Booklet for prospective students of the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design.

1. ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE OF ART + DESIGN
1600 Pierce Street | Denver, Colorado 80214
APPLIED
IMAGINATION

3. AT ROCKY
MOUNTAIN
COLLEGE
OF ART +
DESIGN
we have the faculty, courses,
and connections to help you
focus your ambition and hone
your skills. We’ll help you
develop your abilities to make
your dreams reality. We’ll
make sure that your strengths
are put to use and provide
a place where your vision,
creativity, and inspiration can
be applied.
You’ve already got the vision
and the dream. You approach
life with innate creativity
and curiosity. You’re a maker
and a doer. You carry your
imagination everywhere.

4. R
ocky Mountain College of Art + Design was established in 1963
by Philip J. Steele, who had a vision to provide students with a
quality higher education in art and design.
Today, we offer a rich and diverse selection of regionally-accredited
degrees at the Bachelor and Master levels from our Denver, Colorado
campus. We’re also pioneers in teaching art + design online and serve
students all over the world through our digital platform.
RMCAD faculty and staff are committed to providing each student
with a dedicated, personalized, and well-rounded education so that
every graduate can thrive in their career. RMCAD is a place filled with
creativity and enlightenment—a place where we work to nurture
the individual talents of each student; integrate critical thinking and
analysis into creative pursuits; and positively contribute to our local,
global, and professional communities.
Here, you will find inspiration, challenge, and innovation.
MISSION STATEMENT
Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design is an innovative, rigorous,
and community-oriented global learning environment that inspires
passion for critical thinking and prepares learners to be forces of
change in the creative industries, our communities, and the world.

5. We have to
advance the
concept of
unconventional
thinking.
Dr. Ruth Holden,
Chair of the Business for the Creative Industries Program

6. Numbers as of Spring 2016
Numbers are based off Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Definitions.
BY�
NUMBERS
66%
FEMALE
34%
MALE
OVERALL
$55,680
10
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE
ESTIMATED GROSS
TUITION COST
ONLINE
9
$71,820
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE
ESTIMATED GROSS
TUITION COST
HYBRID
(on-ground with online courses)
48%
RMCAD
32%
NATIONAL
Higher
graduation rate
than national
average
for private,
for-profit
institutions

7. The experiences
that students
have here are
going to be much
more intimate
because we’re a
much smaller
community.
Our college is
collaborative in
nature.
Dr. Sage Ann Scheer,
RMCAD President

8. 2D Animation
3D Animation*
Art Education
Business for the
Creative Industries*
Commercial
Photography*
Communications
Design*
Creative Writing*
Fashion Design
Fine Arts
Game Art*
Illustration*
Interior Design*
BACHELOR’SPROGRAMS
Education, Leadership +
Emerging Technologies
(online only)
MASTER’SPROGRAMS
*
Degree program also available 100% online
DEGREE
PROGRAMS

9. 2D ANIMATION
Bring your story to life.
Develop creative, visual
storytelling skills through
hand-drawn, computer, and
experimental animation.
Create new worlds.
Learn to use leading industry
software to design your own
unique characters, landscapes,
and stories.
The desire to create.
The drive to inspire.
Become well-versed as
both a teacher and an artist
by choosing a creative
discipline in addition to your
education courses.
Business thinking is
creative thinking.
Hone your business acumen
and understanding of creative
problem solving to approach
the marketplace with a unique
and well-rounded perspective.
See the world through
a new lens.
Develop the technical, ethical,
and business skills necessary
to thrive in photography’s
professional marketplace.
BUSINESS FOR
THE CREATIVE
INDUSTRIES
COMMERCIAL
PHOTOGRAPHY
3D ANIMATION
ART EDUCATION

10. Cultivate your eye
for design.
Utilize your unique style to
communicate complex ideas
that fit the needs of our
ever-changing world. Focus
on human-centered design
to ensure that your work is
engaging, functional, and
beautiful.
Be a pioneer of the pen.
Apply the artistic process to
your writing and explore the
history of your craft. Find a
niche by exploring creative
writing for contemporary
creative applications.
Move fashion forward.
Strengthen your artistic
vision, construction skills, and
personal portfolio through
learning the techniques
necessary to create innovative
apparel.
Imagine your future
in the arts.
Find your own way of
experiencing the world and
mastering the techniques to
share your vision through
Ceramics, Photography/Video,
Painting, Printmaking, and
Sculpture.
CREATIVE WRITING
FASHION DESIGN
FINE ARTS
COMMUNICATIONS
DESIGN

