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Introduction to the Ceramics MFA Program

The Ceramics program at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture is a two-year, 60-credit program leading to the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree. It offers personal mentorship from faculty and visionary visiting artists in state-of-the-art facilities and encourages experimentation with media, interdisciplinary projects, and public art to ignite social change.

About the Program

The Ceramics program fosters mastery of the discipline through access to internationally recognized faculty, state-of-the-art facilities, and Philadelphia's rich clay culture, resulting in work that challenges the medium's traditional boundaries. The close-knit Ceramics MFA community is connected to the extended Tyler MFA cohort through interdisciplinary mentorship from a faculty of socially conscious artists, technologists, designers, and art historians.

Key Features

• Time Limit for Degree Completion: 4 years
• Campus Location: Main
• Full-Time/Part-Time Status: Full-time status is required
• Interdisciplinary Study: Through a studio-based approach complemented by art history classes, electives, and seminars, students are engaged in emerging topics in the field and the broader art world
• Study Abroad: Tyler MFA students may pursue study abroad opportunities at Temple's Japan Campus and Temple University Rome to expand their studies in a global context
• Accreditation: This degree program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)
• Areas of Specialization: In the Ceramics program, equipment is available for wheel work, mold-making, and slip-casting projects, and digital fabrication. Large kilns are available for hand building and sculpture
• Job Prospects: The MFA program prepares graduates for careers as professional artists, craftspersons, designers, and educators

Admission Requirements and Deadlines

Application Deadline

January 6. Applications are evaluated together after the deadline date.

Requirements

• Letters of Reference: 3 letters of recommendation from college/university faculty members, gallery directors, and/or curators familiar with the applicant's academic and artistic competence
• Coursework Required for Admission Consideration: 40 undergraduate studio credits and 12 art history credits are required
• Bachelor's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline: A baccalaureate degree and portfolio in Ceramics are required
• Statement of Goals: In approximately 500 to 1,000 words, share your interest in Tyler's program, research goals, future career goals, and academic and artistic achievements
• Standardized Test Scores: Applicants who earned their baccalaureate degree from an institution where the language of instruction was other than English must report scores for a standardized test of English that meet the minimum requirements
• Portfolio: A portfolio that consists of 20 images representative of the immediate direction of your work
• Resume: Current resume required

Program Requirements

General Program Requirements

• Number of Credits Required to Earn the Degree: 60
• Required Courses:
  • Project and Seminar Courses
    • ART 8004: Critique and Critical Discourse I (2 terms), 6 credits
    • ART 8005: Critique and Critical Discourse II (2 terms), 6 credits
    • ART 8101/8102: Graduate Projects: Ceramics I (4 terms), 12 credits
    • ART 9991: Directed Studio Practice (3 terms), 9 credits
  • Art History Courses: 9 credits
  • Electives: 15 credits
  • Culminating Course
    • ART 9995: Master of Fine Arts Thesis, 3 credits
• Total Credit Hours: 60

Culminating Event

• Thesis Exhibition: An approved thesis exhibition, with a written statement of working philosophy and slide and/or CD portfolio, is required at the final review in order to meet the MFA requirements
• Defense: The student defends their thesis exhibition to the review committee

Additional Information

• Non-Matriculated Student Policy: MFA courses are restricted to matriculated students
• Financing Opportunities: In addition to federal student aid, teaching assistantships and fellowships are available on a competitive basis to support Tyler MFA students
• Transfer Credit: Upon approval of the Art Department Chairperson and the Vice Dean, up to 9 credits of graduate work may be transferred into the MFA program as Art History or Studio electives