Students also work side by side with creative, serious students from around the world who contribute to the atmosphere of camaraderie that exists at the College. At CCAC, students tend to spend significantly more time in the studio than their counterparts at a liberal arts college or university. The flexible curriculum is designed to meet the individual needs of students preparing to become working architects, designers, and artists. Core courses introduce basic concepts and skills, enabling students to become conversant with several visual languages. Each program allows in-depth exploration of a chosen discipline, while grounding that work in the larger context of the humanities and sciences and art history, theory, and criticism.
Educational technology is integrated into the studio curriculum.
The College encourages students to find their own expressive voice, to explore various media, and to consider how theories of art and the practice of art converge. Students find CCAC's range of interdisciplinary classes to be especially relevant and challenging. Interdisciplinary exploration is reflected through the practice of art and design in the real world. There are collaborations between architecture students and those majoring in glass, between filmmakers and performance artists, and between industrial designers and sculptors. Students also find that CCAC's Ethnic Studies program offers provocative discussion and an appreciation of the cultural milieu in which artists work.