Art Studio (ARTT)

Graduate Degree Program
College: Arts and Humanities

Abstract

The Department of Art offers a program of graduate study leading to the Master of Fine Arts degree. The program emphasizes independent and interdisciplinary work. The Graduate Faculty consists of 15 active professional artists specializing in a range of studio and post-studio practices, including painting/drawing, sculpture/installation, printmaking, digital and time-based media. The program is small and competitive, and most students receive support in the form of graduate fellowships and assistantships, which include teaching and after-hours studio monitoring.

Financial Assistance

The Department offers eight teaching assistantships and one fellowship. A number of Graduate School Fellowships are also available. Applications should be submitted by January 16 for consideration for a graduate assistantship or fellowship.

Contact 

The Department of Art website, www.art.umd.edu provides a lot of information for prospective students. For further information, contact:

Danielle M. Curtis
Graduate Administrative Assistant
Department of Art
1211E Parren J. Mitchell Art-Sociology Building #146
3834 Campus Drive 
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Telephone: 301.405.1445
Email: DCurtis2@umd.edu
 
Shannon Collis
Professor and Graduate Director
Department of Art
1211E Parren J. Mitchell Art-Sociology Building #146
3834 Campus Drive
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Telephone: 301.405.1445
Email: scollis@umd.edu

Website: http://www.art.umd.edu

Courses: ARTT

General Requirements

• Statement of Purpose
• Transcript(s)
• TOEFL/IELTS/PTE (international graduate students)

Program-Specific Requirements

• Letters of Recommendation (3)
• CV/Resume
• Digital Submission: 15-20 digital images, website/software or videos/videos documentation indicative of current artistic practice, uploaded to umdart.slideroom.com, $12.00 supplemental application fee

To apply to the MFA Program applicants are encouraged to complete the Graduate School application available online. Applicants are also required to pay the requisite $75.00 application fee.

For admission to the graduate program, The Department of Art requires an undergraduate degree with a major in art from an accredited college or university, or its equivalent. A minimum of 30 credit hours of undergraduate work in studio courses and 12 credit hours in art history courses is recommended.

The MFA Degree is the final degree in studio art. Only the highest level of undergraduate artistic achievement is appropriate for graduate application. The Department of Art seeks students who have developed coherent bodies of work that are personal and focused. This body of art work, as professionally documented on CD’s, Videos or websites is the primary basis for admittance.

For more admissions information or to apply to the program, please visit our Graduate School website.

Application Deadlines

Other Deadlines: Please visit the program website at http://www.art.umd.edu

Each MFA student is provided with 24-hour access to an individual studio. Each studio is approximately 400 sq. ft. The studios are adequately ventilated and meet industry standards in safety. General sculpture facilities include: Approximately 2200 sq. ft. wood shop; approx. 2200 sq. ft. steel fabrication studio; approx. 1500 sq. ft. foundry w/indoor furnace plus outdoor furnace for iron casting. There is space within the building, and outside on the grounds, for sculpture and installations. The printmaking studio (screen, intaglio, relief/litho, digital) is approximately 3000 sq. ft. There are also approx. 8000 sq. ft. of undergraduate painting and drawing studios. Digital media features up to date Macs, large format printers, a CNC router, laser cutter/engraver, and two maker-bot 3D printers. The department encourages multi-media and interdisciplinary approaches to technology.

Within the building housing the Department of Art, there are two galleries and two libraries. The University of Maryland Art Gallery, an independent unit that works closely with the Department of Art, features national and international contemporary and historical exhibitions as well as faculty and annual MFA Thesis shows. The Herman Maril Art Gallery is a student organized gallery that features student exhibitions, lectures, special projects and a space for social activities. The Art Library, separate from the large research libraries on campus, has an outstanding collection of books, catalogues, periodicals and reproductions, all indexed on computer and CD ROM systems.