Curriculum and Courses

Explore the art and science of architecture through hands-on design projects, technical drawing, model building, and creative problem-solving. In this immersive studio course, students move from 2D visual systems to complex 3D forms, learning to carve solids, manipulate space, and design at multiple scales.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○ Understanding  theoretical concepts in architecture and  how to communicate them effectively.
○ Translating properties of light, volume, space, rhythm, and scale through technical drawing
○ Incorporating multiple scales of form, space, and material in various mediums
○  Drawing abstract and concrete representation and simulation of three-dimensional space.
○  Developing proficiency in freehand and technical drawing, conceptual model building, and material explorations to develop complex three-dimensional spatial systems

Please note: Students taking architecture will automatically be enrolled in an Architecture Foundation course and cannot take a second concentration.

“I loved having Studio Hours. It was a chance to explore and practice independence.”
– Sofia B.
Summer 2024 Architecture Student

Bring your stories to life through the art of comics! In this studio course, students explore visual storytelling techniques – from lettering, inking, and panel composition to perspective, anatomy, and camera angles. Students will keep a sketchbook of ongoing ideas, engage in critiques, and learn professional practices while developing their own creative style.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○ One-Page Wordless Story – express narrative through visuals
○ Illustrated Shakespeare Sonnet – traditional inking on bristol board
○ Autobiographical Comic – use color to enhance emotion and mood
○ Original Comic Pitch – develop characters, environments, and a concept for an ongoing series

“The PreCollege experience galvanized her. She came into her senior year ready for college applications.”
– Danny N.
College Counselor

Explore how media, pop culture, and everyday practices shape social differences and reflect power dynamics. Through NYC site visits, hands-on activities, and critical discussions, students learn to analyze books, films, music, social media, and more as tools for understanding and influencing society. Students gain skills in critical thinking, cultural analysis, and visual literacy, developing the tools to become thoughtful consumers, critics, and creators of culture.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○ Field Reports and Visual Analysis – deconstructing cultural artifacts
○ Digital Culture Project – exploring online identity and internet culture
○ Personal Reflection – connecting personal experience to cultural theory

Craft compelling stories while exploring the fundamentals of creative writing across genres  including poetry, fiction, essays, playwriting, and screenwriting. Through daily writing prompts, readings, film screenings, and workshops, students develop voice, sharpen critical thinking, and learn the art of revision. By the end of the course, students build a strong creative toolkit, a supportive writing community, and a portfolio-ready body of work.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○ Workshopping 1–2 original manuscripts with peer critique
○ Field writing exercises inspired by NYC walks and bookstore visits
○ Conflict and character in short fiction, poetry, and essay

“I am hung up like a cross and ignore like
A Sunday paper, and I’ve never quite
Found comfort in observing the instability
In which you live”
– Matilda T.
Summer 2024 Creative Writing and Traditional Illustration Student

Bring your drawings to life in this traditional and digital animation studio course. Students will explore the fundamentals of motion and storytelling through flipbooks, under-the-camera experiments, character design, walk cycles, and storyboarding before creating a short animated film with sound and color.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○ Mastering key principles of animation – timing, spacing, and cycles
○ Experimenting with paper, cut-outs, and digital tools (Toon Boom Harmony & Adobe Premiere)
○ Designing and animate original characters and environments
○ Developing storyboards, animatics, and polished final animations

Please note: Students taking animation will automatically be enrolled in a foundation course and cannot take a second concentration.

“Pratt PreCollege helped me gauge both the level and amount of work I would have to produce in college. It gave me good insight into the college environment as well as experience with critique and grading.”
– Elli P.
Summer 2024 2D Animation and Foundation Student 

In this studio course, students learn industry-standard 3D modeling, animation, and rendering using Maya and Unreal Engine – no prior experience required. The course culminates in a final animated scene combining environments, characters, and camera animation, resulting in a portfolio-ready demo reel showcasing professional 3D animation skills.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○ Modeling and light detailed interior and exterior environments
○ Animating characters and props with realistic movement and weight
○ Applying professional animation principles such as timing, squash and stretch, and staging
○ Experimenting with texture, lighting, and camera work to create mood and depth

