About Master’s Program,
The Master of Fine Arts program seeks highly motivated students who have the artistic and scholarly vision to guide us into equitable, sustainable, and creative futures. We encourage new and rigorous forms of artistic expression and design innovation that transcend typical constraints to make meaningful contributions to the world.
Our MFA program seeks to expand our empathic understanding, cultivate the voices of underserved populations and ideas, and mitigate and critique damage done to ecologies, marginalized cultures, and the environment brought about by several centuries of colonialist pursuits. Together, we ask how art and design can work with, through, or even against constraints like media, culture, science, technology, capitalism, and society to create sustainable futures built on strong communities that value and maximize the potential of every individual.
The MSU MFA program values and understands diversity. Diversity includes race, ethnicity, gender, age, socio-economic status, religion and politics but also extends to include aesthetic orientation, educational background, job experience, and technical skills. The MFA program seeks students with vision and the potential for excellence, in whatever form that might take.
Master’s Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
The MFA student is expected to draw on the diverse strengths of MSU to create their own pathway to their degree. The program framework includes seminars, formal critique, dedicated studio practice, and opportunities for external study.
As a program, we have identified culture, identity, technology, and science as points of entry through which artists and designers could position their work. Indeed, many artists and designers, including our faculty, work at the intersection of these categories, challenging their definition.
The curriculum offers students the chance to form their personalized pathway through the program, with a set of reflective wayfinding instruments that help students situate their practice, locate resources, and understand the interplay between action, intention, and recognition in their studio practice.
If a student is interested in the interface between design, technology and identity, then she might choose the combine her studio practice with studies of digital culture in philosophy or computer science.
Master’s Funding Coverage,
Graduate students at MSU receive two types of funding: assistantships and fellowships. An assistantship is employment, either related to teaching or research, while a fellowship does not involve work. Assistantships offer tuition waivers and health insurance: students are automatically enrolled in a health insurance plan with the premium paid by the university. Enrolled students may insure eligible spouse and/or dependent children residing with the insured. For information on Graduate Assistantships and health benefits visit our HR website dedicated to graduate students: hr.msu.edu/employment/graduate-assistants or contact the Director of Graduate Studies.
Whatever your form of support, the MFA program provides full tuition waivers that cover ten credits per semester and sixty credits total over three years.
Application Requirement,
Statement of Intent / Artist Statement: This brief statement provides the applicant an opportunity to discuss their work, the issues they find most compelling that drive this work, and address sources that inform their work. Please address reasons/goals for pursuing the MFA degree track in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at Michigan State University.
The personal statement is an opportunity to share biographical information relevant to the review committee to know, but that doesn’t necessarily fit within the statement of intent/artist statement. Consider biographical information, interests, hardships, your past education experience, and future educational goals, and professional goals.
Transcripts from your undergraduate institution(s) must be official transcripts (generally sent directly from the institution). A cumulative 3.0 GPA is a requirement of the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at Michigan State University for regular admittance. We will accept transcripts sent from the student if they are stamped and or signed officially on the back by the institution.
Current resume/CV should include academic honors, scholarships, exhibition record, special skills and expertise, and prior teaching experience
Three letters of recommendation from faculty members or others who are familiar with the applicant’s creative research. Your recommenders will be notified that you have added them as a reference and they will be able to upload their recommendations directly to the admissions platform. Letters of recommendation must be written in English. If the original documents are not in English, you must provide an official translation of each document with the original. The translation can be done by the school, college, or university you attended, or by an authorized translator in your country of study.
Portfolio of 15-20 images – must be submitted digitally in MSU’s Graduate Admissions System.
TOEFL / IELTS – International Students are required to take an English Language Proficiency exam. For more information on minimum scores and eligible tests, please visit the Graduate School’s website. We do not grant language waivers prior to application submission. Please refer to the List of English Speaking Countries that do not need a Language Proficiency exam from MSU.
Application Deadline,
Jan 05, 2026
Application Fee,
Graduate Domestic $65.00
Graduate International $75.00
