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Where passion
finds purpose.

 

The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) is Wisconsin’s only four-year, nonprofit, private college of visual art and design. MIAD is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD), a consortium of 34 leading art schools in the United States and Canada.

 

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Mission

We ignite curious minds through art, design and service.

Values

COURAGE, to seek our own path
INTEGRITY, to pursue our lives and work with meaning
KINDNESS, to thoughtfully engage with others
COMMUNITY, to positively contribute to the world around us
INNOVATION, to meet universal challenges in new ways
INCLUSION, to find strength in diversity

Vision

We will be a galvanized educational and creative community, addressing universal needs through our thought, design and expression.

MIAD building along the Riverwalk

MIAD by the numbers. Ranked in the top 20 small art colleges in the nation. Ranked in the top 10 best schools for Illustration in the Great Lakes. Ranked in the top 10 in the Midwest for Communication Design. Since 2015, 9 MIAD NSP students have been accepted to the prestigious Yale Norfolk summer program. Nearly 30% of MIAD graduates own their own businesses.

Quick Facts

History

The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) was founded in 1974. It is the successor to the Layton School of Art, founded in 1920.

Accreditation

MIAD is Wisconsin’s only college devoted exclusively to the education of artists and designers. It is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD) and the Higher Learning Commission,  a national accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For more information about accreditation, please visit the Reports page.

Institutional Memberships

MIAD maintains many institutional memberships, including:

Degree Programs

Communication Design
Fashion and Apparel Design
Fine Art + New Studio Practice
Illustration
Animation Track
Interior Architecture and Design
Product Design

STUDIO MINORS

All Major Programs
Art Management
Book Arts
Furniture Design
Softgoods

CRITICAL STUDIES MINORS

Art History
Humanities
Natural Sciences
Sustainability
Creative Writing

MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY CROSS-REGISTRATION MINORS

Advertising
Business
Copywriting
Games and Interactive Media
Psychology

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Students must earn 120 credits to graduate, including 78 studio credits and 42 critical studies credits. Critical study areas and the number of credits required in each are: English & Writing, 12: Art History, 12; Humanities & Sciences, 18.

Campus & Community

Campus

  • Fully equipped 3-D Lab, including wood, metal and plastic power and hand tools
  • Emerging Technology Center (ETC) with 3D printers, laser cutters/etchers, digital printers, virtual reality and animation resources, Waicom drawing tablets
  • Innovation Center for innovative and entrepreneurial thinking and making in collaboration with corporate and nonprofit partners
  • Laptop-compatible labs for both fine art and design majors
  • Numerous photography labs
  • Textiles Lab
  • Individual fine art and design studios
  • Sculpture studio with foundry
  • Printmaking studio with equipment for intaglio, lithography, screen printing and digital processes
  • Library (SWITCH Program) providing students with access to over half a million volumes, 2000 videos and extensive online resources
  • Academic Support Center (tutoring, counseling, ELL support)
  • Blick Art Materials (located on-campus)
  • MIAD Cafe

Galleries

  • Brooks Stevens Gallery of Industrial Design
  • Frederick Layton Gallery
  • 160 Gallery
  • Wallway Gallery
  • Perspectives Gallery
  • Illustration & Communication Design Alumni Gallery

Community

MIAD’s faculty consists of more than 100 artists, designers, and scholars. Our student faculty ratio is 11 to 1.

900 Students (Includes full-time and part-time, degree-seeking students)
600 Pre-College students
250 Outreach/Special Programs students

Application Requirements

MIAD requires a completed application form, transcripts and portfolio for admissions consideration. There is no fee for applicants who apply online at miad.edu/applynow.

Cost & Aid

For complete cost information, please refer to Tuition & Payment.

Study Opportunities

MIAD offers special study opportunities on and off campus. They include:

  • The AICAD Exchange program, allowing students to attend 33 other AICAD schools throughout the nation for one semester.
  • Semester-long exchange programs in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain
  • MIAD-led short-term study/travel to such locations as Ireland, Italy, Thailand and France
  • Independent Study
  • Work Study
  • Internships
Marquette University Affiliation

The MIAD and Marquette University connection offers MIAD students access to an increased number of Humanities and Sciences classes, library, health care, intramural sports, and health club facilities.

MIAD’s Campus

Directions to campus
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MIAD’s campus is located in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward, the city’s official arts district, some twenty blocks of renovated warehouses, artists lofts, theaters, businesses, shops, and restaurants. Bordered by the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan and a destination for both tourists and residents, the Third Ward possesses a distinct and unique urban flavor.

The college offers one of the largest, safest, and most comprehensive art and design environments in the United States. Its campus occupies a mix of historic and modern buildings:

  • The Jane Bradley Pettit Building, 273 East Erie Street: In 1992, after a complete renovation, the college moved into this facility. Our  main academic building offers students, faculty, and staff 245,000 square feet of space on five floors.
  • Two50Two MIAD Student Apartments, 252 East Menomonee Street: Offers students exceptional apartment-style living with upscale amenities, including LED TVs, modern furniture and upgraded appliances in every apartment, and on-site lounges and laundry. Two50Two is located directly across the street from MIAD.
  • Blick Art Materials, 242 East Menomonee Street: MIAD’s extensive on-campus art and design supply store.
MIAD's main building

News

MIAD Task Award: Alum pays it forward with generous mentoring

Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) alum Amy Cannestra ’06 (Communication Design) believes in giving back, in mentoring and in the supportive nature of the Milwaukee art and design community. By founding Task Creative and the MIAD Task Graduate Award, the incredibly busy creative exemplifies all three beliefs. The Task awardee, Ashley Osorio ’26 (Fine Art + New Studio Practice), will receive five consecutive days to use the Task Creative space for a project of their choosing this summer.

Meet Michaela Prischman and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project Cloth

Michaela Prischman ’26 (Communication Design) is a President’s (Honor) List student from Tinley Park, Ill. She created “Cloth,” a tool to help guide young professional women to find and organize alternative work attire through a personalized style subscription box.

Flagship Madison museum features exhibition by FYE faculty

The First-Year Experience (FYE) at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) blends contemporary and traditional techniques, an approach embraced by FYE faculty David R. Harper in Good Morning Sweetheart, a solo exhibition on view at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) through August 30, 2026.

Illustration seniors land NASA and Disney internships

Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design seniors Grace Weisner ’26 and Allison Stras ’26 have landed the internship of their dreams: Weisner at NASA and Stras at Disney. Both are Illustration majors with minors in Communication Design.

Meet Kas Cook and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project Mcallaster’s Special

Cas Kook ’26 (Animation Track in Illustration) is a Dean’s List student from the Greater Chicago area and a recipient of a 2026 Alumni Thesis Award. “Project Calvin Sazerac” is about Calvin Sazerac, a seasoned barkeep, who creates new cocktails for his favorite regulars. When he is challenged to meet the demands of a picky saloon patron, he creates something life changing.