Academics
Undergraduate study
First-year program
Liberal Arts departments
Graduate study
Degree programs
- Architecture
- Ceramics
- Design Engineering
- Digital + Media
- Furniture Design
- Glass
- Global Arts and Cultures
- Graphic Design
- Illustration
- Industrial Design
- Interior Architecture
- Jewelry + Metalsmithing
- Landscape Architecture
- Nature–Culture–Sustainability Studies
- Painting
- Photography
- Printmaking
- Sculpture
- Teaching + Learning in Art + Design
- Textiles
Certificates and concentrations
Founded in 1877, RISD stands out among the world’s preeminent colleges of art and design. Its community of critical thinkers and makers shares a belief in the value of hands-on learning, experimentation and an ever-evolving approach to studio education reinforced by liberal arts studies.
Exceptional academic resources
RISD Museum
Students enjoy access to lectures, concerts, screenings and more than 90,000 works of fine art, design and decorative arts at this popular regional destination.
Fleet Library at RISD
With more than 150,000 circulating books, RISD’s library offers resources in art, design, architecture and more in a beautifully redesigned historic banking hall.
Co-Works Research Lab
At this interdisciplinary research space, students and faculty make use of advanced tools and processes to experiment, explore materials and engage in innovative collaborations.
Color Lab
The lab’s collection of materials and objects makes this space ideal for exploring color across all art and design fields.
Nature Lab
Through imaging systems and access to more than 80,000 specimens, students explore design in nature at the meeting point of artistic and scientific research.
Center for Arts & Language
Students interested in honing their communication skills for projects and professional development find peer tutoring and other support outside the classroom.
Gelman Student Gallery
Students are invited to propose and curate group shows for this vibrant gallery located at the entrance to the RISD Museum.
Sol Koffler Graduate Student Gallery
RISD’s downtown venue for showing graduate student work hosts a series of ever-changing shows throughout the academic year.
Woods-Gerry Gallery
Activating the first floor of a 19th-century mansion, RISD’s original student gallery is the primary venue for showing undergraduate work.