11. Be a game changer.
Create characters and worlds
to tell unique stories. You’ll
learn to build engaging
narratives through courses
that include character + level
design, animated storytelling,
and motion studies.
Go beyond the
sketchbook.
Express your imagination
by combining tradition and
technology. You’ll establish
strong drawing and painting
skills, then bring them to
the digital platform to
communicate your ideas.
Open the door to your
new career.
Influence the world’s health,
safety, and well-being with an
interdisciplinary approach that
draws from art, architecture,
environmental design, graphic
design, and industrial design.
Transform the classroom.
Apply what you’re learning
right away through projects
that allow you to put your
leadership, teaching methods,
and engaging tools to use in
your classroom.
ILLUSTRATION
INTERIOR DESIGN
EDUCATION,
LEADERSHIP
+ EMERGING
TECHNOLOGIES
GAME ART

12. LAY THE
GROUNDWORK
At RMCAD, we believe that the best
artists and designers are those who
understand the world around them.
To create meaningful work that incites
change and fits into a global context,
students must understand art history,
mathematics, social sciences, physical
sciences, and humanities. For this rea-
son, all RMCAD students explore liberal
arts coursework while attending.
Foundation Studies courses at RMCAD
enable students to refine fundamental
skills, get comfortable with the tools
they’ll use throughout their program,
and study relevant basics­—including
composition and color theory. Founda-
tions courses facilitate creative prob-
lem solving and advance digital literacy.
LIBERAL ARTS
FOUNDATIONS

13. RMCAD’s historic Lakewood
campus is ideally located be-
tween downtown Denver and
the Rocky Mountain foothills.
A 15-minute drive east of cam-
pus will leave you standing
amid the skyscrapers, restau-
rants, brewpubs, and galleries
of the vibrant downtown area.
A short drive west and you’ll
experience the surreal beauty
of the Rocky Mountains, one
of the most picturesque set-
tings in all of North America.
Perhaps you’re an outdoor
enthusiast looking forward
to taking part in Colora-
do’s array of adventures. Or
maybe you’re more of an ur-
ban-dweller that enjoys the
pulse of a strong local arts
and music scene. Denver’s
accessibility to both lifestyles
makes it an exceptional place
to call home and serves as a
strong source of inspiration
for both life and art.
DID YOU KNOW?
Denver collects more money for the arts per capita than any other US city.
HIGHER
EDUCATION
� Denver, Colorado
n

14. You’re going to
get a solid and
foundational
education
with the
accreditations
that the school
has...you’re
going to be in
the right place.
Taylor Sakata,
Commercial Photography Student, Class of 2019

15. Accreditation is an important indicator that your curriculum
has been through rigorous and scrupulous examination
by third-party accrediting bodies to ensure the highest
quality education.
Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design is accredited by
several regional and national associations:
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
Member of the North Central Association (NCA)
Programmatically accredited and institutional member of
National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)
The on-campus Interior Design Program is accredited by
Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA)
The Art Education Program is approved by Colorado
Commission on Higher Education (CCHE) and Colorado
Department of Education (CDE)
GIVE CREDIT to
ACCREDITATION
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ACCREDITATION, VISIT RMCAD.EDU

16. PREP TO
BE A PRO
CREATIVE INDUSTRY
DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
Whether your dream is to design restaurants, websites, or
animated characters, RMCAD can provide the guidance needed
to succeed professionally. We understand that the creative
industries are growing and want to help you find a place in your
field. We even offer access to our in-house Career + Alumni
services department, which provides access to professional
opportunities both inside and outside of RMCAD. You can
attend events, lectures, and networking events to get connected
before you even graduate.

17. SCHOOL'S OUT
ALUMNI SUCCESS
Many of our alumni have successfully launched and managed
their own businesses. Others are working for some pretty cool
companies:
RMCAD RENEW
Once a student, always a student. At RMCAD, we believe that
learning is one of life’s ongoing endeavors. Technologies change,
and so do trends. We want to make sure that our graduates
are always at the forefront of their field. That’s why our alumni
can audit (attend without grade or credit) courses within their
program, for life, for free.
80%
PLACE
MENT
RATE
TO SEE WHAT OUR GRADS ARE UP TO, VISIT RMCAD.EDU/ALUMNI

18. There is a lot
that I've learned
at RMCAD
that I use in my
career every day.
Paul Sullivan,
RMCAD Alumni, Art Director // Production Designer

19. MONEY
MATTERS
Approximately 80% of our student
body receives some form of financial
aid. The most common types of aid in-
clude loans, grants, and scholarships.
Our financial aid department is dedi-
cated to working with you to find the
best opportunities out there.
We believe in rewarding hard work
and talent. RMCAD offers a number
of scholarships at varying amounts to
help you fund your education. We offer
artistic, academic, presidential, merit,
memorial, and external scholarships,
among others.
FINANCIAL AID
SCHOLARSHIPS
TO SEE A FULL LIST OF AVAILABLE SCHOLARSHIPS, VISIT RMCAD.EDU

