Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design

What is the history of Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design?

Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design (RMCAD) was founded in 1963 by artist and educator Philip J. Steele. Its original focus on art education helps explain why the college remains centered on creative disciplines rather than offering a broad range of unrelated majors.

Today, RMCAD is a private college based in Lakewood, Colorado, with both campus-based and online study options. Its development from an art school into a degree-granting college has brought design, animation, media, and other applied creative fields alongside fine arts. Prospective students should distinguish the Lakewood campus from its online courses when comparing facilities, schedules, and opportunities to meet classmates in person.

What are the faculties and departments at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design?

RMCAD organizes its academic offerings around art and design disciplines rather than a large collection of conventional university schools. Its programs include areas such as animation, graphic design, illustration, interior design, game art, fine arts, photography, and art education.

Students considering a major should compare more than its title. A studio-art curriculum, for example, may emphasize different materials and practices from a design curriculum built around client briefs or digital production. The college offers undergraduate programs and selected graduate study; program availability and delivery format should be checked separately because a course offered online may not follow the same schedule as its campus-based counterpart.

Portfolio development and project-based coursework are relevant across many creative fields, but applicants should examine the current catalog for their intended program's courses, equipment needs, software requirements, and graduation requirements. Those details can affect both academic fit and expenses beyond tuition.

What is the location of Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design?

RMCAD is based in Lakewood, Colorado, in the Denver metropolitan area. Its setting gives campus-based students access to a large regional arts and employment market while making commuting an important part of the college experience.

Students planning to attend in person should calculate travel time to the Lakewood campus rather than assuming that a Denver-area address means easy access from every neighborhood. Transit routes, class times, parking, and the need to carry art materials can all change the practicality of a commute. First-year students are permitted to park a car on campus, but they should check current parking procedures and availability before relying on a particular arrangement.

Denver International Airport is the principal airport serving the region. For online students, the Lakewood location is primarily the institution's physical base; access to instruction and services depends instead on the requirements of their particular program.

What is the mission and vision of Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design?

RMCAD's stated educational purpose centers on developing students as artists, designers, and creative professionals. Its academic focus connects creative practice with the technical and critical-thinking skills used to produce and evaluate work.

That purpose is most useful to applicants as a question about fit, not as evidence of a particular career result. A prospective animation, interior design, or fine-arts student should look at the courses and projects required in that specific program and ask whether they support the kind of work the student hopes to make. RMCAD is a specialized art and design college, so students seeking a wide selection of majors outside those fields may find fewer options than at a comprehensive university.