Academic Resources

Make the most of your academic journey. Assistance is available from departments including Disability Support Services; the Center for Arts & Language; art supply stores; and the RISD Museum, Library and Nature Lab.

An architectural model of a building.

Academic Policies

For information on transcripts and grading, please visit the Academic Policies page.

Disability Support Services

Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education attempts to make its classes, programs, events and services accessible by providing reasonable and appropriate accommodations. Requests for accommodations should be made at the time of registration. Students should reach out as far in advance as possible to ensure accommodations are in place prior to the start of the program/course(s).

If you need accommodations to participate in any class, program or event offered by RISD CE, contact the Office of Disability Support Services at disabilitysupportservices@risd.edu. Students interested in registering for academic accommodations can connect with RISD Disability Support Services via virtual intake meetings through Zoom. Please reach out to disabilitysupportservices@risd.edu to schedule an appointment or to learn more about how DSS can support you.

Modifications cannot be made to program or course curriculum. If you need access to the RISD Continuing Education office at 345 South Main Street, Providence, contact an enrollment assistant at 401 454-6200 or risdce@risd.edu for further assistance.

Academic Tools

The Center for Arts & Language

RISD Continuing Education students have access to online handout resources provided by The Center for Arts & Language.

Art Supply Stores

RISD offers two options for purchasing supplies for your course, where students may make tax-exempt purchases with a 10% discount on art supplies (present your registration statement and a photo ID). You may also choose to purchase your supplies from another vendor. We recommend that you save all receipts, in the event your course is canceled or you are unable to attend.

RISD Store

Design Center, 30 North Main Street
401 454-6464
website: risdstore.com

The RISD Store carries a variety of art supplies, silk screening and printmaking supplies, etching supplies, decorative papers, drawing papers, photography supplies, mounting boards and bookbinding supplies. Special orders, MasterCard and VISA are accepted. Call for hours.

RISD Store 3D

Bank Building, 27 North Main Street
401 454-6354

The RISD Store 3D stocks a wide variety of sculpture and jewelry supplies as well as general hardware store items. Plywood, hardwood, Plexiglas, glass and metal rod can be cut to size for next-day pickup. RISD CE students may make tax-exempt purchases with a ten percent discount on art supplies (present your registration statement and a photo ID). Special orders, MasterCard and VISA are accepted. Call for hours.

Technology Support

Online Classes, Technology Requirements and Access

Get answers to your questions: How do I access Canvas and log in to my online course? What is Zoom and how do I access it? Read the FAQs on our Registration Help page.

Software Discounts

In general, RISD CE students in courses meeting 18 hours or more qualify for educational discounts on software purchases. Eligibility requirements may vary, so be sure to consult the specific website for student discount pricing manufacturer or vendor. Usually, the manufacturer or vendor will require you to email or upload a copy of your enrollment notification.

Museum, Library and Nature Lab

RISD CE students have access to some of RISD’s premier resources, including the RISD Museum, the Fleet Library, and the Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab.

RISD Museum

224 Benefit Street
401 454-6500
website: risdmuseum.org

Established in 1877 as part of a vibrant creative community, the RISD Museum stewards over 100,000 works of art and design representing diverse cultures from ancient times to the present. The museum interprets the collection with the focus on the maker and deeply engages with art and artists, presenting ideas and perspectives that can be inspiring and complex. It aspires to create an accessible and inclusive environment that fosters meaningful relationships across all communities. RISD CE students in courses meeting 18 hours or more may visit the RISD Museum free of charge (upon presentation of enrollment confirmation and a photo ID).

The RISD Museum is open to the public. Advance tickets are recommended* for your convenience.
Hours: TUE, WED, SAT, SUN 10 am–5 pm, THU & FRI 12–7 pm. Hours may vary during summer; check website for hours and admission updates.

*RISD CE students should identify themselves as RISD students when reserving tickets.

Fleet Library at RISD

15 West (The Mandle Building)
15 Westminster Street
401 709-5900
website: library.risd.edu
Continuing Education Library Resources

Founded in 1878, the Fleet Library is one of the oldest independent art college libraries in the country. Its circulating collection of more than 150,000 volumes offers unusual depth and richness in the areas of art, architecture, design and photography. The collection provides strong historical and contemporary perspectives, and specialized materials in landscape architecture, ceramics, textiles and jewelry support upper-level research. Fleet Library is also noted for its artists’ books collection, rare books, some 400 periodical subscriptions and collections of outstanding visual and material resources. RISD CE students may use the library facilities and consult research librarians, but do not have borrowing privileges or off-site access to subscription databases (however, there are open access resources available). Your current CE enrollment registration and a photo ID is required for access to the library: simply show it to the public safety officer at the entrance. For questions, please contact library@risd.edu.

Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab

Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
401 454-6451
website: naturelab.risd.edu

RISD’s Nature Lab is a unique resource for examining, exploring and understanding the patterns, structures and interactions of design in nature. A 1920 graduate of RISD and a long-time faculty member, Edna Lawrence founded the Nature Lab in 1937. Since then its collections – along with specialized microscopes and other equipment for studying them – have continued to grow to include more than 80,000 specimens and other items of natural history. The Nature Lab also houses live animals and plants, a natural history reference library and clipping file, and archives of slides, tapes, videos and x-ray photographs. Several RISD CE classes incorporate scheduled visits to the Nature Lab. Students may use objects in the Nature Lab as reference for their projects. Please email requests and questions to nature@risd.edu.