MFA in Art

The School of Art and Design offers graduate study leading to the Master of Fine Arts degree in Art. The objective of this program is to provide the essential theoretical education, technical training, and creative experience necessary for professional activity and college-level teaching in the visual arts. Students in the degree program are supported by dedicated and engaged faculty members with a broad range of research interests, explored through art history, ceramics, exhibition design and curatorial practice, furniture design and woodworking, graphic design, interactive design, interior architecture, jewelry and metalwork, multimedia, painting and printmaking, photography, sculpture, and socially-engaged art and design practice.

The Master of Fine Arts degree is a 60-unit graduate program that can be completed in three years. The program includes professional seminars and interdisciplinary critiques that provide an opportunity for more in-depth study leading to an exhibition of an original body of creative work defended during an oral examination and accompanied by a written report. Candidates in the MFA program are expected to achieve a high level of excellence and distinction in their creative practice.

The School of Art and Design has expansive facilities offering students studio space and state-of-the-art equipment. In addition, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, San Diego Museum of Art, Stuart Collection, and the Timken Museum of Art offer a range of contemporary and global historic art, as well as specialized libraries for art and design research. All venues are convenient to public or personal transportation. Numerous community college and commercial galleries also provide a wide variety of exhibition offerings.