Profile: Pacific Northwest College of Art

Educational Programs

PNCA is an independent visual art and design college with an intimate ratio of 12 students to every faculty member.

Bachelor of Fine Arts Program

A BFA degree prepares students for careers in their chosen artistic discipline or for succeeding in graduate programs in fine and design arts. PNCA’s curriculum features an intensive studio experience, beginning with a grounding in basic techniques, progressing through periods of innovation and critical study, and culminating in the development of an independent style. PNCA is an independent visual art and design college with an intimate ratio of 12 students to every faculty member. Students can earn a BFA in Communication Design, Illustration, Intermedia, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, or Sculpture under the guidance of professional, practicing artists and scholars. Learn more about the BFA Program.

Master of Fine Arts in Visual Studies

PNCA’s Master of Fine Arts in Visual Studies is a 60-credit, two-year program that is multi-disciplinary and mentor-based. The flexible character of this kind of program allows students to work within a singular discipline (traditional painting, for example) or to pursue a combined practice that bridges disciplines and media. This generalist structure compliments PNCA’s educational philosophy of supporting independent inquiry and encouraging cross-disciplinary dialog. Our students also benefit from a dynamic national and international roster of visiting artists and designers. Learn more about the MFA Program.

Continuing Education Programs

PNCA has the oldest continuously running community art education program in the Northwest. PNCA’s Continuing Education is an open program for adults, teens and children, providing beginning through advanced education in the visual arts to the community, In fact, many well-known artists in the region took their first art class as a child at PNCA. The youth program includes smARTworks, summer art camp, Pre College Program for junior and senior high school students, and the Young Artist Project, an outreach program in conjunction with Portland Public Schools. A large portion of children attending these programs are scholarship recipients. Learn more about the CE Program.

PNCA’s mission is, and has always been, to transform students into knowledgeable, articulate, practicing visual artists and designers with the ability to significantly contribute in original ways to the ongoing dialogue in art that shapes our culture.