MFA Overview

Transformation and Discovery

The Master of Fine Arts program provides an intense and transformative immersion in contemporary art-making practice.

Cross-Disciplinary, Diverse Artwork

The Master's program provides a daily interaction with an outstanding faculty of resident and visiting critics, seminars in critical readings, outstanding visiting artists, and graduate drawing and painting classes that support your studio art-making practice. Over two dozen graduate faculty, critics, senior visiting critics and seminar leaders represent a wide range of studio practice.

MFA students enroll in graduate drawing and seminar classes. The studio critique system is the heart of the program and allows a student to choose as many as 12 different faculty critics in the course of their two years of study. Within a large and supportive community of artists, critics, visiting speakers, seminar leaders and fellow students, you devote yourself to your artwork, to developing your personal vision and to developing the intellectual basis for studio art expression.

The program is centered in the studio arts of painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture, but within these disciplines displays a considerable diversity in approach. Drawing skills and imaginative, conceptual abilities are especially prized. You’ll explore new directions while being exposed to many aesthetic viewpoints and critical voices. MFA students possess an unusually strong work ethic. They are both highly productive and able to work independently.

The goal is to acquire the knowledge and abilities to devote yourself to a lifetime of art making.