Professional Experience
Experiential Learning
Our students get a reality check way before graduation.
To graduate career-ready, our students have the opportunity to work with real-world clients from day one. No matter what your major, we offer several programs to give you the tools, experience, and familiarity working on actual client projects, from conception to execution. And, these aren’t run-of-the-mill, go-for-coffee college internships and projects. Due to our close relationships with key industry players, we loop our students into high profile assignments working on feature films, live television jobs, video game development, and much more.
The Ringling College Collaboratory Commitment guarantees that all students coming in after fall 2015 will have the opportunity to get professional work experience. This means real clients, real deliverables, and real deadlines.
Collaboratory Commitment experiential learning programs:
The Collaboratory
The Collaboratory* at Ringling College delivers customer-focused, design-based solutions for businesses and experiential learning opportunities for students. Collaboratory students will meet with clients to address a myriad of workplace challenges, including branding, positioning, user experience hurdles, service innovation, and both interior and product design issues. No matter what your major, we offer a chance to test drive your skills and build your portfolio.
*The Collaboratory is an initiative developed by Ringling College in partnership with The Patterson Foundation that provides creative, experiential learning opportunities to all of its students.
The Design Center
The Design Center manages the development and design of a variety of print and web-based marketing, recruiting, and fundraising materials, from conceptualization to delivery. The design staff has extensive experience in graphic design and strives to achieve a consistent visual identity for Ringling College. Our team works directly with on-campus and external clients to identify project objectives and provide creative design solutions to fulfill those objectives.
The Ringling College Studio Labs
Working with major industry leaders such as Justin Long, Dylan McDermott, Andy MacDowell, and Sam Rockwell, the Ringling College Studio Labs bring unparalleled hands-on filmmaking experience and networking opportunities to our students. It was founded in 2010 through a partnership with David Shapiro of Semkhor Networks with the belief that to become the best, our students need to work with the best. That’s why we just opened a 36,000 square foot professional soundstage and post production complex, the first facility of its kind in the region. Equipped with two 8600 square foot soundstages, three 2,000 square foot soundstages, and 5,000 square feet of post production space, including editing suites, dubbing bays, faculty offices, a private screening room, and a Foley sound effects stage.
ART Network
The award-winning ART Network—All Ringling Television Network—is the official, student-operated campus television network at Ringling College. Our ART Network students run the entire broadcasting process from start to finish, learning how to capture compelling content and produce final, professional work. And with so many events, speakers, exhibitions, artists, and presenters around campus, there is no shortage of topics to cover.
Students not only gain real exposure to camerawork, programming, production, and post-production, but they acquire valuable communication and collaboration skills. They must work closely with each other and with clients, both internal and external, to produce stimulating content—commercials, promos, PSAs, and more—that meets real-world objectives. Only in its fourth year, ART Network has already won four Telly awards for student-produced videos.
ART Network students can participate through the student club or the elective course that is open to all majors and class levels.
MakerSpace
he Makerspace is a collection of cross-disciplinary, educational studios where you can work cooperatively with faculty, staff, and other artists to learn manufacturing processes, realize your projects, and develop responsible working practices. The Makerspace studios provide a safe and friendly learning environment, as well as an opportunity to work with manufacturing equipment and machinery in a variety of fields.
Internships through the Center for Career Services
Want a better idea of what it’s like working in the field? Any student can apply for an internship through our Center for Career Services, which will ensure that you are set up with an opportunity to work on substantive projects relating to your major. Our internship program not only enables students to build their portfolios, but it also opens their eyes to even more career possibilities for their major.
Client-based Competitions
We take every opportunity to propel our students to the top, including finding and supporting opportunities for participation in regional, national, and international client competitions. These opportunities put Ringling students in front of actual clients, often granting them high level exposure to the industry and its leaders. Through various competitions, our students have designed award-winning product packaging for L’Oreal, developed travel and transportation solutions for Disney, and produced commercials for a new flavor of Doritos, to name a few. We are excited to help you compete against the best art and design talent in the nation, and Ringling students take home the win time and time again.
Brizdle-Schoenberg Special Collections Center
From social justice activism to international folktales to the latest in fabrication techniques, students can engage questions about conception, production, circulation, readership, and cultural histories through object-based research at the Center. Gain hands-on experience utilizing primary sources from the 1450s to the present, and explore our unique collections and archives of artists' books, broadsides/posters, campus materials, illustrated books, miniature books, optical toys, photography/photobooks, pop-up books, prints/engravings, zines, and more.
We’re happy to answer any questions you may have, just send us an email at the addresses below.
Admissions Questions
(applying, portfolio, transfers, deadlines, events)
admissions@ringling.edu
General Questions
info@ringling.edu
Media Inquiries
(contact, releases, news)
Accessibility Inquiries
communications@ringling.edu
