RISD offers more than 40 full-time bachelor’s and master’s degree programs across disciplines that span fine arts, design, architecture, and liberal arts. Understanding what each program offers — its culture, strengths, and what it prepares graduates for — is essential for Korean students choosing which RISD department to apply to and how to tailor their portfolio accordingly.
The Foundation: Experimental and Foundation Studies (EFS)
Every RISD undergraduate student begins in the EFS program — one year of cross-disciplinary exploration before entering their major department. EFS courses cover drawing, spatial dynamics, and design fundamentals alongside art history and liberal arts. The EFS year deliberately disrupts students’ existing habits and assumptions, establishing a foundation of observational discipline and material curiosity before specialization.
Undergraduate Departments: The Complete List
Fine Arts
- Painting — one of RISD’s most established programs; emphasizes sustained studio practice, observational drawing, and the history of painting
- Sculpture — working in 3D across multiple materials; one of the most physically and conceptually demanding programs
- Printmaking — traditional and experimental approaches to print media
- Photography — conceptually engaged photography with strong technical foundations
- Film/Animation/Video — moving image practice across fiction, documentary, and experimental forms
- Glass — RISD’s glass program is internationally recognized; Dale Chihuly is among its most famous alumni
- Ceramics — studio-based ceramic practice with strong material and conceptual development
- Jewelry/Metalsmithing — design and making in metal, with fine art and design applications
Design
- Graphic Design — RISD’s largest department; consistently ranked #1 in the US; strong typography emphasis
- Illustration — approximately 300 undergraduates; the largest illustration BFA program in the US
- Industrial Design — consistently ranked among the top 5 US programs; product design with strong material focus
- Interior Architecture — spatial design at the intersection of architecture and interiors
- Textile Design — material investigation and surface design with strong historical and contemporary dimensions
- Apparel Design — fashion approached from a craft and fine art perspective, distinct from Parsons’ commercial orientation
- Furniture Design — woodworking, material investigation, and spatial design
- Digital + Media — interdisciplinary digital arts practice
Architecture
- Architecture (BArch) — a professional architecture degree; one of the more academically demanding programs at RISD
Liberal Arts
- History of Art and Visual Culture — the only non-studio major at RISD; rigorous academic engagement with art history
Graduate Programs
RISD’s graduate programs (MFA, MArch, MAT, MA) span most of the same disciplines as the undergraduate programs, with two significant additions:
- MFA in Design — interdisciplinary design practice
- MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching) — art education; restricted to US citizens and permanent residents
Graduate programs emphasize individual studio practice, independent research, and professional development. All applicants admitted to RISD graduate programs for 2025–26 are considered for the Society of Presidential Fellows program, which provides full tuition support for select graduate students.
The Brown University Connection: Cross-Registration
All RISD undergraduates can cross-register for courses at Brown University — a significant academic resource. Brown’s courses in art history, anthropology, philosophy, English literature, and social sciences provide intellectual context for studio practice that a dedicated art school cannot offer internally. Upper-division RISD students use this cross-registration extensively.
How to Choose Your RISD Department
For Korean students, the department choice shapes both the portfolio they prepare and the career trajectory that follows:
If your primary interest is drawing, painting, or 2D practice: Illustration, Painting, or Printmaking are the most directly aligned departments.
If your interest is in design with strong technical foundation: Graphic Design or Industrial Design, depending on whether your practice is primarily 2D-conceptual or 3D-material.
If your interest is fashion approached as art: Apparel Design — with the understanding that this is not the commercial fashion path Parsons represents, but a material craft approach.
If your interest is experimental fine arts: Sculpture, Glass, or Ceramics for material-based practice; Film/Animation/Video for moving image.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which RISD departments are most competitive? RISD does not publish department-specific acceptance rates. Anecdotally, Graphic Design and Illustration attract the most applicants and are among the most competitive. Architecture (BArch) has additional academic requirements.
Can RISD students change departments? Department changes are possible but not straightforward — it requires a formal review process and is less common than transfers between majors at conventional universities.
Is the Liberal Arts (History of Art and Visual Culture) major still studio-adjacent? Yes. Even the non-studio RISD major maintains deep engagement with visual culture and art history in a community of studio artists. Students take studio electives and benefit from RISD’s studio culture and museum resources.
Royal Blue Art & Design는 압구정에 위치한 유학미술학원으로, 19년간 한국 학생들의 RISD, Parsons, CalArts 등 미국 최상위 미술대학 입시를 도와왔습니다. [상담 문의하기 →]