Why CIA

For nearly 140 years, CIA has empowered individuals to pursue and attain creative careers that matter personally, and to the world.

From the start, you will be encouraged to think of your work in a professional context. As you build technical and problem-solving skills in your major, you'll be encouraged to explore other art and design disciplines. You'll establish and refine standards of quality for your work, and learn to communicate effectively about your ideas and projects.

Graduates leave CIA enriched by time spent with working-artist faculty and with clients outside the College. 

You'll spend four years in our state-of-the-art facilities, learning how to think, live, and work as a professional artist or designer. Your learning environment will include classrooms, shared maker spaces, and world-class cultural institutions all within walking distance in Cleveland's University Circle.

And thanks to CIA's commitment to ensuring career readiness, you will graduate with real-world experience. All of our students earn credit through internships or courses that connect them with projects outside CIA. You'll begin your career equipped with the kind of professional knowledge that comes only through doing.

Our alumni change the way we look at the world, from working as designers of cars, jewelry, and video games to becoming visionary painters, ceramicists, and concept artists. Together they form an extensive network of creative professionals within the CIA orbit.