Founded in 1974, MIAD is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.

[4] The two women worked together from 1920 until their retirement in 1954 to establish Layton as an accredited institution of higher education.

Upon closure of Layton, in 1974, seven faculty members co-founded the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design.

The institution is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and National Association of Schools of Art and Design.

It offers an undergraduate Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in six programs and more than one dozen minors.