Graduate student working during open studio.

The Department of Art unites the disciplines of art, art history and theory. Practicing artists and designers are expected to cultivate research, theory, and history in their work, while art historians, theorists, and curators are encouraged to engage with multiple visual platforms and environments beyond the traditional discourse of art.

Our graduate program is designed to take full advantage of the resources available at our flagship research university. Interdisciplinary practice is at the core of our departmental mission, as is maintaining our long history of cutting-edge research in art, design, and emerging fields.

Graduate students in the Department of Art represent some of the brightest new talents in the fields of innovative art creation and conceptual theories.

Read more about our accomplished Graduate Alumni
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Degree Options

  • MFA in Studio Art
    10/16/23
    The MFA program brings together the practice and history of art and design, as well as the theoretical and historical study of visual culture in its wider context. Faculty mentor students as they develop their potential  through intensive discourse, investigation of new techniques and materials, and the production of challenging work.
  • MA in Visual Studies
    3/27/24
    The MA in Visual Studies was a 36-credit program of study designed for a small, selective body of students. Courses provide foundations in critical theory and visual analysis, with individual professors specializing in the intersection of art and post-colonial studies, gender studies, queer theory and the social histories of art. Students worked closely with faculty in developing an individualized, interdisciplinary course of study. This Master’s program was ideal for students who wish to pursue a range of careers in the arts and is equally valuable for those seeking to develop visual, analytical, and communicative skills. Graduates have gone on to work in museums and art galleries and to enroll in a variety of PhD programs in the humanities. The MA was structured as a 2-year program.
  • MA in Critical Museum Studies
    3/28/24
    Critical Museum Studies is a pre-professional interdisciplinary MA program with coursework in Art, Anthropology, and Arts Management. 
  • PhD in Visual Studies
    3/27/24
    The PhD program in Visual Studies was an advanced program for motivated, independently-minded scholars invested in critical discourses that analyze and challenge the social norm.

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