Academics
Extended Studies
ArtCenter beyond the degree: learn art and design online, at night and on weekends, earn certificates and badges that stack toward more, and start young with courses for teens and kids. Taught by the people who teach in our degree programs.
Online
Learn from Anywhere
Live classes and critique with ArtCenter faculty, wherever you are.
Credentials
Certificates and Badges
Badges for a skill in weeks; certificates for a practice in terms.
Online
Online Programs
Live, teacher-led classes with weekly critique, and certificates you can complete entirely online.
Online · 8 weeks
Online: Drawing Foundations
Line, form, light and the figure, taught live online with weekly critique. (Sample listing.)
For beginners and returning artists
Online · 8 weeks
Online: Digital Illustration
Painting on screen from sketch to finish, with a teacher who works in the field. (Sample listing.)
For illustrators and hobbyists · Counts toward a badge
Online · Three terms, part-time
Online certificate: UX and Interface Design
Research, flows, prototypes and a case-study portfolio, entirely online. (Sample listing.)
For career changers and working designers · Professional certificate
Online · Three terms, part-time
Certificate: Concept Art for Games and Film
Characters, environments and visual development, taught by working artists. (Sample listing.)
For aspiring entertainment artists · Professional certificate
Certificates
Certificate Programs
A focused course of study over two or three terms, part-time, ending in a portfolio and a professional certificate.
On campus and online · Two terms, part-time · being considered
Professional certificate: Design for Mobility
A credential for professionals, drawing on the Transportation Design studios. Not yet defined.
For working designers · Professional certificate
Online · Three terms, part-time
Online certificate: UX and Interface Design
Research, flows, prototypes and a case-study portfolio, entirely online. (Sample listing.)
For career changers and working designers · Professional certificate
On campus and online · Two terms, part-time
Certificate: Graphic Design Foundations
Typography, layout, identity and a print-ready portfolio, evenings on campus and online. (Sample listing.)
For adults starting in design · Professional certificate
Online · Three terms, part-time
Certificate: Concept Art for Games and Film
Characters, environments and visual development, taught by working artists. (Sample listing.)
For aspiring entertainment artists · Professional certificate
On campus and online · Two terms, part-time
Certificate: Photography and Imaging
Light, the studio, editing and a body of work, with lab time on campus. (Sample listing.)
For photographers building a practice · Professional certificate
Badges
Badge Programs
Short, skill-sized courses of three to six weeks. Each badge records a skill shown in work; badges stack toward a certificate.
Online · 2–6 weeks each · being considered
Skill badges: visualization tools
Short, verifiable badges that could stack toward a certificate. Not yet defined.
For students, alumni and professionals · Stackable badges
On campus · 4 weeks
Badge: Figure Drawing
Gesture, proportion and the clothed and undraped figure, from life. (Sample listing.)
For anyone who draws · Badge
Online · 3 weeks
Badge: Typography Essentials
Choosing, setting and pairing type with care. (Sample listing.)
For designers and communicators · Badge
Online · 3 weeks
Badge: Color for Designers
How colour behaves, and how to make it do what you mean. (Sample listing.)
For designers and illustrators · Badge
Online · 4 weeks
Badge: 3D Modelling for Product Ideas
From sketch to a 3D model ready to show or print. (Sample listing.)
For makers and designers · Badge
ArtCenter at Night and on weekends
Evening and Weekend Classes
Studio courses for adults and working creatives, after work and on Saturdays, on our campuses in Pasadena.
On campus and online · 10 weeks
ArtCenter at Night
Evening courses for adults building skills or preparing for college.
For adults and working creatives
On campus and online · 1–4 weeks · being considered
Short courses for working creatives
Refreshed Extended Studies programming for professionals advancing their careers.
For professionals · None or badge
On campus · 10 weeks
At Night: Painting from Observation
Oil and acrylic from still life and the model, Tuesday evenings. (Sample listing.)
For adults
On campus · 10 weeks
At Night: Product Sketching
The fast, confident sketching product designers use every day, Thursday evenings. (Sample listing.)
For adults and working creatives
On campus · 6 Saturdays
Weekends: Street Photography in Los Angeles
Out in the city with a camera and a teacher, then the edit together. (Sample listing.)
For adults
Teens and kids
Teens and Kids
Pre-college studios for high-school students, and Saturday classes for younger artists.
On campus · 10 Saturdays
Saturday High
Studio courses on Saturdays for teens exploring art and design.
For high-school students · Certificate of completion
On campus · 3 weeks
Summer Teens
Short-term, project-based summer courses taught by faculty.
For high-school students · Certificate of completion
On campus and online · One term · pilot
Pre-college bridge programme
A route into the college for applicants who need another term of preparation.
For applicants whose portfolios are not yet ready · Portfolio readiness review
On campus · 8 Saturdays
ArtCenter for Kids
Drawing, making and imagining, in small studio groups. (Sample listing.)
For ages 8 to 12 · Certificate of completion
For teams and companies
For Teams and Companies
Workshops and custom programs built with your organisation, at ArtCenter or at your place.
On campus and online · 1 to 3 days
Design thinking for teams
A workshop built with your team on a real problem, at ArtCenter or your office. (Sample listing.)
For companies and organisations · Custom
On campus and online · Arranged
Custom programs for companies
Courses and studios designed with your organisation for its people. (Sample listing.)
For companies and organisations · Custom
At your own pace
Free and Self-Guided
Things to try before you enrol.
At your own pace · Own pace
Self-guided activities
Artist-inspired activities for reflecting, designing and expressing ideas.
For anyone
How It Adds Up
1
A badge
One skill, a few weeks, shown in your work.
2
A certificate
Badges and courses in one field, completed with a portfolio.
3
Toward a degree
Some certificate work may count toward a degree if you apply and are admitted (sample policy: see Admissions).
Listings on this page are invented samples for the wireframe; the Extended Studies office keeps the real catalogue and edits this page in place.