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What are the top Pennsylvania illustration schools for 2024?
| Ranking | School | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of the Arts | Philadelphia |
| 2 | Pennsylvania College of Art and Design | Lancaster |
| 3 | Moore College of Art & Design | Philadelphia |
| 4 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | Kutztown |
Our 2024 ranking of the top illustration schools in Pennsylvania. For an explanation of the ranking criteria, click here.
1. University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The School of Design at University of the Arts (UArts) serves around 200 students enrolled in six BFA programs and three minors. All School of Design students benefit from collaborative projects between majors; a Design internship at an individual artist studio or places such a Cartoon Network, Anthropologie, and Barnes & Noble; professional preparation course and activities; and access to the Albert M. Greenfield Makerspace and the Center for Immersive Media (CIM).
The Makerspace is a 3,500-square-foot digital and fabrication studio outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment such as 3D printers and scanners, laser cutters, and printed circuit board (PCB) printers.
At 5,600 square feet, the CIM is the largest space of its kind in the region. The facility houses an optical motion-capture system, a 16-station computing classroom with PCs optimized for real-time computer graphics rendering, two large project rooms, a four-channel audio system, video projectors, and lighting instruments with adjustable color and zoom. In the CIM, students can explore augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), human-computer interaction (HCI), and performance motion capture.
The School of Design also provides an Illustration BFA and a minor in Figurative Illustration. Consisting of 15 credit hours, the Figurative Illustration minor requires Illustration I: Pictorial Foundation; Illustration II: Illustration Methods; Figure Anatomy; and Responsive Drawing. For the remaining credits, students may take Figure Communication or Figure Painting. Like all UArts minors, the Figurative Illustration minor is open to all students.
The UArts Illustration BFA is a 120 credit hour program that provides intense training using the latest industry software including InDesign, Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and After Effects. All students will complete the School of Design Core—a distinctive first-year experience with course modules in the Makerspace and CIM. Examples of areas covered include visual communication, design technology, design thinking, and team building.
Illustration BFA students will complete 61.5-63 credits in the major. Course examples for the program include Illustration with Traditional Media; History of Illustration; Object and World Building; Conceptual Problem Solving & Narrative Development; Illustration with Digital Media; New Media Illustration; Drawing as Seeing; Figure Painting; Design Studio; Thinking Through Science; and Digital Design Lab.
Professional development courses include Business & Preparation for Design Practice; Figurative Interpretation & Personal Voice; Illustration Markets & Promotion; Professional Practice; and Illustration Portfolio Builder. To enhance the degree, all students have access to 17 minors outside of the minors provided through the School of Design. Examples include Animation; Game Art; Film; Graphic Design; Creative Writing; Print Media; Painting; Advertising Practices; Art History; and Business.
The Illustration BFA program at University of the Arts culminates with the Illustration Thesis Studio and Illustration Thesis II courses.
Graduates of the Illustration and Figurative Illustration programs at University of the Arts are prepared to pursue positions at studios, magazines, newspapers, networks, publishers, major brands and retailers, advertising firms, toy makers, government agencies, and more. Program alumni have worked with Marvel Comics, Cartoon Network, Simon & Schuster, NASA, Disney, Hasbro, Warner Bros., Nickelodeon, Blizzard Entertainment, Mattel, The New Yorker, Hallmark, The Wall Street Journal, MTV, Ralph Lauren, PBS, Harper-Collins, New York Times, Fisher Price, Major League Baseball, Newsweek, Random House, Time, NASA, Penguin Group Publishing, MTV, Martha Stewart, ESPN, Facebook, Fortune, 20th Century Fox, Rolling Stone, Reader’s Digest, and National Geographic Magazine (Nat Geo).
Founded in 1876 as part of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, University of the Arts serves approximately 1,315 students enrolled in more than 40 degree programs in fine arts, design, media arts, dance, music, theater, and crafts. More than 20 minors are available and open to all students. UArts programs are offered in the Schools of Art, Dance, Design, Film, Music, Theater Arts, and Graduate and Professional Studies. University of the Arts is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
2. Pennsylvania College of Art and Design, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania College of Art and Design (PCA&D) has an Illustration BFA program that allows students to incorporate a certificate or minor into the curriculum. PCA&D minors are 18 credits and certificates are 10.5-18 credits. Examples of minors and certificates include Graphic Design, Animation & Game Art, Packaging Design, Filmmaking, and UX/UI Design. An 18 credit hour Illustration minor is also available and it can be added to any PCA&D program as a specialization.
Within the PCA&D Illustration BFA program are two concentrations including Classical and Contemporary. The Classical concentration focuses on traditional and digital painting techniques, visual and written storytelling, and narrative image making. Students in this concentration might work on projects such as book covers, comic books, scientific illustration, or visual development for film. The Contemporary concentration explores current and emerging trends in the Illustration industry. Students in this concentration might work on projects such as illustrations for products, editorial publishing, and posters.
Other Illustration BFA program features include opportunities to create entrepreneur-based projects; participation in the PCA&D mentorship program; online community projects; the annual Design in a Day event with participants such as Friendship Gallery and the Lancaster Public Library; and a required internship either off-campus with a local client or studio, or on-campus through PCA&D’s in-house internship program, The Agency.
The Illustration BFA program at PCA&D culminates with the Senior Project, presented at the Pennsylvania College of Art & Design Senior Show. Graduates are prepared to pursue titles such as Comic Book Artist, Toy Designer, Commercial Illustrator, Art Director, Concept Artist, Scientific Illustrator, Courtroom Sketch Artist, Editorial Illustrator, Fashion Illustrator, and Storyboard Artist.
