The Kansas City Art Institute is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and the National Association for Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
Additionally, the School for Continuing and Professional Studies (CPS) has been approved as a continuing education provider through the Cooperating School Districts of Greater Kansas City and is a member of the Professional Development Network.
CPS is also a member of the Kansas City Collegiate Admissions Professionals organization.
Kansas City Art Institute will take such means as are necessary to ensure that no qualified person with disabilities is subject to discrimination due to KCAI facilities being physically inaccessible or unusable by persons with a disability. The accessibility standards required by federal law for existing facilities is that the program or activity, when viewed in its entirety, must be readily accessible to handicapped persons.
KCAI may meet this standard through such means as reassignment of classes or other services to accessible locations, redesign of equipment, assignment of aids, alteration of existing facilities and construction on new accessible facilities. KCAI is not required to make structural changes in existing facilities where other methods are sufficient to comply with the accessibility standard described above.
Because scheduling of classes and arranging for accessible facilities may require reasonable advance planning, students with disabilities should identify themselves one month or earlier before the start of the class and indicate the type of accommodation they will need.
Address inquiries to Ronald Cattelino, executive vice president for administration, Kansas City Art Institute, 4415 Warwick Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64111; 816-802-3431 or rcattelino@kcai.edu.
Before you buy anywhere else, come by the KCAI art store and check out our prices and supplies.
Hours during the school year
7:45 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday
7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Friday
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday through Sunday
Hours during the summer
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed for lunch noon to 1 p.m.) Monday through Friday
Computers are used in KCAI classes for art making and research. At no time should KCAI computers be used for Internet surfing or game playing unless it is directly related to a lesson and the instructor has approved the usage.
CPS classes come in a variety of formats. One-day, two-week, four-week, six-week, eight-week and 10-week classes. Classes are offered during the day, evenings and weekends. Times are picked based on the audience served in the class. Course formats change in the summer for youth and high school students to week-long.
CPS provides course outlines for its classes available online with each class. (Please note that not all course outlines are online.) Course outlines are a basic document that gives the customer a good understanding of what they can expect of the course.
A syllabus will be provided by the instructor on the first day of class. The syllabus is a document that conveys the instructor’s personal plan for teaching the course and encourages creativity and academic freedom.
Supply lists are provided online with classes that require students to purchase their own supplies. If a supply list is not provided, then a materials fee will be indicated when purchasing the class. CPS will provide the materials for the course if a fee is charged. Occasionally, a class may have a supply list and materials fee.
When attending class at KCAI, please wear clothing that can get dirty. Feel free to bring an apron or shirt to cover your clothes.
Some KCAI continuing and professional studies courses are available for one hour of undergraduate college credit. High school juniors or seniors may take selected continuing education courses and earn college credit. There is an additional fee supplement if a class is taken for credit.
KCAI offers graduate level classes for art educators but does not offer a graduate degree. These course credits are non-cumulative towards a graduate degree. Art educators should check with their respective institutions to ensure that credits transfer prior to taking a class.
Students desirous of transferring credit earned at KCAI to other institutions should check with their academic advisors at those institutions for acceptance of credit before enrollment at KCAI.
Students enrolled in a non-credit course are not allowed to change to for-credit status once a class has begun.
Students enrolled in a for-credit course may change their status to non-credit through the third class. Once the third class has been completed, status may not be changed.
All graphic design and multimedia studies certificate program classes are credit only.
KCAI wants to foster an atmosphere of learning for each and every student. Students who act out in class create a disruptive atmosphere. For this reason, any student violating our policies will be handled in the following manner:
All discounts exclude graduate level classes, certificate program classes, and intersession/degree classes. Only PDN members will receive a discount on the grad level classes for art educators. The following discounts are ongoing through CPS:
In order to purchase software with an educational discount, you must follow the purchasing requirements and provide academic proof relative to each company. This information can be found on their websites:
https://www.logisoft.com
http://www.adobe.com/education/students/
Contact Sarah Biggerstaff at sbiggerstaff@kcai.edu and she will email you proof of your KCAI student status.
