ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
At MIAD, you’ll develop your skills, broaden your horizons, and pursue work in your field of choice. We’ll give you the tools you need to follow your creative path, and redefine the role of artist or designer in contemporary society.
Explore MIAD’s undergraduate degree programs and majors. Find your fit.
Animation Track in Illustration
Communication Design
Illustration
Fashion and Apparel Design
Fine Art + New Studio Practice
Interior Architecture and Design
Product Design
First-Year Experience
Additional Undergraduate Program Offerings
FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE: All freshman and many transfer students take First-Year Experience courses in the Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree program. First-Year courses teach students to try everything, and assume nothing.
CRITICAL STUDIES: In addition to studio coursework, all MIAD undergraduate students take critical studies (academic) courses. Critical Studies at MIAD serves as the bridge between the studio and the world, between the classroom and the community.
MINORS: All MIAD studio majors except Fashion and Apparel Design can be taken as a minor. In addition, students may receive a minor in areas such as Arts Management, Book Arts, Digital Media Production, Furniture Design, Sustainability, Advertising, Art History, Business, Copywriting, Games and Interactive Media, Humanities, Natural Science, Psychology and Creative Writing.
SPECIAL PROGRAMS: MIAD offers many mobility, study abroad, and cross-registration opportunities.
Non-Credit Programs
Explore MIAD’s Youth and Community Programs, such as Pre-College, Continuing Education and Design Internship, at ycp.miad.edu.
News
Double ASID award winner is inspired by nature and internships
Rising senior at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) Adam Wold ’27 received two awards in May from the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). The Interior Architecture and Design (IAD) major won the Silver Award in the Commercial category and the Bronze Award in the Residential category.
MIAD faculty, alumni shine at WI Visual Art Achievement Awards
Professor Leslie Fedorchuk and alumni of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) received four of the eight individual 2026 Wisconsin Visual Art Achievement Awards for “their significant contributions to the state’s creative culture.”
National Society of Illustrators honors 13 MIAD students
Works by 13 students and recent graduates of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) were selected from among 4,550 nationwide submissions to receive 2026 honors from the national Society of Illustrators.
Pallas Textiles competition provides real-world experience
First-place winner Sophia Simonson ’28 created Refractions as part of her MIAD studies in Interior Architecture and Design. She is one of 20 students studying at MIAD through a cross-registration program with Concordia University. MIAD students Kaitlyn Powers ’26 (Illustration) and Natalie Spetell ’27 (Product Design), both of whom have minors in Communication Design, received Honorable Mentions.
2026 First-Year Exhibition showcases professional growth
An annual tradition at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design from late March through September, the juried First-Year Experience Exhibition celebrates students’ yearlong personal and professional growth.