Program alumni have worked for clients such as Disney, Hasbro, A&E Network, PBS Kids, The Wall Street Journal, Adidas, HBO, Time Warner Cable, Fox Interactive, and ESPN.
Founded in 1982 by working artists, Pennsylvania College of Art and Design is a private non-profit art college that serves approximately 200 students. PNCA programs include six majors leading to a BFA, 13 minors, and 13 certificates. Pennsylvania College of Art and Design is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
3. Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Moore College of Art & Design (Moore) has an Illustration program with BFA and minor options. The Minor requires 15 credit hours including Illustration Concepts and Practices I-II, and nine credits selected from other illustration courses. The minor can be added to any program, and it helps prepare students to pursue careers at newspapers, magazines, publishing companies, advertising agencies, web design firms, fashion design companies, and more.
The Illustration BFA program at Moore College of Art & Design allows students to customize the curriculum to match their interests. The program also highlights field trips to comic cons and studio tours; workshops and critiques; mentoring by leading design professionals; and access to state-of-the-art computer labs, the FabLab, illustration studios, the print center, and production facilities.
All Moore College students will begin with the First-Year Foundation Experience. During this time, students will take courses such as 2D and 3D Design; Creative Design; Visual Thinking; and Drawing Strategies. The experience also includes a trip to New York City to sketch and observe work within the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met). All Foundation students will also have access to Padlet—a digital bulletin board for posting links, files, and artwork. Padlet also allows faculty to track students’ progress as an artist.
Another major component of all programs at Moore College of Art & Design is the internship opportunity. Moore is the only art and design college in the U.S. to provide a $1,000 paid internship for every single student. Students have interned at places such as Anthropologie, Night Kitchen Interactive, Super Signs, and Torpedo Factory Art Center. Many of these internships have led to offers for full-time employment.
After the Foundation Year, students will enter their chosen major. Course examples for the Illustration BFA program include Illustration Practice; Pictorial Fundamentals I-II; Digital Image Making; Illustration Junior Studio I & II; Digital Painting for Illustrators; Life Drawing Color; and Business for Illustration. A variety of unique electives allow students to enhance the degree. Examples include Portrait & Caricature; Sequential Illustration & Animation; Licensing Art for Retail Products; Sequential Illustration & Personal Narrative; and Illustration for Children.
In the final year of the program, students will complete the Senior Studio and the Senior Thesis courses. Around 97% of Moore College BFA alumni are employed or in graduate school within one year of graduating. Examples of companies that have hired Moore graduates include Nickelodeon, Tyco Toys, Smithsonian Institution, Penguin Group, Philadelphia Zoo, Super Signs, mock5 design, Carter’s, Kangaru Toys & Stationery, Dynamite Entertainment, Quad, and Studio Yotta.
Founded in 1848, Moore College of Art & Design is the nation’s first and only historically all-women’s visual arts college. Also, a private, non-profit college, Moore serves approximately 390 students enrolled more than 20 degree and minor programs. Moore College of Art & Design is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
4. Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown, Pennsylvania
The College of Visual and Performing Arts at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania (Kutztown University or KU) is home to the Communication Design (Graphic and Advertising Design, Interactive, Illustration) program. Leading to a BFA, the KUCD program is accredited by National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
Other program features include real-world training through internships at design studios, advertising agencies, and media firms; courses led by active industry professionals; visiting artists and designers; and access to state-of-the-art production facilities, and The IDEA Studio, which hosts a wide range of tools from vintage letterpresses to 3-D scanners and printers.
Students also have the opportunity to participate in the KUCD Designathon and the IlluXcon Field Trip. Each October, the IlluXcon (IX Art Show) at Goggleworks Center for the Arts in Reading, Pennsylvania attracts some of the top Fantasy Illustrators in the country. Students who participate in the trip have the opportunity to interact with the artists and observe the creative process.
The KUCD BFA program begins with foundations in design, drawing, and digital skills. The second year of the program explores illustration techniques, visual thinking, typography, digital photography (studio), life drawing (studio), and intermediate digital skills. Students will also take Historical Survey of Graphic Design. Third year students will immerse in all areas of illustration, graphic design, interactive design, and advertising design.
During this third year, students will also begin to develop skills in a chosen area of specialization through electives, studio courses, and/or minor options. Seniors will continue to develop advanced skills in design and their chosen specialization.
Course examples for the KUCD program include Introduction to Illustration; Illustration I-II; The Art of Creating Children’s Books; Digital Illustration; Illustration for Publishing; Illustration for Design; The Sequential Illustration Experience; Advertising Design I-II; Graphic Design; Graphic Design II: Editorial Design; Print Media Production; Motion Graphics I-II; Publication Design; Poster Design; Package Design; Emerging Media Campaigns; Advanced Advertising Design; and Interactive Design II: Multimedia. Professional practices and portfolio development courses are also part of the program.
The Communication Design BFA program at Kutztown University culminated with a final project and exhibition. Graduates are prepared to pursue roles across industries. Sample titles include Illustrator, Animator, Creative Director, Greeting Card Artist, Newspaper Layout Artist, Editorial Illustrator, Comic Book Artist, Children’s Book Illustrator, Magazine Illustrator, Storyboard Artist, Fashion Illustrator, Label Designer, Set Design Illustrator, Exhibition Designer, and Freelance Illustrator.
Founded in 1866 as Keystone State Normal School, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania serves approximately 7,430 students enrolled in more than 130 academic areas of study. Academic colleges include Visual and Performing Arts; Business; Liberal Arts and Sciences; and Education. Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).