Accreditation and Affiliations | Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Accreditation and Affiliations

MCAD summer campus

Established in 1883, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.

Accreditation

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

  • The Higher Learning Commission reviews the colleges and universities of a nineteen-state region. It is one of seven regional accrediting organizations in the country.
  • The Minneapolis College of Art and Design is registered with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education pursuant to sections 136A.61 to 136A.71. Registration is not an endorsement of the institution. Credits earned at the institution may not transfer to all other institutions.
  • MCAD has been approved by the state of Minnesota to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements. NC-SARA is a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education.

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.

Disclaimers

In accordance with federal regulations and State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) policy, MCAD is required to provide current and prospective students with information on whether any academic programs or courses are designed for professional licensure and if so, whether they meet requirements in all U.S. states and territories. MCAD does not offer any academic programs or courses that are designed for licensure.

Teaching Artist Minor

The Teaching Artist Minor is not designed or approved for teacher licensure, certification, or endorsement in any state or territory. Graduates will not be eligible for any K-12 teacher license, certificate, or endorsement based on completion of this Minor. As a result, graduates may not be eligible to work in public K-12 school settings in all states/territories.

Address

2501 Stevens Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55404

Contact Us

612.874.3700
800.874.MCAD (6223)
Fax: 612.874.3701

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Land Acknowledgement

The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) acknowledges it is located on traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of Indigenous people. This is the ancestral homeland of the Dakota and Ojibwe people, who were forcibly exiled from the land because of aggressive and persistent settler colonialism. We recognize that this place has a complex and layered history. As a community dedicated to creativity, MCAD is committed to ongoing efforts to support and advocate for American Indian Nations and peoples.


Nondiscrimination Policy

MCAD admits students of any race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, or marital status to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, or marital status in the administration of its educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, and other school-administered programs.