All faculty, staff, and students are advised to subscribe to the KCAI emergency alert system. In the event of an emergency, subscribers to this system will be notified via text message. To subscribe, use your mobile phone to text KCAIALERT to shortcode 78247. Additional information may be found on the Web at http://artnet.kcai.edu.
All CPS classes are assigned a minimum number (the number of students a class needs to convene) and a maximum number (the number of students a class can handle based on room size and class type).
Visit www.kcai.edu/artforeveryone
To print a copy of your enrollments go to your enrollment history page. If you wish to use a paper enrollment, print an enrollment form.
Classes may incur additional fees for computer labs, materials, models or studio space.
Some classes have supervised field trips that may be scheduled during class time. Field trips are on foot for those under 18 years of age and in close proximity to KCAI. Adults may be asked to meet for class at another location for course enhancement.
Within KCAI classes, field trips may be taken to explore and learn about different art. On any off-campus field trip all students are to conduct themselves in a polite and courteous manner. Students are to remain with their instructor and supervisors. Any student violating this policy will be addressed in accordance with our discipline policy. Permission for field trips is given during registration.
No food or drink, except water, will be given to students under 14 years old without permission by parents due to possible allergic reactions or parental concerns.
Many art educators make our graduate level classes a weekend getaway. Below is information on hotel accommodations.
Holiday Inn on Main Street
Marriot on Main Street
Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa
Hilton President, Downtown
The Marriott, Downtown
8:30 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday
Courses are offered during the day, evening and weekend hours and fluctuate depending on the session. Consult your course schedule for instruction hours.
An incomplete (“I”) may be given at the discretion of an instructor only in exceptional documented cases such as illness, family emergency or other extenuating circumstances.
The School for Continuing and Professional Studies will enter a grade of “I” in the WebReg system if the following process for granting an incomplete has been followed.
The student must complete the work and the incomplete grade must be reconciled within six weeks after the end of the session or prior to the beginning of the next regular session (whichever is earlier). If the incomplete is not cleared within the specified period, the grade will automatically default to a failure (F).
To be eligible for an incomplete, a student must otherwise be passing the course at the time his or her semester is impacted by the extenuating circumstances. Students who are on academic probation or special continued probation are not eligible for incompletes.
Download a policy procedure and incomplete form.
Any student injury requiring minor or major medical attention will be reported promptly to campus security. For minor injuries requiring a simple band-aid, the band-aid must be applied by the student or staff must use disposable gloves if blood is present due to the possible spread of blood borne illnesses. If there is a major accident, 9-1-1 will be called and in the case of under 18 years old parents will be alerted.
All CPS students are welcome to use the Jannes Library during regular library hours. If you wish to check out materials, adult students enrolled in courses at least six weeks or longer may purchase a limited-term library card for $10. If you wish to apply for a library card, please present a valid picture ID to the library staff. All library materials must be returned and fines must be paid before your library card expires.
There may be a waiting period before receiving a library card.
Parents or their designated party must sign students, ages 6 to 14 in and out for each class. No student may come to or leave campus without a designated party signing them in or out.
All sick students will be sent home. Parents will be called at home and work numbers to alert them that their student is ill. If a student is found to have a communicable disease or illness other than a cold, parents in the class will be alerted.
Parents or their designated adult must pick up students ages 6 to 14 years old within 10 minutes of a class ending. All students are to be picked up within this timeframe. If needed, make arrangements with another parent or family member to pick up children promptly. For pick up other than the parent, another person must be designated on the enrollment sheet as someone who can pick up the child or the program director must receive a written permission slip from a parent before the class starts. No child will be released without appropriate permissions. For any child remaining 15 minutes past the end of class, parents will be assessed a $15 per hour. fee.
Drawing the human form is an important part of art classes and so are the models that make this possible. KCAI has a policy of respect for all of our models. For classes involving students up to the age of 14, all models will be clothed. For high school classes ages 15 to 18 years models may be either clothed or nude at the discretion of the instructor. For adult classes (18+), models will be nude unless otherwise determined.
KCAI is committed to a policy of non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, religion, color, creed, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status or veteran status in admission, educational programs or activities and employment as required by applicable laws and regulations.
