Medical Illustration BFA

Tuition Fee

Start Date

Medium of studying

Anatomy

Duration

Details

Program Details

Degree

Bachelors

Major

Anatomy | Biomedical Sciences

Area of study

Anatomy | Biomedical Sciences

Education type

Anatomy | Biomedical Sciences

Course Language

English

About Program

Program Overview

Medical Illustration Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree

Overview

RIT’s medical illustration BFA teaches you to take complex scientific and medical information and distill it into stunning visual images.

Why Study Medical Illustration at RIT

Industry Work Experience: In collaboration with local hospitals, you will draw from direct observation of surgical procedures and medical treatments in progress.
Portfolio Preparation Workshop: Participation in the annual Pre-College Portfolio Preparation Workshop.
Prepare for Advanced Degrees: The option to take a two-year Medical Illustration MFA, an advanced scientific illustration program.

What is a Medical Illustrator?

A medical illustrator is a professional artist with advanced education in the sciences (biology, human anatomy, physiology) and in art and design (illustration, 2D/3D/4D digital design, animation, interactive media). They are skilled in creating art that illustrates the things we often cannot see (internal organs of a body, cells and molecules, muscle tissues and tendons) or that need deeper explanation (how a surgery takes place, the inner workings of the human body, how a disease progresses).

RIT’s Medical Illustration BFA

This medical illustration major prepares you to work with scientists, physicians, surgeons, researchers, and other medical specialists to take complex scientific information and distill it into visual images that can be used in a wide range of applications, such as:

Textbooks
Brochures
Infographics
Interactive models
2D and 3D animations
Motion graphics
Courtroom exhibits
Digital presentations
Educational material

During the first two years of the Medical Illustration undergraduate program, you will focus on developing your drawing and traditional illustration skills. During this time, you’ll attend human biology, anatomy, and physiology classes.

Building on this foundation of science courses, the third and fourth years of the major emphasize 2D and 3D computer illustration and animation. As a third and fourth-year student, you’ll:

Attend Human Gross Anatomy, a course that includes full head-to-toe dissection in RIT’s Cadaver Lab, one of the few undergraduate cadaver labs in the nation.
Collaborate with area hospitals to draw from direct observation of in-progress surgical procedures and medical treatments in progress

The medical illustration degree explores all aspects of health care, from the molecular level through the macroscopic and into the theoretical.

Throughout your coursework, you may select elective courses that enhance your studies or enable you to pursue an area of personal or professional interest.

Refine Your Medical Illustration Portfolio

The medical illustration degree requires studio art experience and a portfolio of original artwork.

View the portfolio requirements
RIT’s School of Art offers an annual Pre-College Portfolio Preparation Workshop. This two-week visual arts class is designed to help prepare the portfolios of rising high school juniors and seniors for admission to college art programs.

Furthering Your Education in Medical Illustration

Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degrees

Today’s careers require advanced degrees grounded in real-world experience. RIT’s Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees enable you to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in as little as five years of study, all while gaining the valuable hands-on experience that comes from co-ops, internships, research, study abroad, and more.

+1 MBA: Students who enroll in a qualifying undergraduate degree have the opportunity to add an MBA to their bachelor’s degree after their first year of study, depending on their program. Learn how the +1 MBA can accelerate your learning and position you for success.

Graduate Study in Medical Illustration

RIT offers a medical illustration MFA. This is an advanced scientific illustration program and one of only five medical illustration programs at the graduate level in North America, and the only program in the northeast. The two-year program culminates with the production of a thesis project, which requires extensive background research and an original body of art and design work on a complex medical topic.

Careers and Experiential Learning

Typical Job Titles

Multimedia Artist
Medical Illustrator
Exhibitor
Freelance Medical Illustrator
2D/3D Medical Animator
3D Computer Modeler/Animator
Medical Interactive/Interface Designer
Medical Web Designer
Medical-Legal Illustrator/Litigation Support Specialist
Medical Book/Texts Illustrator
Information Graphics Illustrator
Medical Editorial Illustrator
Medical Model Designer
Prosthesis Designer/Anaplastologist
Forensics Illustrator
Ophthalmologic Illustrator
Medical Illustration Educator

Industries

Journalism, Media, and Publishing
Performing and Fine Arts
Health Care

Cooperative Education and Internships

What’s different about an RIT education? It’s the career experience you gain by completing cooperative education and internships with top companies in every single industry. You’ll earn more than a degree. You’ll gain real-world career experience that sets you apart. It’s exposure–early and often–to a variety of professional work environments, career paths, and industries.

Co-ops and internships take your knowledge and turn it into know-how. An art and design co-op provides hands-on experience that enables you to apply your artistic capabilities in dynamic professional settings while you make valuable connections between classwork and real-world applications.

Cooperative education, internships, and other experiential learning opportunities are encouraged for students in the BFA in medical illustration.

Featured Work and Profiles

Profile: Ashley Mastin '21
Marvel-ous Artist
Medical Illustration Labs
Association of Medical Illustrators Award of Merit
Medical Illustration Senior Showcase - 2023
Pre-College Portfolio Prep Workshop

Curriculum