Masters of Fine Arts

UIC’s MFA degree is an intense, exhilarating, and dynamic program. It is positioned within Chicago’s largest Research Public University and reflects the values of inclusion that public civic institutions are designed to offer. The curriculum is intended to provide a rich theoretical and conceptual background meant to deepen MFA candidates’ studio practice—and to help cultivate vital work within an interdisciplinary context that reflects a global art world. The School of Art’s commitment to interweaving artistic praxis with issues of social justice and civic engagement provides an additional framework for the making of art and its impact.

Community of Artists and Scholars

We are a small and intimate program. Every student has a private studio space on site, in UIC’s Art & Exhibition Hall. Because of our size, students receive significant feedback, critique, and support. The manifold viewpoints of the faculty and students at our urban university foster a vigorous intellectual and artistic ecology.

MFA candidates work with active and committed artists and faculty, develop lasting peer relationships, and also have opportunities to engage in the classroom with the Art Department’s diverse undergraduates. These experiences empower our MFA students to transform themselves—and the world—through their work.

Interdisciplinary Approach

All MFA students are encouraged to fully engage in the school’s interdisciplinary program and to explore the social, conceptual, and aesthetic possibilities of art practice. Students work in close conversation with faculty and their peers to create significant work in an array of media, including drawing, painting, photography, moving image, new media arts, performance, and sculpture. The School of Art offers seminars on the practice and theory of contemporary art and art history. These seminars are another important component to a robust curriculum where students are equally encouraged to fulfill elective requirements in other Departments at the University.

Teaching Experience

Students in the MFA program can gain valuable classroom teaching experience through our teaching practicum program. In this practicum, MFA candidates observe a faculty member teach a course throughout the semester. In their second year, MFA students typically have the opportunity to teach a 100-level class as instructors of record.

Degree Requirements

In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, students must meet the following program requirements: