Art does not exist independently of society, politics, or the natural world, and neither should your art education. The Carnegie Mellon School of Art, housed within one of the most respected research universities in the United States, brings together contemporary art, cutting-edge technology, and critical discourse.

The interdisciplinary curriculum enables you to harness your knowledge, passion, and perspective to make art that both engages with and shapes the world. Resources through the College of Fine Arts and the University offer additional opportunities to expand your academic interests and collaborate with students across disciplines.

Integrative Design, Art, & Technology Network (IDeATe)

The IDeATe program offers courses and undergraduate minors in:

The IDeATe curriculum focuses on hands-on collaborative learning and is structured to combine students from many different disciplines. Facilities such as collaborative classroom spaces, an equipment lending library, and dedicated fabrication and computing labs support student experimentation. Courses are taught by experts from across the university including faculty in the Schools of Art and Design, the Colleges of Engineering and Computer Science, the Entertainment Technology program, and the Tepper School of Business, among others. The IDeATe Gallery documents and showcases innovative student work.

Additional Majors & Minors

CMU offers more than 90 minors for undergraduate students in the arts, humanities, sciences, engineering, computer science, and business. Outside of the IDeATe minors listed above, popular choices for art students include: Human-Computer Interaction, Film and Media Studies, Design, Creative Writing, and Gender Studies. Some students also choose to pursue an additional or secondary major.

STUDIO for Creative Inquiry

Housed in the College of Fine Arts, the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry is an incubator space to explore the intersection of the arts, science, technology, and culture with university faculty, your peers across CFA, and visiting artist fellows. Projects developed at the STUDIO have been featured internationally at venues including the Centre Pompidou, the Design Museum London, Ars Electronica, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the Pittsburgh Biennial.

Past STUDIO projects have uncovered previously unknown Andy Warhol artworks on floppy disks, launched a cyberfeminist collective, and created artwork to send to space with contributions from more than 150 individuals.

The STUDIO facilitates expert conversations through the Steiner Speaker Series, performances and events, and conferences such as Art && Code. The STUDIO also provides grants and microgrants for undergraduate projects, and has funded over 300 projects by CMU faculty, staff, and students through these grants. 

BXA Intercollege Degree Program

The BXA program is a formal means of integrating study in the humanities, sciences, or computer science with your artistic practice, and you will graduate with a BHA, BSA, or BCSA degree. In this program, you will pursue exciting new discoveries in fields that bring together academic rigor and creative exploration. 

Art students who follow this path combine a foundation in studio art with study in another academic college to envision new ways to create and expand our understanding of contemporary art.

You can apply to the School of Art for one of the following programs:

Bachelor of Humanities & Arts (BHA)
Students following the BHA program may choose from the many majors and minors offered by the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Popular concentrations include: Gender Studies, Global Studies, Psychology, Cognitive Science, and Statistics & Machine Learning.

Bachelor of Science & Arts (BSA)
For students who are passionate about the natural sciences or mathematics, the BSA degree integrates art and science. Students may choose from the following concentrations: Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Mathematical Sciences, Neurobiology, or Physics.

Bachelor of Computer Science & Arts (BCSA)
The BCSA program is designed for students interested in computer science theory and in-depth coding, in addition to the formation of their own artistic practice. Many students interested in the intersection of art and technology think they must follow the BCSA path, but this is only one option among many at CMU.