Student Opportunities At Cornish College of the Arts

Cornish College of the Arts structures opportunities around making, performing and exhibiting. Students move from foundation studios into advanced labs, rehearsal stages, recording rooms and on-location film sets—often with faculty who are active professionals.

Academic And Practical Opportunities

Opportunity	How students benefit
Career Engagement	Arts-literate coaching, Handshake access and professional skill workshops
Handshake	Internships and freelance-style roles aligned with creative industries
Department internship pages	Curated Seattle partners in art, theatre, film, music and dance
On-campus employment	Eligible at half-time enrolment or greater; jobs posted on Handshake
Senior showcases and productions	Public-facing work that builds reels, portfolios and press kits
Interdisciplinary projects	Collaboration across visual art, design, music and film
Seattle Central Prep Pathway	English and academic bridge option for students who need it
Community partners	Galleries, nonprofits and festivals that host Cornish students

Why Cornish’s Model Matters

Cornish assumes you will graduate into project-based careers. That means internships, commissions and ensemble work are not “extras”—they are how artists eat. Career Engagement therefore emphasises contracts, networking, grant writing and portfolio presentation, not only résumé templates.

International students must map any paid creative work to visa rules; Career staff and the international office should review offers before work begins.

Global And Career Opportunities

Seattle connects Cornish students to Pacific Rim creative markets, game pipelines and streaming-era content production. Students targeting New York or Los Angeles still use Cornish to build reel-ready work, then leverage alumni networks for coastal opportunities.

How To Make The Most Of Cornish

Students should:

• Book Career Engagement appointments early each semester
• Maintain an updated portfolio site and Handshake profile
• Pursue at least one internship or professional collaboration before senior year
• Document every production with credits, stills and audio files
• Follow department chairs’ emails about last-minute gig openings

Cornish rewards students who treat the city as both muse and manager—creative vision plus professional follow-through.