Explore the cutting edge of digital art! In this course, students experiment with augmented reality (AR), interactive audiovisual systems, and AI/machine learning tools to create innovative, portfolio-ready work. No coding experience is required – just curiosity and creativity. Perfect for students eager to merge art and technology, this course equips you with the skills to navigate and create with the ever-evolving tools of contemporary digital media.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○ Designing interactive, responsive audiovisual experiences
○ Creating custom AR face filters and digital sculptures to use in Snapchat
○ Training an AI model to generate unique imagery and style blends

Turn your love of games into hands-on design experience! This course introduces students to the core principles of game design, from mechanics and storytelling to the iterative development process used by professional designers. By the end of the course, students will have pitched, designed, and completed multiple playable games, gaining foundational skills for future studies or careers in game design.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○ Building tabletop and digital game prototypes (card games, board games, narrative games, and platformers)
○ Learning game mechanics, level design, and storytelling techniques
○ Experimenting with Bitsy for narrative design and Godot to create a multi-level platformer
○ Practicing playtesting, feedback, and iteration to refine game ideas

Discover your unique design aesthetic and bring it to life in this hands-on fashion design course. Students will explore inspiration research, sketching, and garment construction, building a mini collection that reflects their personal style.

Assignments and classwork may include:

○ Developing a collection of swatches demonstrating hand sewing techniques
○ Deconstructing and reimagining garments into original fashion pieces
○ Producing fashion sketches inspired by research and designer influences
○ Completing finished garments for critique and presentation

Please note: This course focuses on hand sewing and draping; sewing machines are not used. 

Learn the art of visual storytelling through hands-on filmmaking in this digital cinema course. Students will gain practical experience with professional cameras, lighting, sound, and editing, developing both technical skills and creative expression. Cameras and editing equipment will be provided.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○ Mastering the basics of cinematography, lighting, sound recording, and editing
○ Developing storytelling techniques through framing, composition, and continuity
○ Exploring cinematic genres, narrative structure, and visual aesthetics
○ Telling your personal story through imagery, sound, and archival materials.

Build strong foundational skills in drawing and painting while developing your personal artistic voice. Through observational studies, figure drawing, and still-life painting, students learn essential techniques in line, proportion, perspective, composition, color theory, and oil painting methods such as alla prima and grisaille.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○ Mastering gesture drawing, anatomy, light & shadow, and color mixing
○ Transitioning from quick sketches to fully developed compositions
○ Contour drawings, still lifes, and figure drawing (including nude figure study)

“The experience of living and working on a college campus was very helpful in preparation for the real deal in a year. Having this experience, I feel more ready for college life.”
– Jazzy M.
Summer 2024 Painting and Drawing and Sequential Art Student

Explore the art of contemporary sculpture through life-casting, mold-making, plaster, and woodworking while drawing inspiration from artists like Kiki Smith, Ai Weiwei, and Eva Hesse. Students will learn hands-on techniques such as strip lamination, wood bending, and casting multiples to create unique sculptures, each exploring organic forms and abstraction.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○ Life-Casting Project – Create a figurative work using alginate and plaster techniques
○ Multiple Tile Casting – Design and cast 5–10 pieces inspired by natural forms
○ The Exploding Frame – Build a dynamic wood sculpture using bent and laminated strips

“Learning from and talking to practicing artists helped me to further understand what it means to be an artist and how to go about entering that world as a job.”
– Oonagh M.
Summer 2024 Sculpture and Painting and Drawing Student

Build a strong foundation in art and design through observational drawing, perceptual problem-solving, and creative experimentation. Students explore techniques such as pointillism, Notan (Japanese light/dark design), dry brush figure drawing, and perceptual mapping, while developing skills in perspective, proportion, color theory, and composition.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○ Outdoor landscape drawing, still life, human figure studies (including live model),
○ Pointillist color exercises and Notan light/dark design
○ Photomontage

“The program taught me the importance of getting my work done in time and what I should expect from a job in the art industry.”
– Olivia L.
Summer 2024 2D Animation + Foundation Student

Discover the fundamentals of graphic design through hands-on projects, field trips, and portfolio-ready assignments inspired by New York City’s vibrant design culture. Students will explore mood boards, poster design, custom typeface creation, zine-making, and character design while developing skills in typography, layout, color theory, and visual storytelling.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○  Visits to Cooper Hewitt, Poster House, and Brooklyn design studios,
○  Poster design and custom-designed typeface
○  Character design turned into stickers and/or buttons through professional design processes 

