Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)

Created in the late 1800’s to address the need for artisans and craftsmen throughout the country, RISD grants degrees in Architecture and Design ( Apparel Design, Architecture, Furniture Design, Graphic Design, Industrial Design and Interior Architecture),   fine arts (Ceramics, Film/Animation/Video, Glass, Illustration, Jewelry Making and Metalsmithing, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture and Textiles) and Liberal Arts (English, History of Art & Visual Culture and History/Philosophy/Social Sciences).  

A bastion for aspiring artists honing their craft, one may imagine a compound for artists with few rules and little structure to allow the individual to explore and create.  That image would be wrong.  While RISD is a home for young artists to hone their craft, this home has high expectations and standards for the diverse community it attracts.  Freshmen are expected to take three 8 hour studio art classes in addition to two other courses.  To graduate students must complete 126 credit hours, 54 in their major, 18 in the Foundation Studies program (RISD’s core curriculum in the visual arts, 42 in the liberal arts and 12 in non-major electives.  Not surprisingly the arts side of the curriculum gets high marks while the liberal arts classes often receive criticism.  Located next to Brown University in Providence, students have the opportunity to take their liberal arts classes at Brown.

RISD is based on a semester system with a six week winter session nestled between fall and spring semester.  During this time students are encouraged to take classes outside their area.  Each year about 30 students attend the European Honors Program in Rome and participate in independent study, projects with critics and italian immersion courses.  RISD also offers an international exchange program with art schools around the world.  

RISD students are very diverse in every way.   Their social life however is not nearly as wild as their appearance may suggest.  At RISD the social life often centers around the friends you make in studio.  For a more traditional college nightlife students can walk just a few blocks onto Brown campus.