Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art
MFA Student Spotlight: Emily Martinez (鈥�25) presenting her work at the Nuestro Vaiv茅n exhibition at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.
Maximize your potential in a course of study carefully designed for in-depth investigations of your chosen artistic ideas, themes and/or media. Develop and refine techniques that best communicate the content of your artistic pursuits.
2019 MFA Graduate Jake Troyli, The Welcome Wagon, 2024. Oil on canvas, 64鈥� x 96鈥�.
Program Overview
The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree at the 草莓视频鈥檚 School of Art & Art History is an idea-centered program that encourages broad media exploration, interdisciplinary projects, and engagement with current theoretical and cultural issues.
Nationally ranked, our program provides a dynamic atmosphere with ongoing opportunities for dialogue with the faculty, other graduate students and a world-class program of visiting artists, critics and scholars.
Our MFA students enjoy individual studios that provide both privacy and access to learn from one another, with twenty-four-hour access to facilities.
Focus on your work with generous financial packages, including full tuition waivers for all students; fellowships; professional development funding; and graduate assistantships providing the opportunity to teach courses, assist professors, or work at local art institutions such as USF鈥檚 American Alliance of Museums accredited , USF鈥檚 distinguished print atelier , or the in neighboring St. Petersburg鈥攁 hub for ceramics, glass, and community arts engagement.
Located in Tampa, Florida, students pursue their MFA amidst a cosmopolitan, multi-ethnic
city inImage - Medium - Right with Caption
Image Dimensions - Width: 320 px, Height: 213 px*
* Recommended Height.an urban area with a population of more than three million. Rich
with experiential raw material for artmaking, outstanding museums and alternative
exhibition and performance spaces, Tampa also beckons you to the lively nightlife
of historic Ybor City and the relaxation of nearby beaches.
2024 MFA Graduate Amber Toplisek, Night, fence, bloom, 2024. Listing photographs from online auctions, glass, copper, solder, mirror, resin, privacy screen protector, 16.5鈥� x 30鈥�.
Areas of Study
Our interdisciplinary program supports all areas of inquiry in contemporary art. Specialized facilities include: Animation & Digital Modeling, Ceramics, Drawing, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture & Extended Media, and Video.
- Animation & Digital Modeling
- Ceramics
- Drawing
- Painting
- Photography
- Printmaking
- Sculpture & Extended Media
- Video
2024 MFA Graduate Ainaz Alipour, /mo~ASerat/, 2024. Multimedia installation, Dimensions
variable.
Opportunities for MFA Students
Exhibition opportunities are plentiful at USF for all students, including: , a graduate student run gallery at Kress Contemporary in the burgeoning Ybor Arts District; the Carolyn M. Wilson Gallery, located adjacent to our art building which accepts exhibition proposals once a semester; and USF鈥檚 Contemporary Art Museum, the site of each year鈥檚
We regularly offer experiential learning opportunities with nationally and internationally recognized practicing artists and scholars who conduct lectures, visit classrooms, hold studio visits, and in some cases teach seminar courses. Once a year, The Kennedy Family Artist in Residence brings a new artist, art historian, critic, or scholar to USF to teach. Visiting critics have also provided writing for our MFA catalog, including former editor of Spike Art Magazine Laurie Rojas and former senior critic of Hyperallergic Seph Rodney. Graphicstudio and the Contemporary Art Museum host internationally acclaimed artists as well as top quality exhibitions.
Students also have the opportunity to participate in the school鈥檚 annual subsidized field trips to New York, Art Basel, and our study abroad program in Paris.
Our students frequently participate in and are awarded scholarships to prestigious residency programs including Vermont Studio School, Skowhegan, Atlantic Center for the Arts, Yale-Norfolk, and others.
2025 MFA Graduate Michael Lonchar, Out Fishing/Gone for a Swim, 2025. Pine, sheet metal, automotive filler, joint compound, spray paint, hardware,
chain, and rope, 6鈥� x 6鈥� x 16鈥�.
MFA Studio Art Curriculum
Explore the details of the curriculum and course offerings for the MFA in Studio Art, including the requirements to complete the degree.
Apply for Admission
Get information and a list of requirements to apply for graduate admission into the MFA program at the 草莓视频.
Request Information
Students and families can also request more information about the School of Art & Art History鈥檚 programs by filling out the USF College of Design, Art & Performance鈥� online form.