The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) offers students an MFA in graphic design. Located in the small city of Providence, RISD is arguably the best fine arts school in the nation, and a very selective one at that. The school's graduate graphic design program claims to train its students to think about both social context and aesthetic in design, and to adapt to rapidly evolving technology, which plays a crucial role in the field. Students can earn their degrees in two to three years.
The Rhode Island School of Design
2 College St.
Providence, RI 02903
401-454-6300
risd.edu
Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, offers budding designers a chance to hone their skills in their MFA program. The graphic design department at Cranbrook, which also calls itself the department of "2D Design," regards itself as avant-garde, raising questioning, thinking designers who aren't concerned with tradition. The program is self-directed, meaning that students do not takes classes or have final projects. Instead, they are in control of their education and have access to 24-hour studios to hone their craft. This is the ideal program for the designer who wants to obtain his degree on his own terms.
Cranbrook Academy of Art
39221 Woodward Ave., Box 801
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303
248-645-3300
cranbrookart.edu
Yale University's School of Art offers graphic designers a highly ranked MFA program, in addition to its top-notch liberal arts degrees. Far different from Cranbrook, Yale touts its program's thesis requirement, which involves students developing a cohesive and substantial final design project. The two-year program also requires that students accompany the visual component of the thesis with a written explanation, called the "Thesis Book." Yale graduate students have very structured schedules, meeting regularly with professors in classes for lectures and in smaller thesis work groups. There are typically about 20 students enrolled in the program.
Yale University School of Art
1156 Chapel St.
New Haven, CT 06250
203-432-2600
yale.edu