Rhode Island School of Design

As one of the first independent colleges of art and design in the United States — incorporated in 1877 as both a school and a museum — Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) has always stood out as a maverick. It was founded and nurtured by a small group of trailblazing women more than 40 years before women in America gained the right to vote. By the time RISD began offering full bachelor's degree programs in the 1930s, it had already gained a reputation for vision and leadership in advanced studio-based higher education. 

Today, RISD enrolls approximately 2,600 students from nearly 60 countries around the world who are engaged in 44 full-time bachelor's and master's programs and are supported by a worldwide network of more than 30,000 alumni who demonstrate the vital role that artists and designers play in society. In addition, nearly 6,000 children and adults participate each year in RISD continuing-education courses. Through a cross-disciplinary curriculum of studio-based learning and rigorous study in the liberal arts, RISD students are encouraged to develop their own personal creative processes, but they are united by one guiding principle: To create, one must question.