Awards & Accreditation

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Awards

MCAD has been recognized and has received numerous awards for its art and design programs, including:

  • The Princeton Review has included MCAD on its annual Best Midwestern Colleges list for more than five years—a rarity for a visual arts college.
  • The highly respected design publication I.D. recognized that MCAD has one of the top ten design programs in the world.
  • U.S. News & World Report named MCAD's master of fine arts program as one of the top fifty in the nation.
  • Dwell magazine named MCAD as a key player in supporting Minneapolis’s renowned arts infrastructure.

 

Accreditation

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

 

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.

 

Higher Learning Commission Mark of Affiliation

Higher Learning Commission

Affiliations

MCAD also belongs to two organizations that are noteworthy for their members’ academic excellence:

  • The Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design is a consortium of the thirty-six 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 is a group of the top seventeen colleges in Minnesota, including such schools as Carleton College, Macalester College, and the University of St. Thomas.