Corcoran School of the Arts and Design

Director: Lauren Onkey
Deputy Director: Laura Schiavo

The Corcoran School of the Arts and Design functions as an incubator for artists, designers and scholars. Part of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the Corcoran provides a platform for engagement that bridges creative expression and practical application with the breadth and depth of the larger liberal arts education. The Corcoran prepares its graduates to be the next generation of leaders in the world of culture and the arts. Students learn from experienced faculty at the intersection of creativity and social innovation and are inspired to research, create and innovate with the potential to shape the world around them. 

Program Heads

Suse Anderson — Museum studies
Holly Dugan — Theatre and dance
Loren Kajikawa — Music
Dean Kessmann — Studio arts, including fine art, new media photojournalism, photojournalism, and
social practice
Kevin Patton — Design, including undergraduate graphic design and interaction design and graduate exhibition design and interaction design
Stephanie Travis — Interior architecture
Bibiana Obler — Art history

Faculty Advisors

Suse Anderson — Museum studies*
Catherine Anderson — Interior architecture (MA, MFA programs)
Mary Coughlin — Museum studies (online certificate program in collections care)
Douglas Crawford — Interior architecture (MA program)
Zan Dumbadze — Art history (undergraduate)
Matt Eich — Photojournalism and photography (undergraduate)
Carl Gudenius — Theatre
Schillica Howard — Museum studies*
Dean Kessman — Fine art and social practice (graduate)
Melina Misri — Exhibition design
Kevin Patton — Interaction design (undergraduate and graduate)
Anna Kimmel — Dance
Aasawari Kulkarni — Graphic design
Melina Misri — Interior architecture (undergraduate)
Eugene Montague — Music
Carmen Montoya — Studio art  (MFA in fine arts, MFA in social practice)
Mika Natif — Art history (graduate)
Kevin Patton — Interaction design (undergraduate and graduate)
Laura Schiavo — Museum studies*
Nidhi Singh — Graphic design (BA, BFA)
Susan Sterner — New media photojournalism (graduate)
Max van Balgooy — Museum studies*
Allyson Vieira — Fine art, dual BA in fine art and art history (all undergraduate)
Nadia  Volchansky — Interior architecture (undergraduate)
Alec Wild — Classical acting 

*Co-advisors in Museum studies

Visit the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design website for additional information.

Bachelor's programs

• Bachelor of Arts with a major in art history
• Bachelor of Arts with a dual major in art history and in fine arts
• Bachelor of Arts with a major in dance
• Bachelor of Arts with a major in fine arts
• Bachelor of Arts with a major in fine arts, photojournalism concentration
• Bachelor of Arts with a major in interaction design
• Bachelor of Arts with a major in music
• Bachelor of Arts with a major in theatre
• Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in fine arts
• Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in graphic design
• Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in interaction design
• Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in interior architecture
• Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in photojournalism

Minors

• Minor in art history
• Minor in art history and fine arts
• Minor in dance
• Minor in fine arts
• Minor in graphic design
• Minor in music
• Minor in photography
• Minor in theatre

Combined programs

• Dual Bachelor of Arts with a major in art history and Master of Arts in the field of art history
• Dual Bachelor of Arts with a major in classical and ancient Near Eastern studies and Master of Arts in the field of museum studies
• Dual Bachelor of Arts with a major in history and Master of Arts in the field of museum studies

Master's programs

• Master of Arts in the field of art history
• Master of Arts in the field of exhibition design
• Master of Arts in the field of interaction design
• Master of Arts in the field of interior architecture
• Master of Arts in the field of museum studies
• Master of Arts in the field of new media photojournalism
• Master of Fine Arts in the field of classical acting
• Master of Fine Arts in the field of fine arts
• Master of Fine Arts in the field of interior architecture
• Master of Fine Arts in the field of social practice

Combined programs

• Dual Bachelor of Arts with a major in classical and ancient Near Eastern studies and Master of Arts in the field of museum studies
• Dual Bachelor of Arts with a major in history and Master of Arts in the field of museum studies

• Dual Master of Arts in the field of museum studies and Graduate Certificate in nonprofit management

Graduate certificate programs

• Museum studies
• Museum collections management and care

Visit the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design website for a list of current faculty.

Explanation of Course Numbers

• Courses in the 1000s are primarily introductory undergraduate courses
• Those in the 2000s to 4000s are upper-level undergraduate courses that also may be taken for graduate credit with permission and additional work assigned
• Those in the 6000s and 8000s are for master’s, doctoral, and professional-level students
• The 6000s are open to advanced undergraduate students with approval of the instructor and the dean or advising office

• Corcoran Art History (CAH)
• Corcoran Decorative Arts and Design History (CDAD)
• Corcoran Exhibition Design (CEX)
• Corcoran First-Year Foundation (CFN)
• Corcoran Graphic Design (CGD)
• Corcoran Interior Architecture (CIAR)
• Corcoran Interaction Design (CIXD)
• Corcoran Museum Studies (CMST)
• Corcoran Music (CMUS)
• Corcoran Photojournalism (CPJ)
• Corcoran Studio Arts (CSA)
• Corcoran Theatre and Dance (CTAD)