Summer PreCollege

Discover your creative passion, build friendships, and find your place at Pratt in this immersive college-level program.

Spend the summer on Pratt’s Brooklyn campus in intensive art, design, architecture, or creative writing courses, informed and inspired by the backdrop of New York City. During this four-week full-time program, students develop conceptual and technical skills; and create portfolio pieces for college admission, while earning elective college credits.

Join high school students from diverse backgrounds and develop your creative passions into potential career paths while building friendships, and enjoying Pratt’s beautiful Brooklyn campus this summer.

After the above deadlines, students may be admitted if space remains in the selected course(s).

Your registration will be entered into Pratt Institute’s database around mid-April, at which time you will receive a bill to be paid upon receipt.

Note: Costs exclude course materials, local travel, and incidentals. Materials can range between $200-$400 depending on the course of study. Limited scholarship awards are available through the PreCollege program.

Program Schedule

The Summer PreCollege program at Pratt is a full-time academically rigorous program. Attendance is required for all class sessions.

Summer PreCollege students each take two intensive studio courses, offered in a variety of disciplines. These hands-on classes provide exploration of the diversity of majors available at Pratt. Most classes are taught by Pratt faculty using state-of-the-art equipment, studio spaces, and classrooms across campus. Courses provide an introduction to Pratt’s undergraduate curriculum and equip students with elective college credits which are typically accepted at most colleges and universities. The program culminates into a Final Exhibition where students showcase their work to friends, family, and the Pratt community.

Residential students’ immersion experience on Pratt’s beautiful Brooklyn campus includes supplementary academic and/or cultural activities, such as after-class studio hours guided by Pratt degree students serving as Studio Mentors for completing class assignments; museum trips accompanied by Pratt degree students serving as Cultural Mentors; and portfolio development sessions led by Pratt Admissions Counselors for college application. Students can also book one-on-one portfolio reviews with Pratt admissions counselors during their time on campus. Upon completion of the PreCollege Program, students will have developed portfolio pieces toward their college application to the art, design/architecture college of their choice.

Participation in most weekend and evening activities along with a nightly curfew are mandatory for residential students. During class breaks and scheduled flex times students can enjoy the beauty of Pratt’s campus and explore New York City while following safety and wellness protocols.

Commuter students may attend studio hours sessions or anticipate spending an equal amount of time completing homework at home. Some assignments require special tools that cannot be accessed outside of the scheduled studio times on the evening and weekends and cannot be completed at home.

The summer PreCollege Program schedule includes two intensive classes selected from the list below. These hands-on classes provide exploration of the diversity of disciplines available at Pratt. Each class is taught by Pratt faculty or alumni using state-of-the-art equipment, studio spaces, and classrooms across campus. Courses provide an introduction to Pratt’s undergraduate curriculum and equip students with elective college credits which are accepted at most colleges and universities.

Residential students’ immersion experience on Pratt’s beautiful Brooklyn campus includes supplementary academic or cultural activities, such as after-class studio hours guided by Pratt degree students serving as Studio Mentors for completing class assignments; portfolio development sessions led by Pratt Admissions Counselors; and museum trips accompanied by Pratt degree students serving as Cultural Mentors.

Commuter students may attend studio hours sessions or anticipate spending an equal amount of time completing homework at home. Some assignments require special tools that cannot be accessed outside of the scheduled studio times on the evening and weekends and cannot be completed at home.

The Courses

All PreCollege students are automatically enrolled in two classes. Please note that some classes require a foundation course as the second concentration. Students take two of the following 2-credit elective studio courses:

Architecture

Reimagine the structures in which we live and work. Develop solutions to a series of architectural problems through hands-on work; producing sketches, drafting plans, and building models. Students will gain familiarity with architectural concepts and build skills through hands-on lessons. (Students taking architecture will also be enrolled in an architecture foundation course and cannot take a second concentration.)

Comic Book / Sequential Art

Explore the art of pictorial storytelling; combining images and text to create visual narratives for single panel illustrations, comic strips/books, and graphic novels. Investigate all aspects of this art form: from drawing techniques, lettering, and inking, to composition, perspective, panel sequences, and developing original stories. The skills acquired provide a foundation for creative processes such as: children’s book illustration, storyboards for film and television production, and animation.

Creative Writing

Craft compelling written compositions. Focus on the fundamentals of creative writing while developing writing skills in one or more genres or styles (poetry, essay, fiction, writing for theatre, film, or magazines). Students will examine written language, voice, and the composing process through reading /writing assignments, critical reviews, and peer review/critique.

