“Free Grad School”

The School of Art has implemented a “Free Grad School” program to help reduce financial stress as our incoming MFA and PhD students pursue their passions. The program covers all base tuition costs, plus an annual stipend. Through Graduate Assistantships and other forms of aid, students will be guaranteed three years of full funding.

Ready to join our community of dedicated artists, educators and scholars? Below, find admissions information, the application process and more information about the MFA or PhD program you’re interested in, then fill out the Graduate Admissions Application by Jan. 10, 2024.

See our Graduate Advising page for more info, and contact Megan Bartel, graduate academic adviser, at mbartel@arizona.edu with any questions.

“Free Grad School” Degree Programs

MFA in Studio Art

The Masters of Fine Arts in Studio Art is a three-year program that emphasizes conceptual development and critical understanding of contemporary issues. Emphasis areas include:

2D Studies
3D & Extended Media
Illustration, Design & Animation
Photography, Video & Imaging
Interdisciplinary Practice

Degree requirements

All submitted applications will be considered after the application deadline has passed. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed and will be automatically denied. Paper applications will not be accepted, please submit all materials via the Graduate Admissions Application.

APPLICATION PREREQUISITE

Applicants must have a recognized bachelor degree and a minimum 3.0 grade point average.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Through the Graduate Admissions Application you will have the ability to upload various requirements for consideration by the admission committee. For this application you will be asked to submit the following:

Please provide a Statement of Purpose
Select the track you would like to apply for:
- 2D: Painting and Drawing
- 2D: Printmaking
- 3D & Extended Media
- Illustration, Design, and Animation
- Interdisciplinary Practice
- Photography, Video and Imaging
Please provide a Resume/Curriculum Vitae
Please attach a Portfolio of 20 Images (largest file size for each image is 2 MB) with the title, medium, dimensions and date. If you are submitting video, please submit a still for the image and provide us with a link to a website like YouTube, Vimeo before the title, medium, dimensions and date of your video.
Transcripts from all previous colleges and universities attended. For initial evaluation purposes, you may attach scans of official or unofficial transcripts.
The names and contact information for 3 references who will be submitting Letters of Recommendation forms on your behalf. (Click here for the PDF form; click here for the Word Doc form). All Letter of Recommendation forms must be received by the application deadline and at least 2 Letter of Recommendation forms must be from academic sources. The preferred method to receive letter of recommendation forms is through the web-based Graduate Admissions Application. If, however, this is not possible, letters can be sent to:
- Graduate Program
  School of Art
  University of Arizona
  P.O. Box 210002
  Tucson, AZ 85721

The Graduate College requires additional materials for International Applicants (Proof of Financial Resources, Health Insurance, and proof of English proficiency for students whose native language is not English). Please refer to the Graduate College website for details.

If you have specific questions, please contact the Graduate Coordinator in the School of Art by sending an email mbartel@arizona.edu.

Once your application has been submitted, you may check the status of your application at anytime by logging in to the Graduate Admissions Application. You will be notified via email as soon as a decision has been reached.

View the Programs of Study page to explore the degree programs offered at the University of Arizona.

Contact the Graduate Program Coordinator to learn more about programs and admissions.

APPLY

PhD in Art History and Education

The doctorate in Art History and Education is an interdisciplinary, theoretically informed and methodologically diverse two track PhD program in Art History or Art and Visual Culture Education. Graduates will be prepared to contribute to research, theory and practice within their respective fields in university, museum and other arts leadership settings.

Degree requirements

APPLICATION DEADLINES

Spring – September 15
Fall – January 10

APPLICATION PREREQUISITES

Art History Track
Applicants must have a minimum 3.0 grade point average. Applicants should have a recognized Master degree in Art History. If your degree is in another area, please contact the Art History Graduate Advisor to discuss your application.

Applicants with an M.A. outside Art History may be admitted to the program, but they will be required to take one of the methodologies courses (511a or 511b) and three graduate level courses in Art History (a total of 12 units) that will not count as coursework for the Ph.D. degree.

Applicants currently enrolled in an M.A. program should include in their statement of purpose their M.A. thesis proposal and a statement that they expect to have completed the Master degree by August of the academic year in which they would begin the Ph.D. program. The letter of recommendation from the M.A. advisor should also make reference to the expected date of completion of the M.A.

Art and Visual Culture Education Track
Applicants must have a minimum 3.0 grade point average. Applicants must also hold a recognized Master degree in Art Education, Studio Art, Art History, or Education. If your degree is in another area, please contact an Art and Visual Culture Education faculty member to discuss your application.

Current University of Arizona AVCE M.A. students are expected to meet the same admission criteria and requirements, and should be aware that admission to the doctoral program is highly competitive. Current University of Arizona M.A. students may use a maximum of two letters from their M.A. application and should solicit a third from someone with whom they have worked during their M.A. program who is external to the AVCE faculty.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Through the Graduate Admissions Application you will have the ability to upload various requirements for consideration by the admission committee. All students interested in the Art History & Education PhD must apply to either the Art and Visual Culture Education or the Art History track applications. For this application you will be asked to submit the following:

Please provide a Statement of Purpose
Please combine the following items into a single document (maximum file size: 5 MB) in the order shown below:
- Resume/Curriculum Vitae
- Writing or Research Sample
Transcripts from all previous colleges and universities attended. For initial evaluation purposes, you may attach scans of official or unofficial transcripts.
The names and contact information for 3 referees who will be submitting Letters of Recommendation on your behalf. All letters of recommendation must be received by the application deadline and must be from faculty members that can speak about your academic and research ability and potential for graduate studies. The preferred method to receive letters of recommendation is through the web-based Graduate Admissions Application. If, however, this is not possible, letters can be sent to:
- Graduate Program
  School of Art
  University of Arizona
  P.O. Box 210002
  Tucson, AZ 85721

If you have specific questions, please contact the Graduate Coordinator in the School of Art by sending an email to mbartel@arizona.edu.

Once your application has been submitted, you may check the status of your application at any time by logging in to the Graduate Admissions Application. You will be notified via email as soon as a decision has been reached.

View the Programs of Study page to explore the degree programs offered at the University of Arizona.

Contact the Graduate Program Coordinator to learn more about programs and admissions.

APPLY