Dark-haired woman in a paint-covered smock painting on canvas in art studio

Great Colleges and Universities for Visual Arts in the Midwest and West

Start your visual arts college search with this list of colleges and universities in the Midwestern and Western US that are looking for students like you!

Visual arts fields are for the most passionate people of all—those driven by the idea of creating something out of nothing, of finding beauty in anything. Creative students deserve the best of the best when it comes to visual arts higher education. If you’re an artistically driven individual, these schools are a great place to start (or continue) your college search. 

All the colleges and universities on this list are located in the Midwestern and Western US and offer fantastic visual arts programs in varying disciples—and you can connect with all of them quickly and easily on CollegeXpress! You’ll find a green “Connect me” button underneath each featured school. If you’re interested in learning more, just click the button—then they'll reach out to you with more info. This could be your launching point to a great art career! 

Cleveland State University

Cleveland State UniversityCleveland State University is a public university on an 85-acre campus in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Undergraduates can major in Art History, Design, or Studio Art and can declare a minor in Art History, Graphic Design, Studio Art, or Visual Studies. The University also offers an Arts Campus that includes over 120,000 square feet of studios, rehearsal space, classrooms, and production shops, with faculty from the top arts institutions in town, including the Cleveland Museum of Art. 

Connect me with Cleveland State! 

Miami University

Miami UniversityMiami University is a public coeducational university with a 2,100-acre in Oxford, Ohio—plus two additional campuses in Middletown and Hamilton. Students can major in Art (with a concentration in Ceramics, Metals, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, or Sculpture), Architecture, Art Education, Fashion, Games & Simulation, Interior Design, and more. The College of Creative Arts' #thrivingartist network provides a supportive group of arts alumni in major US cities—including New York City and Los Angeles—plus mentorship for new graduates and collaboration among arts alumni in key metropolitan areas.

Connect me with Miami! 

Ohio University

Ohio UniversityOhio University is a comprehensive public university in Athens, Ohio—75 miles southeast of Columbus. With 17,000 undergraduates and a 16:1 student-faculty ratio, OHIO offers more than 250 academic programs, including Studio Art, Art History, Interior Architecture, and more. Students can pursue their passions through exhibition opportunities, various funding for creative projects, innovative programs with contemporary practices, and more.

Connect me with OHIO!

University of Cincinnati

The University of CincinnatiUniversity of Cincinnati is a public research institution with a 250-acre campus just two miles from downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Students can apply to programs in the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) and pursue majors in Fashion Design, Industrial Design, Fine Arts, and Art History, plus a certificate in Game Art. Established partnerships with regional, national, and international clients provide opportunities for students to engage in real-world projects.

Connect me with Cincinnati!

University of Colorado Boulder

The University of Colorado BoulderUniversity of Colorado Boulder is a comprehensive public university with a 600-acre campus in Boulder, Colorado—just 27 miles northwest of Denver. Nearly 1,000 undergraduate Art students and 50 Art graduate students learn from 18 full-time Studio Arts faculty members in programs including Ceramics, Foundations, IMAP (Photography, Digital Media, Video, and Integrated Arts), Painting & Drawing, Printmaking, and Sculpture & Post-studio Practice. At the heart of campus, the 170,000-sq. ft., state-of-the-art Visual Arts Complex houses both the University of Colorado Boulder Department of Art & Art History and the CU Art Museum.

Connect me with CU Boulder!

University of Iowa

The University of IowaUniversity of Iowa is the state’s first public institution of higher education, with a 1,700-acre campus directly adjacent to downtown Iowa City, Iowa. Art-related undergraduate areas of study include Art, Art History, Cinema, Communication Studies, Comparative Literature, Dance, English, English & Creative Writing, Journalism & Mass Communication, Music, and Theater Arts. The University has earned its reputation as an international pioneer in the arts, being home to the world-renowned Iowa Writers’ Workshop and leaders across every form of creative expression.

Connect me with Iowa!

Interested in earning an arts degree somewhere else? Check out our featured visual arts school profiles page to find more options!

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress
Caio Matos

Caio Matos

High School Class of 2022

Starting the college admissions process as an international student was daunting. Thankfully, CollegeXpress was the first website I used for that cause and it helped me so much, from knowing where to start to deciding what my next move would be. I'll take a gap year, but I’m certainly using the website again when applying for fall 2023.

Mimi

Mimi

High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress has provided me with tips that were for college students, but as a high school junior, they were still very useful. Not only that, it also gave me an idea of what to expect when it comes to going to college or already being in college. I want to say thank you to CollegeXpress, and I hope you continue the wonderful tips until I hopefully get into college and throughout my college journey.

Fabiola Rodriguez

Fabiola Rodriguez

High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress helped me on my journey to get to the school of my first choice by showing me all the options I have. I didn’t know of the College of Southern Nevada until I went on this website, and it helped me look for other choices and compare what colleges would be right for me.

Joseph Johnsly

Joseph Johnsly

High School Class of 2021

It's an honor for me to be writing to share a little about my experience with CollegeXpress. I've been using CollegeXpress for about a year now, and the reason why I chose it is because it provides astonishing scholarships for every student around the globe. Besides that, this organization dispenses all the information necessary to help students get to college. CollegeXpress has helped me have an easier experience with applying to colleges and choosing the best fit for myself.

Kyla McClain

Kyla McClain

High School Class of 2024

I found CollegeXpress when you partnered with Bold.org for a scholarship. I found your website, put my information in, and got connected. I only wanted to stay in North Carolina [for college] and not move far from home, but you all opened a door up for me. I started researching colleges you suggested for me. On your social media platforms, you also give really good test-taking tips that I used and suggested others to do the same. It helped me a lot on my exams, so thank you.

College Matches
X

Colleges You May Be Interested In

Catawba College

Salisbury, NC

Wagner College

Staten Island, NY

Castleton University

Castleton, VT

Pace University

New York, NY