Foundation

Build Strong Foundation at pratt munson and Earn an Art Degree from a Top U.S. Art School

One of the most significant features of Pratt’s world-renowned art curriculum is the strong emphasis we place on Foundation. We believe that each student’s education should be grounded in the underlying concepts, principles, and history of the visual arts – and that belief is one important reason why Pratt Institute ranks among the best art colleges in the world. 

The objective of the Foundation core is to develop and expand students' visual thinking through a critical examination and practice of methods and processes of creativity. This Foundation core is a first-year prerequisite to the Fine Arts and Communications Design programs. Students move on to specialization in their sophomore year. 

Many top art schools stress Foundation, but Pratt Munson students have a unique opportunity to advance their skills. Our intimate, upstate campus offers a remarkable 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Students spend the first two years of their Pratt art degree working closely with full-time faculty in a serious, focused art environment. They are then guaranteed transfer to the main campus at Pratt Brooklyn.

GOALS

  • To provide students, faculty, and staff a rich environment for learning, teaching, and research linking art, design, and the natural world. 
  • To expand, reinforce, and establish meaningful connections with material-rich collections located on Pratt campus and other institutions. 
  • To attract inquisitive students by offering a unique educational experience merging art, design, research, and the natural sciences in the first-year and beyond. 
  • To offer programming (lectures, workshops, exhibitions) bringing in outside artists, designers, makers, scientists, and scholars to collaborate with Pratt students, faculty, and staff.