Digital Arts: 2D Animation

Create both hand-crafted and digital approaches to the art of animation. From early optical toys, through drawing frame by frame on paper, to creating digitally composited layers of movement for a fully realized project with sound and color. Daily exercises range from traditional character animation to more experimental techniques, allowing students to foster their own vision. (Students taking animation will also be enrolled in a foundation course and cannot take a second concentration.)

Digital Arts: Art and Technology

Create multi-sensory art with hardware electronics and software code. Students will learn the basics of using sensors to gather data from the physical world, coding programs on a micro-controller board, and controlling motors that make objects move. The focus will be on creating physical, interactive art objects that possess visual, kinetic, and sonic qualities. No previous experience with electronics or coding is required.

Fashion Design

Discover the trans-disciplinary nature of fashion design. From sketching and illustration to crafting and creating, students will experiment with designers’ techniques and build basic skills in collection development. Students will be instructed in draping, patterning, and hand sewing in Pratt’s cutting edge fashion studio.

Film/Video

Explore the aesthetic and craft of filmmaking through hands-on projects. Using digital video, students will produce short film projects designed to develop both technical competencies, and an appreciation of the power and creative potential of the moving image. Cameras and editing equipment will be provided.

Fine Arts: Painting and Drawing

Translate the three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional surface. Develop perceptual and aesthetic awareness and improve technical skills through the creation of fine art. Students will use different drawing and painting techniques, media, and subject matter to create a body of work with an emphasis on developing an effective studio practice and producing works to include in a competitive portfolio. Please note: Nude figure drawing is included.

Fine Arts: Sculpture

Delve into a variety of processes and materials in the making of 3-D sculpture. Various forms of sculpture and 3-D art techniques will be explored. Contemporary sculpture and artists will be introduced as they relate to the projects and processes learned. Students will come away with a greater knowledge of contemporary sculpture and the ability to create unique works of their own.

Foundation Art

Strengthen fundamental creative skills in a traditional studio art class focused on color, shape, line, movement, and other formal concepts of art and design. Modeled after Pratt’s first-year curriculum, this course will expand the student’s thinking, strengthen portfolios, and provide a basis for further study in any creative field. Please note: Nude figure drawing is included.

Graphic Design

Explore what makes a design successful, and investigate the role of design in meeting the demands of an ever-changing society. Learn design tools, principles, and methods to produce unique and memorable graphic work. Typography, photography, and illustration are incorporated in visualizing your ideas along with the introduction and application of computer graphics.

Illustration: Digital

Render images utilizing a variety of software and explore the limits of digital media. This course explores ways to tell a story by creating digital images that communicate new ideas for editorial and commercial purposes. Students will develop technical and artistic skills in drawing while experimenting with scanning, digital photography, and using photo editing software. Students will be given the tools to produce finished, professional-level digital work.

Illustration: Traditional

Communicate an idea through images, This course explores ways to create pictures that communicate new ideas. Students develop technical and artistic skills in drawing and painting for use in the commercial world; enhancing illustration skills through life studies, experimentation with a variety of media, and by cultivating their imagination. Students will be given the tools to produce finished, professional-level work. Please note: Nude figure drawing is included.

Industrial Design

Create the objects that people use everyday. This concentration course examines how embracing today’s social, physical, and ecological needs presents opportunities for creative design. Through drawing and model making, students explore, challenge, and redefine the forms and objects with which we live.

Interior Design

Optimize the space in which we live. This concentration course centers on the impact of the interior space on the individual, as well as various groups, by working with the classic elements of light, color, form, and space. Projects include drafting, rendering, and model-making.

Jewelry / Metal Arts

Push the boundaries of form and function. This course is an introduction to basic, direct metal, fabrication techniques for metal objects and wearable art pieces. Students will research and develop design concepts and execute finished pieces using non-ferrous metals combined with alternative materials and current technology.

Photography: Analog

Capture life in the moment. Students study 35mm camera operations, lighting techniques, and darkroom procedures to achieve a broad-based knowledge of black and white photography. Instruction includes exposing and developing film, making contact prints, enlarging and finishing photographs. Students are required to provide their own 35mm camera for this course.

Photography: Digital

Learn the basics of digital imaging: scanning, shooting, using graphic software, and various forms of manipulating and outputting images. Using primarily Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, students will develop imagery and improve conceptual and technical skills, while incorporating art elements and principles of design. Students are required to provide their own digital camera for this course.

Additional course offerings to come in January 2024. Please check our website again in January 2024.

Courses are led by Pratt faculty or alumni and include required homework assignments to be completed outside of class hours.