MFA Art at Arizona State University

Programme overview

The Master of Fine Arts program in art offers multiple pathways for you to advance your artistic practice. The program values diversity and creative thinking to advance research. You work closely with distinguished faculty to develop the skills to produce culturally relevant work and sustain a lifelong creative practice.

What you will study

60 credit hours and an oral comprehensive exam (defense of MFA exhibition) Required Core (9 credit hours) ARA 522 Studio Art Pedagogy (3) ARS 586 Theories of Contemporary Art (3) ART 501 Cross-practice Critique (3) Studio (18 credit hours) ART 621 In Practice (6) ARS/ART coursework (12) Seminar (9 credit hours) ART 502 Cohort: Field Research (9) ART 503 Cohort: Strategies in Contemporary Art (3) ART 504 Cohort: Professional Strategies (3) Practicum (14 credit hours) ART 680 Practicum (14) Research (4 credit hours) ART 592 Research (4) Electives (6 credit hours) Additional Curriculum Information For studio coursework, students complete six credit hours of ART 621 and 12 credit hours of 500- and 600-level ARS seminar or studio courses.

Career pathways

MFA degree holders have the credentials necessary for teaching courses in their discipline at colleges and universities as well as for entering the art market, working in art administration or other competitive creative fields.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Applicants must have earned a bachelor's or master's degree from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 ="A") in an applicable master's degree program. All applicants must submit: graduate admission application and application fee official transcripts current resume or curriculum vitae portfolio statement of intent three letters of recommendation proof of English proficiency Additional Application Information An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency. Admission is a two-step process. Although applicants fill out one application through the online graduate application process, they must be admitted to both the MFA program and the Graduate College.

Domestic applicants: USD 13,327 a year (2026-27). Arizona resident tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads Source

International applicants: USD 24,780 a year (2026-27). International tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads ar Source

Entry terms: Fall, Spring and Summer; the terms available for each programme are listed in Degree Search.

Graduate application deadlines are set by each programme office and listed in Degree Search; the application opens almost a year before the start term. The nonrefundable application fee is $75 for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, DACA and international online students outside the U.S., and $120 for international students on a nonimmigrant visa studying in the U.S. Apply with ASU's graduate application (Law applicants use the law college's site); GRE/GMAT requirements vary by programme.

Apply through the official page: https://admission.asu.edu/apply/graduate/admission

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