Interdisciplinary Curriculum

Liberal Arts Education

Your Creative Edge

You’ve come to the Academy to master your craft and build a future in art and design that’s as bold as your ambition. To spark your imagination, our liberal arts courses ground you in culture, challenge your perspective, and sharpen your ability to connect ideas in unexpected ways.

This foundation isn’t filler; it’s fuel that elevates your creative work and prepares you to thrive in industries that never stop evolving.

This is the art of thinking, of questioning, and of seeing the bigger picture while obsessing over every detail.

It’s not just what you make; it’s what you know and how you think that sets you apart.

A TASTE OF WHAT YOU’LL EXPLORE

Want to know where great ideas come from? They start with curiosity and questions. And with courses like these:

The Body As Art: History of Tattoo & Body Decoration

Trace inked stories across cultures and centuries.

Golden Section/Sacred Geometry

Discover the math behind beauty.

The Genius of Appeal

Unpack what makes us lean in, look closer, and feel more.

Human-Centered Design

Put people at the heart of your process.

Two girls run through a mushroom-filled scene, one shouting “Miki, RUN!” as a spooky house looms ahead

History of Comics: International and Alternative Comics

Explore the panels that broke the mold.

Creative Perspectives in Sound Design

Rethink how you hear the world.

Broadway! The Evolution of the American Musical

Study the sound and spectacle of social change.

Chalkboard with mathematical equations and a metal stand in front of it

College Math

Yes, math. Because balance, precision, and logic matter in every medium.

Undergraduate Liberal Arts Placement, Requirements, and Outcomes

Academy of Art University recognizes test scores for Liberal Arts course placement and credit. View applicable test options: https://www.academyart.edu/admissions/transfer-students/transferring-previously-earned-credit/

  • Undergraduate Liberal Arts Program Requirements can be met in the following ways:

    • Take Academy course and earn a passing grade
    • Transfer in a comparable course from a previous post-secondary institution (grade of C or higher)
    • Credit for a test with an applicable score for the respective subject:
    • Credit for Prior Learning
    • Waiver through passing score on ACT or SAT exam
    • Waiver through passing score on Academy of Art University Quantitative Literacy (Math) Placement Exam

     

    NOTE: The Academy of Art University Quantitative Literacy (Math) Placement Exam is available for the Practical Mathematics Requirement for the following majors: Architecture, Game Programming, Landscape Architecture, Fashion Marketing, Fashion Merchandising, and Fashion Product Development

    NOTE: Students who place out of a required course via Exam will have that requirement waived but must make up the with a Liberal Arts Elective course (Consult with Academic Advisor for a replacement course)

    All exam scores must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar for review.

    *NOTE: Applicable to students with a Fall 2026 start date or later.

  • Undergraduate students will meet the following student performance criteria:

    Critical Thinking and Analysis

    • Raise clear and precise questions, use abstract ideas to interpret information and reach supported conclusions. Understand and define a problem or argument and address it using acquired knowledge.

    Written Communication

    • Write with conciseness and clarity and apply the conventions of standard written English to communicate effectively in a variety of contexts.

    Research and Retrieval of Information

    • Gather, identify, and apply relevant information and reference material in coursework.

    Art Historical Awareness

    • Identify artwork from various periods and styles and make distinctions and connections among them through stylistic and cultural analysis. Analyze the ways art can affect and/or reflect cultural, political and humanistic issues and recognize how cultural context influences artistic development.

    Historical Awareness

    • Develop and draw upon historical knowledge in order to analyze relevant historical and contemporary issue(s).

    Cultural Ideas & Influences

    • Identify how cultural perspectives can affect interpretation of topics in the arts, politics or global relations.

    Quantitative Literacy

    • Recognize, comprehend, and generate quantitative information in a variety of representational forms.

    Employment Communications and Practices

    • Demonstrate a basic understanding of current business practices by creating materials appropriate for seeking employment in the chosen field.

    Oral Communication

    • Clearly present creative ideas and analytical information to a variety of audiences.

    Academy of Art University Learning Outcomes

    Graduates of the Academy of Art University will demonstrate the ability to:

    1. Produce a body of work suitable for seeking professional opportunities in their chosen field of art and design.
    2. Solve creative problems within their field of art and design, including research and synthesis of technical, aesthetic, and conceptual knowledge.
    3. Communicate their ideas professionally and connect with their intended audience using visual, oral, and written presentation skills relevant to their field.
    4. Execute technical, aesthetic, and conceptual decisions based on an understanding of art and design principles.
    5. Evaluate work in their field, including their own work, using professional terminology.
    6. Recognize the influence of major cultural and aesthetic trends, both historical and contemporary, on art and design products.
    7. Learn the professional skills and behaviors necessary to compete in the global marketplace for art and design.