College for Creative Studies

http://www.collegeforcreativestudies.edu/

CCS offers Bachelors of Fine Arts in 12 majors and Masters of Fine Arts in two areas.

BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS DEGREES

The BFA degree requires completion of 126 credit hours: 84 in studio areas and 42 in general studies courses. In addition to coursework in their chosen major, first-year students take courses in the Foundation Department, where they study drawing, color theory and basic design. Students in all majors also take courses in the Liberal Arts Department, designed to provide them with an understanding of the larger social and cultural context in which they live. Typical weekly schedules for full-time students comprise 24 studio hours and six academic hours.
Undegraduate programs

MASTER OF FINE ARTS

The College's MFA degrees in strategic design and transportation design are terminal degrees that prepare students for leadership in industries that rely on design. The MFA degree programs share core curricula, with variations in technology components, and the focus and content of industry sponsored projects.
The MFA degree requires completion of 60 credit hours. Distinctive among MFA programs in the United States, CCS' graduate programs are grounded in the conviction that the most effective designers are those who have a firm grasp of the business world.
Graduate programs

LOCATION

CCS is located in Detroit's Midtown, where students will find a variety of activities near campus to enrich their studies and provide entertainment. The Detroit Film Theatre and the Detroit Institute of Arts, one of the largest art museums in the country, are both located next to CCS's Walter and Josephine Ford campus. Admission to the DIA is free for CCS students. The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the largest of its kind in the country, is also located next to campus. University and public libraries, galleries, great restaurants, and live music venues showcasing indie rock, hip hop, techno, folk, jazz and blues also can be found close by.

While Detroit offers all the advantages you would expect from a big city, it is unique in many ways. For one, it‘s affordable. The city is also one of the largest markets in the country for advertising, industrial design and publishing – which means students have access to internships, jobs, and faculty mentors who are active in their fields. Ultimately, Detroit has been known for making things – this combination of craftsmanship and technology makes it a perfect place for an art and design school.

HISTORY

For more than a century, the College for Creative Studies (CCS) has distinguished itself as one of the premier institutions of higher learning in the world. The current College traces its heritage back to 1906 when a group of local civic leaders, inspired by the English Arts and Crafts movement, formed the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts. The Society’s mission was to keep the ideals of beauty and craftsmanship alive in what was rapidly becoming an industrialized world. At their original location on Farmer Street, Society members began teaching informal classes in basic design, drawing and woodcarving. In 1911, they opened a gallery where students as well as prominent modern artists displayed and sold their work.

As Detroit’s creative community continued to take root, the Society recognized the need to expand. They moved to a larger location on Watson Street (1916), and 10 years later became one of the first arts and crafts organizations to offer a formal, four-year program in art (1926). Within a year, the Art School of the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts grew to an enrollment of 280 students.

Much of the school’s success was attributed to its close integration of rigorous courses with progression of the art and design movements and world-class, contemporary exhibitions—a tradition that continues to prevail. In addition to hiring talented, local artists and designers, the school sought renowned painters, sculptors and craftspeople from around the world to teach courses. In 1933, the Society’s gallery garnered national media attention as one of the first art institutions to recognize the automobile as an art form. This was around the same time that programs in industrial design and commercial art were introduced to the school’s curriculum.

The school relocated for a third time in 1958 to its current location near the city’s cultural center. The move provided students with more convenient access to the Detroit Institute of Arts’ impressive collection. All classes and offices were initially housed in the Arts & Crafts building designed by Minoru Yamasaki.

In 1962, the school officially became a college when the Michigan Department of Education authorized the institution to offer of a Bachelor of Fine Arts in industrial design. Eight years later, the College was awarded the right to provide degrees in all of their major programs. The National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) granted original accreditation in 1972, and the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) granted regional accreditation in 1977.

