graduate programs and youth programs, are co-educational.
== History ==
=== Philadelphia School of Design for Women ===
Founded in 1848 by Sarah Worthington Peter as the Philadelphia School of Design for Women, it was the first women's art school in the United States. Peter initially operated the school from a room in her home on South Third Street at her own expense. The school was established to prepare women to work in the new industries created during the Industrial Revolution, of which Philadelphia was a center. Instruction began with a drawing class taught by a single teacher, but classes in wood engraving, lithography, china painting, and other subjects were soon added. As the school continued to grow, Peter wrote to Samuel V. Merrick, president of the Franklin Institute, to propose “a connection of my school” with the organization. The Franklin Institute supported the school from 1850 to 1853 before it became an independent chartered institution of its own.
By 1863, the Philadelphia School of Design …
