Awards & Accreditation

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Awards

MCAD, its students, and alumni regularly win awards for their work. Examples include:

MCAD has been on the Princeton Review’s annual “Best Midwestern Colleges” list for more than five years—a rarity for a visual arts college.

We were featured in the highly respected design publication I.D. as one of the top 10 design programs in the world.

Our master of fine arts program is rated by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 50 in the nation.

And we were recently saluted by Dwell magazine as a key player in supporting Minneapolis’ renowned arts infrastructure.
 

Accreditation

MCAD is accredited by two associations that review higher-educational institutions to ensure they meet critical standards:

  • The National Association of Schools of Art and Design—an organization of schools, colleges, and universities with 248 accredited institutional members. It establishes national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees and other credentials.
  • The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools—This association's Higher Learning Commission reviews the colleges and universities of a 19-state region. It is one of six accrediting organizations in the country.
  • MCAD is registered as a private institution with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education pursuant to sections 136A.61 to 136.71. Registration is not an endorsement of the institution. Credits earned at the institution may not transfer to all other institutions

 

Affiliations

In addition, we belong to two organizations that are noteworthy for their members’ academic excellence:

  • The Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design—a consortium of the 36 leading art and design colleges in the nation, including such schools as the Rhode Island School of Design, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the California Institute of the Arts.
  • The Minnesota Private College Council—a group of the top 17 colleges in Minnesota, including such schools as Carleton College, Macalester College, and the University of St. Thomas.