Continuing Studies
Take advantage of continuing education courses for artists interested in fine arts, architecture, and design. Explore a new discipline, add to your portfolio, and take your work to the next level.
Overview
Continuing education for students and professionals
Advance your creative skill set
The Office of Special Programs offers student and adult education, including a number of opportunities for engagement in art classes and career-advancing workshops. These programs are open to the public, including everything from intensive summer courses for individuals to custom programming for companies.
Credit programs
CCA has a wide range of summer credit programs for continuing studies. Choose from a wide selection of humanities and sciences or studio courses to advance your creative education or further develop your artistic talents.
Non-credit programs
Whether you’re a student, alumni, or working professional, non-credit programs at CCA offer a convenient, inspiring way for you to pursue your creative interests. With topics covering digital tools, fine arts, and design, there’s something for every artist.
Credit Programs
Courses created to help grow your creativity
Expand your skill set
Develop your talents or explore new ones with CCA’s credit programs for student and adult education. We have approximately 50 for-credit summer courses for current and incoming CCA students and students from other colleges.
Make summer more productive
Students can make the most of their time at CCA by taking advantage of summer courses for continuing education. You’ll explore a new discipline, develop skills, and satisfy a requirement or elective, all while staying on track for graduation by earning extra units.
Summer course information
2021 session dates will be posted in January 2021
Non-Credit Programs
Courses for professional and creative development

Explore new realms of creativity
California College of the Arts offers a wide range of year-round, non-credit extension courses for professional, intellectual, and creative development.
Continuing education courses are offered on the San Francisco and Oakland campuses in the evenings or on weekends.
CCA Extension courses offer deep dives into a wide range of topics including graphic design, interior design, painting, drawing, Photoshop, Illustrator, and more.
Note: Due to the COVID–19 pandemic, we’re unable to schedule any in-person, on-campus classes at this time. Several online offerings are in development (most will begin in late January), and we hope to return to on-campus instruction in summer 2021.
Tuition discounts
Note: Due to the COVID–19 pandemic, we’re working remotely. Please email Audrey Jones at [email protected] to be directed to a temporary alternate procedure.
You may be eligible for a course tuition discount if you’re a donor or a middle or high school art teacher. To check eligibility, go to Registration and scroll down to “Discounts.”
If you qualify, you must register by phone at +1 510-594-3680 or in person at the CCA Student Records office to ensure you receive your discount.
San Francisco address and hours
80 Carolina Street*
San Francisco, CA 94107 (map)
M–F, 8:30 am–5 pm
*adjacent to 1111 Eighth Street, CCA’s main address
Oakland address and hours
5212 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94618 (map)
M–F, 8 am–4 pm

Get course news and notifications
Custom programming for companies
CCA’s Office of Special Programs can design customized classes and workshops to develop and strengthen employee skills within your company. Examples of recent customized programs include:
- An ideation sketching course, for the design team of a national clothing and accessories retailer, scheduled Friday afternoons on our San Francisco campus
- Software-specific workshops, for designers from a national paper products and gifts retailer, scheduled in a two-day workshop format during the week on our Oakland campus
- Sustainability practices workshops, for fashion industry professionals, scheduled over two to three days
Note: The scheduling of in-person custom programs is on hold. Custom programs are held on one of CCA’s two campuses, which are currently closed due to the COVID–19 pandemic.
In addition to developing the curriculum, we can also make arrangements for food and beverage accommodations to ensure the success of your company’s offsite experience. To discuss customized programming for your company, email Nina Sadek, dean of Special Programs, at [email protected].

Expand your creative talents and broaden your professional path