For the fifth consecutive year, the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design’s (MIAD) bachelor’s degree enrollment has grown by record numbers. Among first-year students at MIAD, 44 percent are Pell Grant eligible (lowest-income), 27 percent are first-generation college students, and 37 percent self-identify as people of color.
Money Magazine shows MIAD is the #1 art and design college nationwide for helping low-income students attain upper-middle-class jobs.
“We know with our students coming in, they’re already very career-focused,” said MIAD President Jeff Morin in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel interview.
As the college grows, it is expanding professional experiences for students. For example, the college recently partnered with Wisconsin-based Carmex on a course project where illustration students created digital artwork for a new social media campaign. The project involved 120 students. The Carmex team selected five winners to showcase on its website and social media.
“While we do projects like this with other companies, this is by far the largest one we have ever done,” said Dale Shidler, MIAD chair of 2D/4D design. “Projects like this give our students an unparalleled experience of what they will go through in the real world when they start their career.”
In addition to class projects, students participate in internships and use their creative problem-solving skills on professional projects for Wisconsin businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs through the MIAD Innovation Center.