Welcome PCA&D

At Pennsylvania College of Art & Design, we are makers & dreamers, designers & entrepreneurs.

Here you’ll learn to make creativity your lifelong career. Located in the heart of Lancaster’s thriving arts community, inspiration can be found around every corner. As a vibrant micro-college of art & design, it’s the personal attention and guidance from our faculty of working artists, coupled with internships and hands-on experiences, that set us apart.

The College was founded in 1982 by a group of artists in the Susquehanna river town of Marietta. The College moved to Lancaster City’s vibrant Gallery Row neighborhood in 1987, centering students in a thriving arts community where they can explore, engage with fellow creatives, and flourish. A private, non-profit, professional art college, PCA&D offers a wealth of educational opportunities for students of all ages to live a creative life. PCA&D is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), is approved as a college and for degree-granting privileges by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design (AICAD).

Mission

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design is a professional art college offering a BFA degree, certificates, credentials, and curricula that enable students of all ages to pursue art as their life’s work.

Educational Philosophy

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design’s learning experience teaches students adaptive thinking techniques and effective making skills that result in a deliberate and influential artistic voice. Students engage with an interactive process of concept, construction, critique, and redesign in an immersive experiential environment. Because visual, verbal, and virtual communication is increasingly valued in a global society, our curriculum emphasizes the relationships among thinking, making, and communicating. We transform our students by challenging them to cultivate expansive points of view and create sophisticated visual output. The ability to continue to learn and create extends beyond the college experience.

STRATEGIC PLAN

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design developed the 2020 Strategic Plan The Art of Transformation: Designing for Our Future to guide the next five years of growth.