/MBA program with the Drucker School of Management and a minor in Social Innovation through the Designmatters program.

In addition to its top-ranked academic programs, the College also serves residents of the Greater Los Angeles region through a highly regarded series of year-round educational programs for all ages and levels of experience. Throughout the College’s long and storied history, ArtCenter alumni have had a profound impact on popular culture, the way we live and important issues in our society.

ArtCenter is a private nonprofit fully accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). Renowned for both its ties to industry and social impact initiatives, the College is the first design school to receive the United Nations’ Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status.

Mission

Learn to create. Influence change.

This is our mission statement—and our answer to how art and design impact our global society. Part call-to-action. Part promise. All opportunity.

Vision

A new model for art and design education in the 21st century.

ArtCenter’s visionary approach to art and design education is based on the College’s conservatory-like approach to teaching and learning; a desire for rich, intercultural and transdisciplinary dialogue; and a mandate to provide students innovative learning and making spaces.

Strategic Plan

Create Change 2.0

Create Change 2.0 is the product of the ArtCenter community evolving and updating initiatives of Create Change 1.0, the plan that guided the institution from 2011 to 2016. We undertook our planning for Create Change 2.0 with a keen eye on the opportunities created by the bold initiatives we launched in the last five years. We have new programs in place, extraordinary new facilities and the strength and willingness to assess our progress honestly and to ask some tough and critically important questions about our future. The overarching driver of this plan is the question of value—how we create value for our students in the process of realizing our mission. In doing so, Create Change 2.0 organizes our thinking around issues of student success, educational innovation and strategic infrastructure.

1. Student Success

As our programs continue to expand at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, student demographics are shifting and new needs are emerging. Within this context, ArtCenter is dedicated to supporting students and helping them thrive in the classroom and beyond. Key aspects of this initiative include diversity, a “whole student” approach and post-graduation support.

2. Educational Innovation

ArtCenter values our history of rigor, mentorship and professionalism that has made us a standard bearer in the field of art and design. As we face ongoing challenges in higher education, we strive to continue to lead by expanding our pedagogical perspectives, cultivating our faculty, increasing access to our community and innovating art and design curricula that remain adaptive to the needs 
of our students first.

3. Strategic Infrastructure

ArtCenter’s vibrant community, pedagogy and dual-campus system demands a state-of-the-art infrastructure of accessible facilities (actual and virtual), processes and staff. In tandem with our significant campus expansion, we must identify and build crucial infrastructural competencies and capabilities. These will ensure that the College functions efficiently, supports nimble innovation and invests wisely.