Degree Program: Master of Fine Arts

Chair, Department of Visual Arts: Professor Diane Neumaier

Director, Graduate Program in Visual Arts: Associate Professor Stephen Westfall

The master of fine arts (M.F.A.) is a 60-credit degree program that normally is completed within two academic years. The M.F.A. encompasses a wide range of perspectives and several fields of study. The program offers courses in painting, sculpture, photography, video, printmaking, and mixed media. In addition, the faculty offers seminars that complement the school's studio courses and critiques by examining critical, social, and aesthetic issues. The university's proximity to New York provides students with access to major galleries and museums. Each semester, the school invites a wide range of artists to visit, providing students with opportunities to explore current ideas and developments. Among the artists and critics who have visited the school are Janine Antoni, Polly Apfelman, Willie Cole, Lyle Ashton Harris, Rachel Harrison, Oliver Herring, Jim Hodges, Matthew Day Jackson, William Kentridge, Nikki Lee, Catherine Murphy, Catehrine Opie, Pepon Osorio, Clifford Owens, Roxy Paine, Paul Pfeiffer, David Reed, Peter Saul, Peter Schjeldahl, Carolee Schneemann, Joan Snyder, Wendy White, Fred Wilson, and Christopher Wool.

The M.F.A. program provides a supportive community in which students can expand their concepts, formulate ways to express them formally and critically, and develop a pertinent and personal artistic practice.