Continuing and Professional Studies takes the following forms of payment:
When a student creates a profile the following permissions will be requested of either the parent/guardian or the adult student:
Occasionally, KCAI takes photographs and videos for marketing purposes. When enrolling a student in a class, permission can be given on the form. If there is a concern about photographs, please contact Sarah Biggerstaff at 816-802-3333.
Refunds for classes are calculated based on the date the continuing and professional studies office is officially notified of a student withdrawal. Non-attendance is not considered a withdrawal; we must receive a phone call, fax, letter or e-mail. All drops are assessed a $25 processing fee before refund. In order to drop a class you must call our office at (816) 802-3333. We do not pro-rate class fees if you are unable to attend, nor will we grant credit for a future class because of your non-attendance. Lab fees are fully refundable if you withdraw from the class up to five business days prior to the start of class. After this cutoff, no refund will be given for lab or material fees since supplies will be ordered and received.
Any refund will be credited back in the form it was paid, ie. if you pay by check you will receive a check, etc. Checks may take approximately four weeks to process.
KCAI believes in a positive atmosphere for students to create. There is to be no threatening behavior by instructors or students. There will be no aggressive or threatening physical contact between instructors and students, or student and student. Any aggressive or threatening physical contact will be addressed by our discipline policy.
KCAI’s main campus is an urban campus and has 24 hour, seven-day a week security on-site. If you need any assistance, please contact the security officer on call at 816-931-6666. Emergencies dial 911
KCAI’s North campus is located in Riverside, Mo. If there is a non-emergency, contact the Riverside police at 816-741-1501; emergencies dial 911.
Access cards are required to enter any KCAI main campus facility. Student ID's are only available for KCAI degree students and CPS certificate program students.
Lost ID's and access cards should be reported to security immediately.
CPS certificate program students will receive instructions on how to obtain a student ID and access card prior to the first class session.
For students enrolled in continuing education courses and graduate level classes on the main campus, access cards are available for pick-up from one hour prior to the beginning of the students first session to up to 20 minutes into the students first session. If you are not able to pick up the card during that time frame, call 816-802-3505 to make other arrangements.
Access cards are free but must be returned at the end of a course. Instructors will collect access cards during the last class session or students should return it to the CPS office at 108 E. 43rd St. There is a $50 replacement fee for un-returned access cards.
The North campus will issue access cards as necessary.
Students attending KCAI’s School for Continuing and Professional Studies program will treat each other with dignity and respect. This overarching premise informs all we do. Any form of physical or mental abuse will not be tolerated from students or instructors. Any concerns will be addressed by our discipline policy.
KCAI Continuing and Professional Studies program supports the development of ideas and subject matter through art making. However, if a student is showing harm to themselves or others through controversial or inappropriate subject matter, CPS staff reserves the right to intercede if necessary.
Request a transcript online. Call 816-802-3371 with questions.
KCAI uses local news channels, our website and a recorded message to alert students if a class is cancelled due to weather. If weather becomes hazardous during a class, for example a severe storm or tornado, we will take appropriate action based on our campus safety plan. During the summer, if a day is forecast to have a heat advisory, all outside activities will be limited to 15 minutes of exposure or will be moved inside for the safety of students.
Main campus decisions are made by 3 p.m. during the weekday or 6 a.m. on weekends.
For evening classes:
1. Check the TV and radio stations
2. Check www.kcai.edu. If classes are cancelled it will be posted on the website.
3. Call 816-802-3333 and listen for the prompts.
4. Call KCAI Campus Security at 816-931-6666.
For weekend classes:
1. Check the TV and radio stations
2. Check www.kcai.edu. If classes are cancelled it will be posted on the website.
3. Call 816-802-3333 and listen for the prompts.
4. Call KCAI Campus Security at 816-931-6666.
North campus decisions are made by 3 p.m. during the weekday or 6 a.m. on weekends.
The North campus will base inclement weather decisions on the Park Hill and North Kansas City School Districts. To find out if your class will be held, call 816-802-3333 and listen for prompts to hear a recording.
Each building/room has a specific area where students/instructors are to go in the event of a tornado.
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