Master of Fine Arts
Program Description
The Department of Art and Design two-year MFA program consists of around twenty students who work together in an intimate environment with faculty and grads from all concentrations and conceptual positions. Our graduate students have excellent on-campus studios and 24-hour access to state-of-the-art facilities. Studio resources and undergraduate programs include painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking and photography.
The University's centralized location on the eastern corridor of the United States makes it an ideal location to study visual art. Situated midway between Philadelphia and Baltimore, the campus is about two hours by train/car north to New York City, or south to Washington, D.C.
Program Philosophy
To make important art is an automatically expansive process. It is a momentum and an action, disregarding traditional boundaries in favor of ideas and actualizations. The Department of Art and Design at the University of Delaware realizes that the contemporary artist benefits from a thorough investigation of their own practice as well as wide-ranging feedback from others, and we strive to create an environment that encourages these conditions.
Our program is divided among research, practice and discourse. Students are asked to take academic classes to encourage them to develop a language with which to discuss what they are doing; they are asked to keep up a dedicated studio practice where they are pushed to fully engage their interests; and they come together with this language and studio work for regularly scheduled critiques. The MFA program hosts a diverse faculty capable of responding to a range of work in a variety of conditions, and we foster a communal teaching model where students will dialogue with professionals and other graduate students outside of their perceived "field." Our curriculum allows for both radical experimentation and a devoted effort to a unique vision.
We work to develop thoughtful, articulate artists through an MFA program housed within a diverse university. We consider the university setting to be an ideal territory for the development of intellectually strong and challenging works of art, and we encourage our students to take advantage of the broad range of ideas being discussed outside of the arts. At the same time, the intimate size of our program allows for the graduate faculty to engage with students on an individual level, and to nourish work that comes out of a personal vision rather than any overarching philosophy of what art should be.
Please refer to the course catalog linked below for the most current and accurate information for the sample curriculum.
A minimum of 60 credits, a public exhibition and a supporting paper are required for the MFA degree. The 60 graduate credit hours required for the MFA degree are distributed in the following manner:
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1st year
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1st year
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2nd year
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2nd year
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Graduate faculty reviews with each student are held at the end of each semester (15, 30, 45, and 60 hour reviews). Students must pass these reviews to continue in the program.
Visit the UD Catalog for more information about University and College of Arts and Science degree requirements.
Application to the MFA program is a two-part process that requires the presentation of a comprehensive portfolio in addition to general University admission procedures. Admission is selective and competitive based on the number of well-qualified applicants and the limits of available faculty and facilities.
Application deadline is January 15.
Students must complete the graduate application through the Office of Graduate & Professional Education.
Submit a portfolio to the department utilizing Slide Room, which will be evaluated by the Graduate Faculty.
Detailed Instructions
Applicants must complete the online application including transcripts, resumé, personal statement, and three letters of recommendation through the Office of Graduate & Professional Education. Once you have submitted your application you will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours.
After you have submitted your application to the MFA program with the Office of Graduate & Professional Education you must submit a portfolio online. Be sure to upload to the MFA event.
Portfolios may include up to twenty still images or 5-10 minutes of video: (.jpg), video (.mov, .wmv, .flv) or PDF documents. For good image quality and fast upload, images should be sized no larger than 1280 x 1280 pixels @ 72 dpi. Video files must be kept under 20MB.
Our SlideRoom portal offers additional instruction for submitting work online. For technical assistance, contact support@slideroom.com.
The Department of Art and Design does not require GRE scores. Note, those who meet stated minimum academic requirements are not guaranteed admission, nor are those who fail to meet those requirements necessarily precluded from admission if they offer other appropriate strengths.
The University of Delaware offers generous financial aid assistance to art and design graduate students. The Department of Art and Design is able to give several merit-based graduate teaching assistantships (tuition waiver plus a stipend in exchange for teaching and service) and block tuition semesters (tuition waiver plus the possibility of adjunct teaching). The department works diligently to help support our MFA student and has, historically, been able to fund nearly three-quarters of our students. Please refer to the Office of Graduate & Professional Education for more information.
Timeline
Important dates to remember when applying for admission to the University of Delaware and the Department of Art and Design.
Submit the graduate application to receive consideration for admission. Submit your portfolio and essay to the Department of Art and Design via Slideroom by January 15.
Decision notifications will be mailed by August 15.
The University of Delaware holistically supports its graduate students, beginning with their health and wellbeing. Benefits include a subsidized health plan and physical and behavioral health services. UD fosters a culture of academic excellence, with committed faculty and staff and access to state-of-the-art research facilities and technology. UD prioritizes professional development with job training, internships and industry partnerships. Graduates further enhance their professional growth and visibility with opportunities to work on interdisciplinary research teams, present their work at conferences and publish in academic journals. Visit the links below to learn how UD is supporting society’s future leaders, scholars, and innovators.
