Master of Fine Arts in Art
The School of Art encourages interdisciplinary exploration so that students receive a well-rounded education and a breadth of experiences and influences to draw upon.
Graduate students can choose to work with faculty from all programs in the School of Art through independent study, coursework, studio critiques, reviews, and in their thesis committee. Students also have ample opportunities for collaborations with artists and designers from the College of Fine Arts and the College of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Planning, as well as researchers in the humanities and the social and natural sciences. In addition to the university, Southern Arizona serves as an arts mecca, providing a wonderland of unique arts experiences, a rich cultural landscape and breathtaking natural environments that never fail to inspire.
As sense of community among students and faculty is a defining feature of all our graduate programs. It it built through cohort-based required coursework, a wealth of co-curricular activities and events, and a Graduate studio building.
The Masters of Fine Arts in Studio Art is a three-year program that emphasizes conceptual development and critical understanding of contemporary issues. Our faculty offer a range of philosophic views and are focused on leading students toward conceptual growth and the defining of a personal voice. While students hone technical skills, they will learn to refine their ability to communicate the connection between the meaning of their art and the work itself. Faculty are committed to interdisciplinary pedagogy and their collective technical expertise serve the research and production directions of our diverse students.
AREAS OF EMPHASIS
- 2D Studies
- 3D & Extended Media
- Photography | Video | Imaging
- Illustration + Design
- Interdisciplinary Practice
See the admissions section for information on how to apply to these programs.
Contact the Graduate Program Coordinator at 520-621-8518, mbartel@email.arizona.edu or set up an advising appointment to learn more about the programs and admissions.
FUNDING
- Through Graduate Assistantships and other forms of aid, students are guaranteed 3 years of full funding. This includes the full cost of tuition (students are still responsible for university, program and course fees) plus a $10,000 annual stipend.
- GA’s, Tuition waviers, Fellowships
- Production support- Marcia Grand Centiennial Award, Helen Gross Award
- Travel support- Small Grants, Medici
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
60 units are required to complete the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Studio Art degree.
| Program Requirement | Description | Required Number of Units |
|---|---|---|
| First Semester Required Course | ART 696A - Contemporary Art: Concepts and Issues | 3 units |
| Required twice in the first four semesters | ART 642 - Graduate Interdisciplinary Critique | 6 units |
| Second Semester Required Course | ARH 531 - Studio Introduction to Contemporary Art | 3 units |
| Fifth Semester Required Course | ART 596A - Graduate Professional Practice | 3 units |
| Studio Art | Coursework in studio art area, as approved by the student’s faculty advisor | 33 units |
| Art History | Art History units (selected by the student). 6 of these units need to be ARH, 3 can be in another discipline (with the student’s faculty advisor’s approval), but cannot be an ART course. | 9 units |
| Electives | Unrestricted elective, as approved by the student’s faculty advisor | 3 units |
| Thesis Exhibition | In lieu of a written thesis, an original group of works must be presented to the public in the form of a Thesis Exhibition. |
Please see the Graduate Advising page, and the Studio Art Graduate Handbook for specific program requirements.
Marcia Grand Centennial Sculpture Prize Competition
Building on the excellence of its graduate programs, the Marcia Grand Centennial Sculpture Prize Competition is intended to provide MFA-seeking graduate students with up to $10,000 to support the completion of work in the sculptural/3D arts. The work supported by this award can be presented on or off campus; possible projects include:
- Land-art
- Site-specific sculpture/installation
- “Traditional” sculptural work
- Performance-based work incorporating 3 dimensional components.
Helen Gross Award
The Helen Gross Award is a generous gift from Joseph Gross to support talented young artists who have shown remarkable ability in their areas of study, along with a record of exhibitions of their own work as well as others. The scholarship is intended to provide MFA seeking graduates who have passed candidacy review with a $1,000 award to support the cost of their thesis exhibition. This award is presented at an annual luncheon hosted by Joseph Gross for the award recipient and the School of Art Director.
Two tracks are available to students seeking the Masters of Fine Arts in Studio Art, 2D Studies Painting & Drawing and Printmaking:
PAINTING & DRAWING
The Painting & Drawing area of emphasis is committed to fine art painting and its related media. It is our belief that painting and drawing is an expansive field of study that is constantly influencing and evolving in response to current cultural and technological developments. When set apart from a global techno-culture, painting is also valued for its poetic and deliberate non-virtuality.
The painting faculty at the School of Art are practicing visual artists in the field. The trajectory of our curriculum demonstrates and engages with painting’s potential to reformulate meaning. Our charge is to critically address painting and drawing in the context of contemporary art, re-framing its instruction with traditional, modernist as well as post-modernist strategies inclusive of identity-based content, media culture and new technologies.
You are encouraged to consider the wide scope of ideas within the discipline and your unique position in concurrence with contemporary culture. Critiques, classes and seminars led by the faculty and visiting artists provide you with the forum and structure to discuss your work in relation to ongoing art issues. Ultimately, the goal is for you to take responsibility for the definition and direction of your own work, creating an individual stylistic and conceptual voice.
PRINTMAKING
The graduate printmaking program concentrates on personal style, artistic ability, contemporary and historical awareness, teaching skills, technical ability, communicative capabilities, and professional “survival” skills, with the goal of preparing you to make art of the highest quality to sustain a successful and productive career as an artist/printmaker.