The next four decades brought about several improvements and significant changes to the campus. In 1975, construction of the architectural award-winning Kresge-Ford Building was completed, and the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts changed its name to the Center for Creative Studies—College of Art and Design. The school acquired an apartment building adjacent to campus (the Art Centre building) in 1988 that serves as the main dormitory on campus and the building that formerly housed Detroit’s African American Museum of History in 1997 that was later transformed into the Academic Resource Center (now the Manoogian Visual Resource Center), which contains the Center Galleries and library. A parking structure was added to the campus in 1999, and in the fall of 2001, the college inaugurated the Walter B. Ford II building for design and technology-driven disciplines. The donation to fund this project was the largest ever given to an art college at the time. That year, two historic homes on the northern side of campus were also renovated to accommodate administration and admissions offices.

The year 2001 brought about a milestone critical to the future of the school. Results of a research study led to the Board of Trustees’ decision to change the school’s name to the College for Creative Studies (CCS) to more clearly communicate its identity as an accredited, degree-granting “college.”

The Josephine F. Ford Sculpture Garden was added in the fall of 2005 to provide a gathering place for the campus community, and in 2007, the College renovated another home on historic Ferry Street to house the Institutional Advancement and Human Resources offices.

In 2008, CCS embarked on its most significant project to date—a $145 million redevelopment of the 760,000 sq. ft. historic Argonaut Building (formerly General Motors’ first research and design studio). Located in Detroit’s New Center district (about a mile from the original Walter and Josephine Ford Campus), the building serves as the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education.

The Taubman Center is home to the College’s five undergraduate design departments, graduate degree programs in design and transportation design and the Henry Ford Academy: School for Creative Studies, an art and design charter school for middle and high school students. This second campus site has enabled CCS to expand its curriculum to include new areas of the creative industries, improve facilities for all of its departments and connect with the local community through the Detroit Creative Corridor Center. It represents the College’s commitment toward accelerating metro Detroit's transition to an innovation-based economy by renewing the infrastructure of an important urban neighborhood; attracting, developing and retaining talent in the creative industries; spurring research in sustainable product development; and creating jobs and new business opportunities. The original Ford campus continues to house arts and crafts disciplines as well as the majority of administrative offices.

The College’s legacy has contributed to its recognition as an international leader in art and design education. In 2007, Bloomberg Business Week listed CCS among the top design schools in the world. The College now enrolls more than 1,400 students seeking undergraduate degrees across 11 majors and graduate degrees in design and transportation design. CCS also offers non-credit courses in the visual arts through its Continuing Education programs and annually provides over 4,000 high-risk Detroit youth with art and design education through the Community Arts Partnerships programs.

A century of tradition shaped by some of the most brilliant minds in the world has culminated in a truly unsurpassed institution of higher learning—a community where the creative spirit is free to soar.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
http://www.collegeforcreativestudies.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/high-school-students/admissions-requirements

REQUIREMENTS FOR HIGH SCHOOL APPLICANTS

• The application deadline for the fall semester is July 1 and for the winter semester
  it is December 1.
• Completed free online application or printed paper application with $35 fee.
• Official high school transcript with a minimum 2.5 grade point average. Applicants having earned a GED must submit official results of their test scores. (A minimum of a 401 composite is required.)
• ACT (our ACT code is 1989) or SAT (our SAT code is 1035) scores indicating potential to succeed at the college level. CCS uses the ACT English score and SAT writing subject test to place incoming freshmen into their English composition course. If students do not have either test result, they will be required to take the English Placement Exercise. If GED is submitted, the ACT or SAT is not required.
• Official college transcript if dual-enrolled.
• The College also accepts eligible Advanced Placement, CLEP and International Baccalaureate credits when applicable. Submit official exam transcripts for consideration. See website for current score requirements.
• Five-to eight-piece portfolio. Portfolios should be uploaded to https://ccs.slideroom.com. You will be charged a $10 upload fee, depending on the number of images submitted.
• The application, transcripts, test scores and portfolio may be submitted separately. 
• Letters of recommendation are optional.
• Personal interviews are available.
• Prospective students must demonstrate commitment, maturity and a readiness to work and grow in an educationally creative environment.
• Applicants who are unable to meet these requirements are encouraged to complete one full-time semester or two quarter terms (minimum of 12 semester credit hours) in a general liberal arts program at an accredited college and maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average prior to seeking admission. A minimum of six of the 12 credits must be in academic subjects. Occasionally, students are considered for admission on a conditional

REQUIREMENTS FOR HOME-SCHOOLED STUDENTS

• Home-school transcripts must include a list of courses taken, grades received or level of proficiency attained. Minimum 2.5 grade point average or equivalent required.
  