20. STUDENT LEARNING CENTER
Need some extra help on a paper? Struggling with new software? The
Student Learning Center (SLC) provides a supportive environment that
promotes active learning and enables students to develop the strategies
and tools they need to become strong, independent learners.
LIBRARY
Boasting more than 14,000 titles in a highly-focused collection, as well
as subscriptions to 100+ art-related magazines and journals, the RMCAD
Library strives to offer everything students need to be successful in their
studies. Our knowledgeable library staff can also offer assistance with
research and point you in the direction of helpful materials.
ONLINE LEARNING
All RMCAD students take at least a portion of their degree courses online.
This allows practical development of time management skills and self-
discipline, and helps pave the way to a professional world dominated by
technology and online interactions.
We understand that creatives learn differently than most people.
That’s why our online classes are designed for the way you learn. Rich
online course material is developed in-house and delivered through our
proprietary Learning Management System (LMS). You can rest assured
that both your instructor and online learning environment will be there
for you.
ASK US!
WE CAN HELP.

21. THINK
OUTSIDE
THE BOX
� THE
CLASSROOM
FACILITIES
RMCAD’s Denver campus includes
more than a dozen historical build-
ings in a variety of 20th century
architectural styles. Facilities in-
clude a woodshop, ceramics stu-
dio, photography lab, auditorium,
galleries, and a library/resource
center stocked with art and design
publications. The school’s largest
gallery, the Philip J. Steele Gallery,
features a rotating schedule of
exhibitions that includes student,
faculty, and alumni work, as well as
exhibitions by well-known visiting
artists.
GALLERIES
RMCAD’s campus is home to five
galleries, which allow you to see
the work of your peers, instructors,
and contemporary thought lead-
ers. Campus galleries also allow
students to show their work and
gain the experience of exhibiting in
a gallery.
VISITING ARTISTS
The Visiting Artist, Scholar, and De-
signer (VASD) Program explores
critical, diverse, and creative inqui-
ry by hosting a variety of renowned
guests to campus for lectures and
workshops. This interdisciplinary
initiative enriches the academic ex-
perience at RMCAD and provides
students with a fresh perspective
from industry professionals.

22. The VASD program is a
reflection of the college's
commitment to fostering
boundary-pushing and
critical conversations
around leading a
successful, creative life.
I hope our audience
leaves each event feeling
challenged in a healthy
way that inspires growth.
Gretchen Marie Schaefer,
Director of the VASD Program

23. LET'S DO THIS.
THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS
You’ve made the decision to jump in.
How do you do it?
Our admissions process can be summarized in the
following steps:
Talk to an admissions counselor
Touch base to get your questions answered and make
sure that RMCAD is the right fit. Call 800.888.ARTS
or visit RMCAD.edu.
Complete an admissions application
Fill one out online at our website.
Submit a portfolio of your work.
Share 10 – 15 pieces that showcase your abilities
and viewpoint.
Have your transcripts sent to RMCAD.
We’ll need to see records from your high school or
any colleges you’ve previously attended.

25. THE PORTFOLIO:
YOUR TICKET to COLLEGE
DUAL ENROLLMENT
Get a head start on college with RMCAD’s Dual Enrollment Program.
The Dual Enrollment Program allows high school juniors and seniors
to begin their college experience while still attending high school.
Courses in this program are the same as those currently offered to
incoming RMCAD freshmen and may be taken on campus or online.
Earn college credit while still in high school and start your freshman
year ahead of the curve!
Art and design colleges want to see your best work during the
admissions process. At RMCAD, an impressive portfolio doesn’t just
help our admissions counselors determine your skill level—it can lead
to scholarship opportunities.
Our admissions counselors like to see progression: how your
technique and ideas have improved over time. There are plenty of
online resources available to help you assemble, curate, and improve
your portfolio, but the best one is your RMCAD admissions counselor.
Feel free to ask about your submissions to find out exactly what
they’re looking for in a portfolio.
t

26. Jessica Gladstone,
Communications Design Head, On- Campus
The single most
important thing
about art is to
have a sound and
reasoned position
on things, and to
confidently express
my opinion
in turn.

27. inside cover
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Instagram (@RMCAD)
Snapchat (rmcadartschool)
ROCKY MOUNTAIN
COLLEGE OF ART
+ DESIGN
1600 Pierce Street
Lakewood, CO 80214
www.rmcad.edu
admissionssupport@rmcad.edu
Phone: 303.753.6046
Toll-free: 800.888.ARTS
Fax: 303.759.4970
WE'RE
SOCIAL!