SDSU School of Art, Design, and Art History

An Overview

The School and University....

The School of Art, Design, and Art History is in the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts (PSFA)(external link) at SDSU and is home to approximately 1200 undergraduate and 66 graduate candidates in a variety of disciplines. SDSU is the largest university in San Diego and the third largest in California. Our larger campus community is home to more than 34,000 students and approximately 6,400 faculty and staff. The SDSU School of Art, Design, and Art History was rated one of the top fine arts programs in the nation (No. 58), according to U.S. News and World Report's "America's Best Graduate Schools 2009." Furthermore, SDSU's graduate program in jewelry and metalwork was ranked No. 5 in the nation by U.S. News and World Report's "America's Best Graduate Schools 2009."

We are currently comprised of 24 tenured and tenure track faculty prominent in scholarship and creativity nationally and internationally. The full-time faculty is complemented by 40 lecturers and 20 teaching associates. The School's enrollment has placed some of its programs in full impacted status since Fall 2002. The School expects that these control measures will ensure consistent quality among students and an appropriate enrollment in courses with unmet demand. The School is currently developing ways to monitor and assess the affects of impaction.

The School's staff includes two Equipment Technicians, one Information Technology Consultant, one Administrative Support Assistant, one Administrative Support Coordinator, and one Fiscal Affairs Coordinator.

For students' convenience, there is a university art supply store, Art, Etc.(external link), on the premises.

The Community and Outreach....

SDSU is situated in San Diego, CA, in a culturally diverse urban environment. The School of Art, Design, and Art History is opening a gallery in the heart of San Diego's thriving downtown district, which will host visual and performing arts exhibitions. The School also maintains the University Art Gallery on the School's premises, exhibiting contemporary art by regional, national and international artists, and it offers educational lectures as well. Additionally, there are two student galleries located within the School's premises that exhibit group and solo student exhibitions.

SDSU's graphic and interior design programs play a major role in the larger San Diego design community. These disciplines participate with a large variety of businesses in their student internship programs, building bridges between San Diego's design industry and the School, and providing opportunities and career stepping stones for its students.

The School of Art, Design, and Art History also works closely with its nonprofit community support organization, The SDSU Art Council(external link). The SDSU Art Council provides individuals interested in participating in the support of art and design an avenue to build bridges between the School of Art, design, and Art History and its larger community.

Funding Resources

SDSU's School of Art, Design, and Art History receives its funding from both California State University funds as well as private grants for well-equipped and diverse facilities. Furthermore, a variety of competitive scholarships and fellowships are available to students from a variety of nonprofit and private donations and endowments. Some of these funds received include:

• $1.64 million gift for 60-year lease to the new Downtown gallery
• $230,000 grant for woodworking, foundry, and 3D rapid prototyping equipment
• $1 million private endowment for graduate scholarships, including tuition waivers and graduate assistantships for out-of-state residents in the Fine Art and Applied Design emphasis programs

Other funds for which students of the School of Art, Design, and Art History are eligible to apply include unique fellowship, grant, and paid internship opportunities through the Center for Craft, Creativity, and Design. SDSU is one of only 64 universities whose art students are invited to compete for these funds to help them with post-graduate endeavors in craft making, research, or museum experience dealing with craft-based exhibitions or collections.

Local Life

SDSU is located in the city of San Diego at the southernmost tip of California. The university is approximately 20 miles north of Mexico's border, and is situated in between both Pacific Ocean beaches and state and national park wooded mountains and deserts alike. Its location makes for a rich environment of cultural diversity, urban activities, and a wealth of diverse natural environments to enjoy for exploration and recreation. Within SDSU's larger community are several art museums, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego (MCASD)(external link), the San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA)(external link), the Museum of Photographic Arts (MoPA)(external link), and the Mingei International Museum(external link). There are also dozens of other local galleries and visual and performing arts organizations in the metroplex, as well as design districts for graphic and interior design. Students can also enjoy bridging the gap to local, national, and international art and design communities by participating in student professional organizations, such as the AIGA(external link) for graphic designers, ASID(external link) (American Society for Interior Design), the Furniture Society(external link) for furniture designers, NCECA(external link) for ceramics, SNAG(external link) for metalsmiths, and more.

And More....

To learn more about specific programs within the School of Art, Design, and Art History, please visit the main Programs link on this site. You can also learn more about the faculty and staff by reading an overview about them, or read details about specific individuals by searching our directory.

You can find details about scholarships and other funding opportunities in the "Students > Scholarships" section of this site. For admissions and financial aid info, please visit our "Admissions" link.

To read more on SDSU's mission and goals, visit: http://www.sdsu.edu/campusinfo/mission_and_goals.html(external link)

This page was last updated at 12:22PM on October 8, 2008