The MFA in Studio Art is a two year full-time interdisciplinary program. Classes include: group critique, seminar in contemporary art, writing for artists, and critical theory. In addition, MFA students have one full day a week of individual studio meetings with visiting artists and faculty.
Our Full and Part time faculty includes writers, art critics, and visual artists who work in all media. Visiting artists, and guests at our roundtable discussions, enhance the program’s connection to the greater art world.
The MFA studios and art department facilities are all located in one building, on Stuyvesant Street in the East Village. The private studios are accessible 24/7, and available over winter and summer break. The Art department facilities include: a wood and metal shop, printmaking, photography, ceramics, and digital labs.
During their time at NYU, MFA students will exhibit their work at the Art Department’s Gallery. This includes a First year group show, a solo project, and a final thesis show. There is also an Open Studio Event once a year, which is open to the public.
Teaching
All MFAs are given the opportunity to work as a course assistant during their first year. In their second year they are hired to teach an introductory level studio art course for NYU.
Career Opportunities
Graduates of the MFA program are represented by galleries, featured in contemporary museums and biennials, and recipients of prestigious fellowships and artist residencies. Many hold positions as critics, teachers, designers, and curators.
Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be able to:
Develop a rigorous studio and/or research-based art practice in an environment where they are mentored by a faculty of professional working artists and writers.
Think, speak, and write critically and formally about their own artwork as well as others'.
Share ideas, feedback, and art-making skills with their classmates, becoming part of a creative community that will enter the larger art-world together.
Gain the tools to curate, produce group and solo exhibitions, and write artist's statements and press releases.
MFA students in Studio Art must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5. Any student whose minimum cumulative GPA falls below 2.5 will be reviewed by the Committee on Student Progress (COSP) for Notice of Academic Alert or Notice of Academic Concern.
Effective Fall 2026, MFA students must obtain a C- or higher in any required ART-GE courses to count toward their degree progress. These courses can be attempted twice. Attempts include final grades of C- or lower in required ART-GE courses as well as course withdrawals; term withdrawals/leaves of absence do not factor into the number of attempts.
Students who obtain a C- or lower in required ART-GE courses will be reviewed by COSP for Notice of Academic Alert or Notice of Academic Concern. Students who are not able to complete and pass required ART-GE courses with at least a C- grade after two attempts will be reviewed by COSP for Notice of Academic Concern or dismissal.
MFA students are not allowed to take any of their required courses pass/fail. MFA students must complete their thesis exhibition in order to graduate.
MFA students are awarded credit using the following grade scale: