Overview
Carnegie Mellon is a place where creativity grows. Learn more about yourself and the world while learning about art and design, and making new friends. Combine your visions with passion and discipline. Make art that matters and find out how design changes and improves the world in which we live.
A group dynamic is encouraged in all studios, so students can learn in an environment of spirited discussion, shared ideas and positive criticism. The experience prepares students to apply for and work within a college level art or design program.
The Pre-College Art and Design Program motivates, stimulates and prepares you as an emerging artist and/or designer. Exploring traditional tools and new technologies in a variety of media lead you to develop conceptual and technical skills, as well as your portfolio — all excellent preparation for applying for, and succeeding in, college-level programs. Challenging lectures and courses, museum and gallery field trips and energetic interaction with dedicated faculty and talented peers introduce you to the spirit and substance of art and design school culture.
Artists help us to interpret and understand the world in which we live and to visualize and give form to our hopes, fears, anxieties, dreams and desires, on an individual and communal level. Art can bring us new expression and new perspectives.
Design can be used to address environmental and social problems. Designed artifacts can change the way we live, shape our behavior, and express our identities. Through their work, designers can have great impact on people's lives.
The Program
Whether or not you have formally studied art or design, we are sure that you’ll enjoy the pre-college program at Carnegie Mellon. We introduce you to new ways of seeing and thinking about the world - challenging you in ways you have never imagined. Our program offers individual and group experiences constructed to stimulate interest and build your skills. Throughout the program, you receive personal feedback on your work from your instructors and learn how to both provide and accept feedback from your fellow students. The range of diverse experiences will allow you to explore many aspects of creativity and to discover whether your skills and desires are suitable to study art or to study design at the college level.