Accreditation
The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) is a private, non-profit corporation chartered by the State of Wisconsin for the purpose of providing a professional education to students of the visual arts and related design fields. The college offers Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Communication Design, Fashion and Apparel Design, Illustration, Illustration – Animation track, Industrial Design (Product Design), Interior Architecture and Design and New Studio Practice: Fine Arts.
MIAD is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), and the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), (info@hlcommission.org, 800-621-7440).
The Wisconsin State Approving Agency under Title 38, US Code, approves the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree of MIAD for the training of veterans for federal veterans’ education benefits.
News
Paris study abroad illuminates creative practice for students
Madison Boeder ’25 found that study abroad trips through the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) resonated so strongly with their practice that the Fine Art + New Studio Practice major (Art History minor) went on two: Florence in 2024 and, this year, Paris.
Illustration & Animation rank top in state, highly in Midwest and U.S.
In Animation Career Review’s 2025 college rankings, the Illustration and Animation programs at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design were once again ranked number 1 in the state.
Art direction and alumni connection: Design student interns at Nike
This past summer, Olivia Nava ’26 (Communication Design) landed a fiercely competitive internship at athletic footwear and apparel brand Nike. Now that she’s back, the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) senior reflects on the experience, and the MIAD classes and connections that prepared her for this opportunity.
MIAD gallery offers photo students contemporary perspectives
In the photo area of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, where digital technology and the darkroom intersect, the Perspectives Gallery shines its own light on contemporary image makers.
Transformational reflection: Studying abroad in The Burren, Ireland
Each year, a group of Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) students spends four weeks in May investigating the Burren in County Clare, Ireland through text and image. Based at the Burren College of Art and led by Professor Leslie Fedorchuk and printmaker Matthew Presutti, the two-decade-long partnership between the colleges has produced meaningful reflection and transformational experiences for students.