New York Institute of Art and Design History

The New York Institute of Art and Design was founded in 1985, under the name Sheffield School of Interior Design. In the beginning, it was solely an interior design school, offering a career certificate course that allowed learners to study how to design and decorate beautiful spaces from anywhere in the world. Later the name was shortened to "Sheffield School" to allow for the expansion into new subject areas.

In 2007, the Sheffield School began offering a home-study in Wedding and Event Planning. Then in 2009, we introduced our Jewelry Design Course, offering a comprehensive education in beading and wire working.

In the fall of 2012, the school underwent a massive shift from the traditional correspondence model to an online learning model, with the rollout of its online learning center. All courses were put online and enrollments in the mailed programs ceased by 2014.

In the summer of 2013, the Sheffield School officially became the New York Institute of Art and Design to better respresent the enhanced course offerings.

Since 2015, NYIAD has launched seven new online courses – AutoCAD, Personal Style, Floral Design, Landscape Design, Home Staging, Creative Writing and Graphic Design.