Explore how to tell compelling stories through digital illustration using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Procreate. This hands-on, portfolio-building course blends drawing fundamentals with digital tools to help students develop professional-level work for editorial and commercial applications.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○ Illustrating the color blue as a character or scene
○ Creating animated GIFs
○ Daily sketches to strengthen concept development, visual storytelling, and digital painting techniques

Tell stories through illustration! In this hands-on course, students explore text-image storytelling using drawing, watercolor, acrylic, gouache, and collage. Through figure drawing, expressive painting, and narrative exercises, students learn to create compelling visual concepts, communicate emotion, and adapt artwork for both print and digital reproduction. By the end of the course, students will have developed foundational illustration techniques, the ability to analyze and critique work, and a portfolio-ready body of work.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○ Narrative Self-Portrait – tell your story through meaningful objects and setting.
○ Short Narrative Illustration – transform a poem, fable, or news headline into a dynamic character and environment.
○ Daily sketchbook assignments – document creative growth, experiment with gesture and composition, and prepare work for exhibition.

“I really enjoyed my courses and I think I got a deeper understanding of art through this program. By fully learning the fundamentals I feel like I can build a stronger basis for my personal style.”
– Avani P.
Summer 2024 Traditional Illustration and Painting and Drawing

Design for a better world! In this hands-on course, students learn to think like designers – observing real-world needs, ideating creative solutions, and turning concepts into functional, visually compelling objects. Students will explore sketching, model-making, and CAD software while considering user needs, sustainability, and marketability. By the end of the course, students will understand the full design process (Ideate, Develop, Present) as well as create professional presentation boards and prototypes.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○ Design a functional birdfeeder
○ Develop a footwear concept
○ Create the blueprints for a flat-pack pendant light.

“The PreCollege Program helped me budget my free time so that I could complete the work while balancing my social life with new friends”
– River T.
Summer 2024 Industrial Design and Digital Photography Student

Design spaces that shape experience! This hands-on course explores how the human body interacts with space, material, and light. Through multiple assignments students develop skills in sketching, drafting, model building, and presenting their ideas.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○ Analyzing and communicating spatial concepts through drawings, models, and presentations.
○ Model making while considering scale, ergonomics, and the social impact of interior design.
○ Drafting and technical drawing

“Pratt PreCollege allowed me to step out of my comfort zone with different materials and ideas.”
– Chessa C.
Summer 2024 Interior Design and Graphic Design Student

Create wearable art! This hands-on course explores the intersection of technique, material, and the body. Students will learn essential skills – sawing, riveting, soldering, stone setting, and surface finishing – while researching design concepts and experimenting with alternative materials and contemporary methods. By the end of the course, students will design and fabricate original wearable pieces, develop technical proficiency in direct metal techniques, and understand safe studio practices.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○ Pierced Metal Belt Buckle – exploring positive and negative space.
○ Charms & Talismans – hydraulic press and fold-forming techniques.
○ Bezel-Set Ring –  combining stone setting and precision soldering.
“There’s a big difference between highschool and college; you’re thrown out into an environment where you’re expected to be an adult. PreCollege is a safe space to explore that change.”
– Shauna Burke
Jewelry / Metal Arts Faculty

Capture life through the lens! This course introduces students to black-and-white photography, focusing on 35mm film shooting, darkroom techniques, and fine-print development. Students will learn camera operations, film developing, contact printing, enlarging, and finishing techniques while exploring the artistic possibilities of photography as visual storytelling. By the end of the course, students will confidently analyze, shoot, and print fine-art photographs, developing a personal visual style.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○ Scavenger Hunt Series – capturing candid, spontaneous moments.
○ Still Life & Portrait Studies –  mastering lighting, composition, and visual narrative.
○ The Same but Different Project – reinterpreting images through creative reprinting.

Please note: Students are required to provide their own 35mm camera for this course.
“I think this was truly one of the best times in my life.”
– Chloe M.
Summer 2023 Analog Photography and Graphic Design Student

Discover the art of digital photography! Learn to shoot, edit, and print professional-quality images while exploring New York City as your subject. Through field trips, studio sessions, and a self-directed personal project, students will master camera operations, lighting, composition, and post-production techniques in Adobe Photoshop. No prior experience with Photoshop required.

Classwork and assignments may include:

○ Visits to the International Center of Photography, Central Park, and more
○ Image organization, color correction, contrast control, and cropping.
○ Self-Portraits – explore identity and narrative through portraits

Please note: Students are required to provide their own digital camera (DSLR) for this course.