Illustration Certificate | Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Illustration Certificate

Learn the essentials of an illustration practice through topics such as creating visual imagery based on text; moving from rough imagery to finished visuals; digital and analog illustration techniques; and insights into the illustration trade and professional opportunities.

Cost per course: $600 noncredit, $989 for credit. Each course is available to take for 1 credit.

Total cost: $2,400 noncredit, $3,932 for credit.

Student sits at a table and draws in a sketchbook.

At the completion of the certificate students are able to:

  • Express an individual, creative voice through illustration.

  • Access a broad range of studio experience.

  • Utilize the formal vocabularies of illustration.

  • Practice drawing as a foundation for the complete process of illustration, from concept exploration to finished execution.

  • Implement the technical skills, theory, and methods applicable to the field of illustration.

COURSES

For the Illustration certificate, take the following 4 six-week online asychronous courses. Introduction to Illustration must be taken first. The remaining courses may be taken in any order.

  • Introduction to Illustration
  • Illustration Tools and Techniques
  • Digital Illustration
  • The Business of Illustration

COURSE SCHEDULE (subject to change)

Summer 2025: Introduction to Illustration, Digital Illustration
Fall 2025: Introduction to Illustration, Illustration Tools and Techniques, The Business of Illustration
Spring 2026: Introduction to Illustration, Digital Illustration, Illustration Tools and Techniques
Summer 2026: Introduction to Illustration, Illustration Tools and Techniques, The Business of Illustration

Current Illustration Certificate Classes

Address

2501 Stevens Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55404

Contact Us

612.874.3700
800.874.MCAD (6223)
Fax: 612.874.3701

Campus Directory

Join our Email List

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.