Format
Part timeDuration
24 monthsStudent Work
Our MFA program is deliberately non-compartmentalized with an emphasis on studio practice: students are encouraged to experiment and broaden their individual practices. The MFA program is a gateway to becoming an active professional artist. Students create in private studios in the Katzen Arts Center surrounded by peers and a multivalent arts community, where they become part of a local community of artists. MFA candidates show their completed thesis work in annual group exhibitions at the AU Museum.
Mission & Values
AU's MFA in Studio Art, historically grounded in painting, is multidisciplinary and empowers artists to contextualize their practice within historical and contemporary issues - see the Fall 2025 Visiting Artists Series, featuring Dominic Terlizzi, Hedieh Ilchi, and Hong Hong.
By exploring cultural, conceptual, and material approaches critical to the constantly evolving art world, the program prioritizes understanding different perspectives and the role of artists within them. Additionally, it emphasizes the significance of process, images, and identity, including matters related to gender, race, class, and sexuality, which are critical in art-making today.
Curriculum
Our flexible cohort-based program can be completed in two years or three based on your personal preference and goals. In addition to a core curriculum of thesis, research practicum, and theory, candidates select graduate-level courses within the Studio Art program and university to support their practice.
