Columbus College of Art & Design

Columbus College of Art & Design is a private, nonprofit art and design institution situated in the Discovery District of downtown Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1879 as the Columbus Art School, it is one of the oldest specialized art colleges in the United States. The college maintains an average 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio, connecting students directly with faculty who work as practicing artists and designers.

CCAD structures its educational philosophy around the convergence of classical studio practice and professional application. All incoming undergraduate students complete the First-Year Experience, a foundational curriculum emphasizing digital literacy, critical theory, and analog observational techniques such as systems of drawing and 2D creative practice. This foundation is paired with a mandatory business concentration designed to ensure students graduate with commercial strategy and presentation skills alongside technical proficiency.

Animation

Established in 1987, the BFA in Animation is recognized as a Toon Boom Centre of Excellence. The program begins with a medium-agnostic approach, providing hands-on training across 2D, 3D, and experimental animation methods, including claymation and stop-motion fabrication. Observation remains central to the discipline; the "Cafe Sketch" curriculum brings live animals and human models into the studio to reinforce understanding of weight, volume, and anatomy before students translate those principles into character rigging and modeling.

Animation students train across specialized production environments:

• PC Computer Labs: Outfitted with 24-inch Cintiq displays and industry software including Toon Boom Harmony, Storyboard Pro, Autodesk Maya, and Unreal Engine for digital rendering and pipeline simulation.
• Stop-Motion Lab: Equipped with DSLRs, stage rigging, and Dragonframe software for physical, frame-by-frame animation.
• Virtual Reality Drawing Lab: Features dedicated VR headsets and spatial drawing tools for immersive asset creation and AR/VR design.
• Tad Jeffrey FabLab: Provides rapid prototyping resources such as 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC equipment, and walk-in spray booths for building stop-motion armatures and physical miniature sets.

Upper-level coursework covers narrative storyboarding, pipeline simulation, and digital modeling, culminating in a professional demo reel and collaborative projects within the Animation Student Collective.

Game Art & Design

CCAD’s BFA in Game Art & Design frames game production around visual systems, narrative context, and interactive mechanics. The curriculum mirrors the collaborative workflow of production studios, guiding students through asset modeling, introductory coding, visual scripting, and playable prototyping.

In project-based courses such as Programming for Play, students develop game logic and produce assets for multiple distinct playable prototypes within a single semester. In addition to industry engines like Unreal Engine and Adobe Substance, students experiment with physical interfaces using Arduino and Makey Makey kits. Practical coursework incorporates collaborative client projects, such as the mobile title Smokey’s Scouts created with the USDA Forest Service, and encourages engagement in regional game jams and community expos.

UX Design and Advanced Studies

Beyond undergraduate studio degrees, CCAD offers a fully online Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in UX Design. Designed for working professionals, this 30-credit program delivers synchronous evening courses centered on human-centered design principles and the Double Diamond process (Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver). The coursework focuses on leading cross-functional teams, research strategy, and interactive prototyping.

On campus, student work is contextualized through multiple exhibition venues. The Joseph V. Canzani Center houses the 6,000-square-foot Beeler Gallery for contemporary international exhibitions and thesis showcases, as well as the Acock Gallery for community and visiting artist programming. Additional exhibitions take place in Byers Gallery within Design Studios on Broad and Beaton Gallery in Kinney Hall. Marking CCAD’s footprint in downtown Columbus is the campus ART sign, a 100-foot-tall red steel sculpture spanning the city street.