Introduction - Pratt Institute School of Art and Design

The School of Art and Design offers one of the finest and most comprehensive professional art and design educations available.With a distinguished faculty and exceptional technical and studio resources, gifted students from throughout the United States and the world come together at Pratt, forming an unmatched assembly of creative energy and opportunity.

Courses are taught by the finest gathering of professional artists, designers, critics, historians and practitioners in the world. The faculty includes numerous recipients of prestigious awards such as the Tiffany, Fulbright, and Guggenheim Fellowships. The faculty’s works, projects and publications are known and respected throughout the globe. Along with state-of-the-art curricula and outstanding faculty, the School of Art and Design offers students an exciting level of diversity, both in the campus community and in the degree offerings. There are 18 undergraduate and 12 graduate programs within the School.

These offerings, conducted alongside Pratt's distinguished professional programs in Architecture, and the extraordinary cultural resources of New York City, ensure an education of uncommon depth and excellence. The educational goals of the School of Art and Design are highlighted in the following pages by the Chairs of the individual programs within the School. Two major objectives guide every department. The first is an emphasis on professional skill development. This objective emphasizes the techniques, skills, methodology, and vocabulary necessary for the student to take her/his place in the professional community as a productive artist, designer, scholar, or practitioner.

The second objective, without which skill development remains only a narrow range of technical training, is the development of the critical judgment and historical perspective needed in order to become an effective problem-solver. Here, art and design history, together with studies in the liberal arts and sciences, provide the context for stimulating intellectual and creative inquiry.

At Pratt, we educate problem-solvers. To do so, we are committed to the education of the whole person. This requires an equal and intense emphasis on building skills, concepts, vocabulary, understanding and judgment. We invite you to join us!

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