Rhode Island School of Design is a private, nonprofit college founded in Providence, RI in 1877—making it one of the first art and design schools in the US.
Bachelor's programmes
Arts, Design & Architecture (16)
- B.F.A. Apparel Design
- B.Arch. Architecture
- B.F.A. Ceramics
- B.F.A. Film, Animation and Video
- B.F.A. Furniture Design
- B.F.A. Glass
- B.F.A. Graphic Design
- B.F.A. Illustration
- B.F.A. Industrial Design
- B.F.A. Jewelry and Metalsmithing
- B.F.A. Painting
- B.F.A. Photography
- B.F.A. Printmaking
- B.F.A. Sculpture
- B.F.A. Textiles
Engineering & Technology (4)
- B.Arch. Architecture
- B.F.A. Furniture Design
- B.F.A. Glass
- B.F.A. Jewelry and Metalsmithing
Journalism & Media (2)
- B.F.A. Printmaking
- B.F.A. Sculpture
Applied Sciences & Professions (1)
- B.F.A. Apparel Design
Computer Science & IT (1)
- B.F.A. Film, Animation and Video
About
History
RISD was founded and nurtured by a small group of women more than 40 years before women in America even gained the right to vote. That year Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf urged 34 members of the Rhode Island Women’s Centennial Commission to invest their group’s surplus funding of $1,675 in founding a school of art and design.
Education
Undergraduate Study
- First-Year Program
- Liberal Arts Departments
- Degree Programs
- Concentrations
Graduate Study
- Degree Programs
- Certificates + Concentrations
Career
The Career Center offers comprehensive support for students and alumni through an extensive array of resources and programming. With our unparalleled Portfolio Review events, exclusive ArtWorks job board, in-depth career advisement and numerous career programs, we educate, advise and empower your students to effectively translate their education and creativity into fulfilling professional experiences.
Global Student Satisfaction Awards 2021
GSSA 2021
The Global Student Satisfaction Awards empower students across the globe to determine the best universities of 2021. Universities with a score above 4.0 (out of 5) in any of the 8 award categories, receive Badges of Excellence. Congratulations!
Services
Student services
Queer Student Association strives to help queer-identifying students cope with life at RISD by providing a supportive structure paired with safe spaces for conversation. QSA also provides a great deal of cultural and educational programs geared towards the community at large as well as the queer community to weld the two with a unified code of respect, safety, and understanding.
Housing services
Charles Landing
- One Bedroom Private Apartment
- One Bedroom Shared Apartment
- Two Bedroom Apartment
- Town House
- Studio Apartment
First Year Housing
Hill Houses
- Single Room
- Shared Room (Double or Triple)
Benefit Street Apartments
- Apartment (2 or 3 bedroom)
- Colonial Studio Apartment
- Dwight Studio Apartment
- Alcove Suite Single
- Alcove Suite Shared (Double or Triple)
- Apartments (3 or 4 bedrooms)
- Group Loft
- Shared Triple Loft
- Shared Double Loft
- Studio Loft
- Two Bedroom Loft
Library services
With more than 150,000 circulating books, RISD’s library offers a wide range of specialized resources in art, design, architecture and more in a beautifully redesigned historic grand banking hall.
Medical services
RISD’s Health Center is your first line of defense for confidential, quality health care, whether you’ve got a minor bug or injury or are concerned with a more serious health care problem.
We’re your on-campus urgi-care center.
- Basic Health Care
- Gynecologic Care
- Wellness Care
- Medical Referrals
- Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing
Student Life
Campus life
Given its relatively small footprint, Providence is comfortable and easy to navigate, with seven colleges and universities making it very student-focused. A vibrant community of artists and designers—including many alumni who choose to stay in the area—adds to the flavor, as do the city’s eclectic neighborhoods, which offer a variety of lifestyles, restaurants and entertainment options. Students often take advantage of day trips to Boston, New York or beautiful beaches as appealing options for inspiration and refreshment.
Sports facilities
- Catanzaro Student Fitness Center for dance, pilates, spinning, tai-chi and yoga
- Brown athletic complex, where you'll have access to a swimming pool, ice skating rink, indoor and outdoor tracks, and courts for tennis, squash, racquetball and basketball
Student clubs
- American Society of Landscape Architects
- Anime Manga Illustration Club
- Behind the Scene
- Better World By Design
- Black Artists and Designers
- Brown-RISD Game Developers
- Brown-RISD Hong Kong Student Association
- Concept Art Club
- Design For America
- Queer Student Association
Accreditation
RISD is accredited by two organizations: New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE, formerly NEASC) and National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). Several programs have specialized accreditation: Architecture (National Architecture Accrediting Board), Landscape Architecture (Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board) and the Master of Art in Teaching (RI Department of Education).
Other programmes from this organisation
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