Academic Program

Bold. Open. Experimental.

KyCAD offers one degree with countless possibilities.

KyCAD’s Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a four-year professional degree centered on intensive studies in the arts.* At KyCAD, students major in Studio Art. In KyCAD’s interdisciplinary program, students build skills ranging from the basic linguistics of line and form to experimental digital technologies.

The four-year journey begins with the Foundation Program which provides intensive instruction in the fundamentals of art and design. Over the next three years, students will continue working with diverse materials and processes balancing contemporary with traditional methods including drawing, painting, digital and three-dimensional design while developing content within one of six areas of study.

A quarter of KyCAD’s program is dedicated to general education, where students explore multiple areas of knowledge (humanities, social science, natural sciences, and math) setting a solid foundation for lifelong learning.

*KyCAD’s degree program is not currently accredited by any agency. A student enrolled in an unaccredited institution is not eligible for federal financial aid programs.

KyCAD Centers of Inquiry

Flexible. Innovative. Centered.

KyCAD promotes a subject-led approach to teaching and learning in art and design. KyCAD courses foster creative problem solving and critical thinking while students learn the traditional studio and contemporary digital skills necessary for a successful art practice. The concept of “making and thinking,” or even “making as thinking,” leads the KyCAD curriculum.

Students work and create within evolving relevant thematic conversations. KyCAD organizes these themes and ideas into Centers of Inquiry—subject knowledge that is central to students’ art practice. Students self-select from the following Centers of Inquiry to define the conceptual emphasis of their artistic practice.

Students take at least 4 courses in their Center of Inquiry to fulfill the emphasis requirement for a BFA in Studio Art.