The Art Program at Coe provides students with a broad background, as well as the opportunity for in-depth specialization. The department offers numerous areas of study, including education certification, art history, ceramics, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, digital art, and graphic design. Coe students often combine their art major with other academic interests, preparing for such fields as arts administration, pre-architecture, public relations and arts journalism. The internship and off-campus opportunities available through Coe are important supplements to the curriculum. These programs extend students' experiences beyond the classroom and place students in business firms and organizations in Cedar Rapids or in other cities such as New York, Chicago, and Washington, D. C.

The Dows Fine Art Center houses state-of-the-art facilities for the wide range of courses offered by the department. Augmenting the Dows facilities are two newly renovated art galleries for traveling exhibitions and student shows, four art galleries in the Stewart Memorial Library which display Coe's extensive Permanent Collection of Art, and private lockable studio spaces for advanced students.

Many students who major in art are interested in architecture as a career. For more details, please see the brochure on Coe's Cooperative Program in Architecture available from the Office of Admission.