Master of Fine Arts - Medical Illustration (Optional Co-op)

A medical illustrator is a professional artist with advanced education in the biomedical sciences, cutting edge digital media, and the principles of visual communication. RIT’s MFA in medical illustration is one of only five such programs in North America and the only program in the northeast. It combines training in human anatomy (with illustration students observing complete cadaver dissection in RIT's Cavader Lab), immunology, histology (the cellular structure of organs), and pathophysiology (the study of disease) with extensive training in 2D and 3D digital graphics, interactive media, and animation.

Collaborating with scientists, physicians, and other health care professionals, medical illustrators translate complex scientific information into visual images that support medical education, science research, patient care, advertising, and litigation. Illustration projects are designed for use in print, projection, broadcast media, and distribution via the web and mobile devices.

This is two-year medical illustration degree that emphasizes visual problem solving to determine the best approach to communicate a difficult concept. Students also gain real-world experience by collaborating with medical researchers and observing live surgery in operating rooms. The program culminates with the production of a thesis project, which requires extensive background research and an original body of artwork on a complex medical topic.