• A high school diploma also must be submitted (based on the student state requirements). For Michigan residents, the parents providing the home-schooling will issue the diploma.
  
• All other admissions requirements, criteria and guidelines apply equally to home-schooled students.

GENERAL TIMELINE FOR HIGH SCHOOL APPLICANTS

CCS accepts applications on a rolling basis. Following is a general timeline for fall semester applicants. The winter semester timeline varies, an admissions counselor will help guide you through the process:
ANYTIME:

• Visit Campus
• Find us at National Portfolio Days or College Fairs
• Schedule a counseling appointment or campus tour
• Earn a merit-based scholarship

SEPTEMBER 1–AUGUST 1 (Fall Semester):
Submit your application for the following fall semester beginning in September
SEPTEMBER 1–DECEMBER 1 (Winter Semester):Submit your application for the following winter semester beginning in January
OCTOBER-DECEMBER 17:Ask your art teacher to nominate you for CCS's Award of Excellence Competition. Make sure you qualify first!
JANUARY 1 - MARCH 1:File the FAFSA online. The financial aid process takes approximately four to six weeks to complete.
Early FEBRUARY:A competition held in March will determine the winners of our highest scholarships. Applicants may be nominated by either their high school or college art instructor or by a CCS Admissions Counselor. Qualified nominees must complete all of the admissions requirements before the competition date.
MARCH 1:
If you are participating on a FIRST Team and applying for a FIRST Scholarship at CCS, you must be accepted by March 1st to be eligible for this award.
MARCH–JUNE:
Reserving space after you've been accepted

• Submit your $100 Commitment fee to reserve your space in your department and begin the registration process. Send the completed form and payment to the Admissions Office. You can also pay over the phone with a credit card by calling the Admissions Office. The commitment fee is applied directly to the first semester's tuition and is non-refundable.
• After acceptance, students who wish to live on campus must submit the Commitment fee of $100 to the Admissions Office, then submit all housing forms (provided in the acceptance packet) and $550 ($200 housing deposit and $350 first housing payment) to the Housing Office. Housing is assigned on a first-come, first-served basis when all housing materials and payments have been received.

JUNE–AUGUST:

• Request that your final, official transcript(s) and/or Advanced Placement test scores be sent directly from high school/college(s) to the Office of Registration at CCS after you have been accepted.
• Complete your New Student Check In on Blackboard
• After your commitment fee has been paid, you will be mailed a letter that contains your username and password from the Academic Advising and Registration Office. An e-mail will be sent to your CCS e-mail account with instructions on how to register for classes.
• While completing your online Check in, you will confirm your attendance for Orientation and/or English Placement Exam. New students can register for classes online and will receive instructions on how to do so. It is important that you become familiar with WebAdvisor on Blackboard. This is how you will register for future semesters and receive valuable information from departments and instructors while you are attending CCS.
• Register for courses. You will receive an Academic Evaluation from the Academic Advising and Registration Office to your CCS e-mail account. On your Academic Evaluation your advisor will highlight the courses that are recommended for you to take the following semester. Choose your desired days and times of those courses from the schedule book, and register on-line or you may come and visit an advisor in the Academic Advising and Registration Office. You can make an appointment at 313.664.7672.
• Attend EPE - English Placement Exam (if applicable) and New Student Orientation.

Late AUGUST:
New student Move In and Welcome Week activities
Early SEPTEMBER:
Classes begin