Welcome to PCA&D

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design. Founded in 1982, PCA&D is a private, non-profit, professional art college offering BFA degrees, certificates, credentials, and curricula that enable students of all ages to pursue art as their life’s work. PCA&D’s mission, affiliations, and accreditations are listed here.

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

Communication as Currency in the Curriculum: Creating influence through adaptive thinking, effective making, and an articulate voice.

PCA&D’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.

Memberships and Affiliations

•    American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers
•    American Institute of Graphic Arts
•    American Library Association
•    Association of Governing Boards
•    Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design
•    Association of Independent Colleges & Universities of Pennsylvania
•    College Board
•    Middle States Commission on Higher Education
•    National Art Education Association
•    National Association for College Admission Counseling
•    National Association of College and University Business Officers
•    National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
•    National Association of Schools of Art & Design
•    Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau
•    Society of Illustrators
•    Society of Photographic Educators