The program stresses skill and technical command with a major emphasis on the development of ideas and concepts. The print area encourages a pedagogical approach that treats prints as one of many tools in an expanded field of art production. Printmaking students are equally encouraged to explore traditional applications of print media and new genres in drawing, collage, book arts, and installation.
Through seminars, critiques, and studio visits, you will engage in challenging discussions on contemporary art, critical theory, and art history to gain perspective on your own creative process and the art world as a whole.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
60 units are required to complete the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Studio Art degree.
Please see the Graduate Advising page, and the Studio Art Graduate Handbook for specific program requirements.
The Masters of Fine Arts in Studio Art, 3D & Extended Media is a three-year program that emphasizes conceptual development and critical understanding of contemporary issues. Our faculty offer a range of philosophic views and technical expertise in sculpture, ceramics, and extended media to serve the research and production directions of our diverse students. Interdisciplinary approaches are encouraged with other media areas within the School of Art and the University. Graduate seminars serve as meeting grounds for the exchange of critical and theoretical ideas from all areas of the fine arts.
The mission of the 3D & Extended Media Division is to stimulate in students the pursuit of meaningful avenues of inquiry, to hone the analytical skills requisite to the understanding and communication of contemporary theory, and to develop sound conceptual direction in their studio research. Our goal is to provide the practical training they will need to be successful as arts professionals.
OBJECTIVES
- To cultivate an awareness of current contemporary issues and critical thinking.
- To contextualize art work within the broader spectrum of artistic practice.
- To underscore the importance of both technically and conceptually well-executed ideas.
- To foster experimentation, collaboration, and interdisciplinary approaches as tools. To utilize the university, the community, and beyond as resources.
- To prepare graduate students to be professionally successful.
Students will graduate from the University of Arizona with:
- A thorough understanding of current contemporary concepts and critical theory.
- The critical perceptions and language to effectively communicate as arts professionals.
- The technical studio skills and strategies to produce convincing materializations of their ideas.
- A high caliber body of work to enter the professional arts.
3D & Extended Media graduate students have individual studios in the spacious and well-equipped Visual Arts Graduate Research Laboratory, as well as two dedicated workshops for metal fabrication and woodwork, and open space for the development of performance and installation projects (see Sculpture Facilities page for more information). The University of Arizona is a Research-One University that provides many opportunities for interdisciplinary research and practice, including facilities that accommodate video, 3D printing, and other computer technologies.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
60 units are required to complete the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Studio Art degree.
Please see the Graduate Advising page, and the Studio Art Graduate Handbook for specific program requirements.
Within the Masters of Fine Arts in Studio Art, Illustration + Design program, graduate students participate in interdisciplinary, graphic design and illustration courses; seminars, and independent studies developing a body of self-authored work that contributes to the broad and expanding field of illustration, design and art. Focused studio and course structures explore the theory, philosophy, and making of contemporary illustration, design and art. The program provides a range of opportunities for focus in visual narratives, community engagement, social practice, environmental projects, and technology, with a firm grounding in contemporary and historical contexts.
The School of Art and ID regularly host internationally known artists, designers, illustrators and alumni to participate with the graduate students in workshops and studio critiques.
The ID faculty represents diverse and innovative practices in design, illustration, book arts, motion graphics, info-graphics art, and interdisciplinary collaborations with the social and natural sciences, which are reflected in a broad array of curricular actives and opportunities.
During their course of study students have the opportunity to work with faculty throughout the School of Art and University to develop their ideas and practice for functional or expressive work developing their visual vocabulary and problem solving methods in studio practices that will continue in their professional career.
Teaching opportunities at the foundations level and in the 200-level within the program are available for students wishing to develop pedagogical approaches and gain teaching experience.
The School of Art houses excellent facilities including studio spaces, computer labs with Wacom Cintiq Touch screens and animation stations, a digital imaging lab with large format printing, mounting and other services, letterpress equipment, photopolymer platemaking equipment, metal and wood type collections, binding equipment, darkrooms, wood and metal shops, sculpture foundry, ceramics labs, and external resources such as: the Center for Creative Photography, the University Museum of Art and the Poetry Center as well as an excellent library that houses an extensive book art collection. The campus also houses the Learning Games Initiative Research Archive and the extensive Children’s Literature Collection.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
60 units are required to complete the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Studio Art degree.
Please see the Graduate Advising page, and the Studio Art Graduate Handbook for specific program requirements.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
60 units are required to complete the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Studio Art degree.
Please see the Graduate Advising page, and the Studio Art Graduate Handbook for specific program requirements.
The MFA Interdisciplinary Practice track is an ideal incubator for artists that engage multiple studio disciplines to develop their work. Interdisciplinary practice by its nature resists conventional methods, and represents diverse strategies and a critical approach to inquiry grounded in contemporary issues, theory, and aesthetics.
In the School of Art students develop effective studio research and production methods with engaged faculty, advanced technologies, and salient curriculum. The Interdisciplinary Practice Track welcomes a broad range of approaches. From video to social practice, performance to interactive installations, virtual environments to sound art, students work in an atmosphere conducive to innovation.
The University of Arizona is a Research 1 institution with an extensive breadth of resources in many fields of study in the arts, humanities, and social, material and biological sciences.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
60 units are required to complete the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Studio Art degree.
Please see the Graduate Advising page, and the Studio Art Graduate Handbook for specific program requirements.