MFA Degree

Program Overview

The UC Berkeley Art Practice MFA program is a two-year, multidisciplinary program that emphasizes artistic innovation and intellectual rigor. It provides professional art training within a liberal arts university, preparing students for exhibiting careers and teaching at the college level. The program features a small cohort size, low faculty-student ratio, and opportunities for peer review, visiting artist lectures, and studio practice.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The UC Berkeley Art Practice MFA program is a two-year program that emphasizes artistic innovation and intellectual rigor. It aims to broaden the productive, conceptual, and critical faculties of students in their pursuit of careers as professional artists.

Objectives:

• To provide professional art training within a rich and distinguished liberal arts and sciences university.
• To prepare students for a professional exhibiting career and for teaching at the college level.
• To develop students' creative research and material practices within a rigorous conceptual and critical approach.

Program Description:

• The program has a small cohort size of 6 students per year, fostering an intimate learning environment.
• It is multi-disciplinary, encouraging students to explore a wide range of media.
• It offers a low faculty-student ratio, facilitating regular one-on-one instruction.
• Group critique and peer review are integral components of the program.
• Students can pursue electives in departments outside Art Practice, as well as within studio and critical theory courses.
• Distinguished visiting artists provide a supplementary lecture and studio visit curriculum.
• The program culminates in an MFA thesis show at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA).

Teaching:

• The program emphasizes peer-to-peer discussion.
• Core faculty members rotate leading the critique seminar and theory and criticism seminar.
• The program has a strong emphasis on individual studio practice, with students participating in Independent Study courses.
• Students have the opportunity to teach the undergraduate foundation course Art 8: Introduction to Visual Thinking as Graduate Student Instructors (GSI's).
• Faculty consists of internationally established artists.

Careers:

• The program prepares students for a professional exhibiting career and for teaching at the college level.
• The program emphasizes creative research and material practices within a rigorous conceptual and critical approach.
• Students receive professional development support, including privileged applicant status to studio residency programs and grant programs.

Other:

• Students participate in MFA gallery shows throughout both years of the program.
• The department offers semi-independent studio facilities, with each student matched to a studio that best suits their work.
• Twelve studios are located off-campus at the Richmond Field Station.
• MFA students are assisted in displaying their work in regional venues.
• The second-year MFA Show is held at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, with students working closely with museum curators and staff.
• The program emphasizes the richness of UC Berkeley's broader research community and close working relationships with faculty.
• Opportunities exist for assisted and faculty-accompanied travel abroad.