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 39 leading art schools in the United States and Canada.
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 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. 4 MIAD NSP Students have been accepted to the prestigious Yale Norfolk summer program in the last 4 years. 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 regional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Institutional Memberships
MIAD maintains many institutional memberships, including:
- Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB)
- Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD)
- American Alliance of Museums
- Create Wisconsin
- Greater Milwaukee Committee (GMC)
- Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU)
- Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee (HPGM)
- Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce (HWCC)
- ImagineMKE
- Jewish Museum
- John Michael Kohler Arts (JMKAC)
- LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Ed
- Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC)
- Milwaukee Artist Resource Network (MARN)
- Milwaukee Film
- Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA)
- National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU)
- National Association of Schools in Art and Design (NASAD)
- Nō Studios
- Walker’s Point Center for the Arts
- Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU)
- Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
- Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce
- Woodland Pattern
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
Digital Media Production
Furniture Design
Soft Goods
CRITICAL STUDIES MINORS
Advertising
Art History
Business
Copywriting
Humanities
Psychology
Natural Sciences
Sustainability
Writing
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 (Jane Bradley Pettit Building)
- Frederick Layton Gallery (Jane Bradley Pettit Building)
- MIAD Student Gallery (Jane Bradley Pettit Building)
- MIAD Gallery at The Ave (301 West Wisconsin Ave., Suite 104)
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
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.
- MIAD Gallery at The Ave, 301 West Wisconsin Ave Suite 104: The college’s first off-campus gallery showcasing work by students, staff, faculty and alumni is located downtown near Milwaukee’s 3rd Street Market Hall.
- Blick Art Materials, 242 East Menomonee Street: MIAD’s extensive on-campus art and design supply store.
News
Service Learning class hosts military cultural preservation experts
Anna Hillary’s “Service Learning: Art, Culture and Community” class at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) hosted two special guests recently: Colonel Andrew Scott DeJesse, Director for the U.S. Army’s Monuments Officer program, and Captain Blake Ruehrwein, Cultural Heritage Preservation Officer for the U.S. Army.
MIAD alum designs ‘beautiful’ horror posters
Creating “something that’s beautiful and terrifying at the same time” is not only possible, it’s a “fun and favorite challenge” for Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) alum and staff member Kyle V. James ‘15. James’ latest horror movie poster, “Forgive Me,” is front and center as the film premieres in Spain.
MIAD Values Recognition Award: Grant Gill
Grant Gill ’13 (Photography), Photography & Digital Media Lab Technician, received the August 2024 MIAD Values Recognition Award at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD). Gill’s nominations speak to his values of Community and Integrity.
Lubar Innovation Center brings MKE history to Brix Apartments
The one thing Alivia Rapp ’24 (Illustration) would change about working with MIAD’s Lubar Innovation Center is getting “involved with staff Drew Maxwell and Kyle James even earlier in my college experience to really milk it for all it’s worth! It is one of the things I truly miss about MIAD post-grad.”
MIAD students win International Sculpture Center awards
Recent MIAD graduates Caroline Calvano ’24 and Chad Alexander Matha ’24 (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts) each received a 2024 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award from the International Sculpture Center, publisher of Sculpture magazine.