Art, M.F.A.

School of Visual, Media and Performing Arts

Program Overview

The Master of Fine Arts in Art program offers study in digital art, drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, and sculpture taught by internationally known artists. The program attracts students from across the United States and around the world, ranging from accomplished artists represented by commercial galleries to those admitted strictly for their talent and promise. Students have access to private sky-lit studios, digital laboratories, an extensive printmaking suite, and a student project space. Graduating students participate in a large thesis show at prestigious galleries in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Art, M.F.A.

Where You'll Go

A large percentage of our graduates are successful artists, many of whom sell their work in commercial galleries. Many also teach at leading art schools and universities. Others have become commercial artists, illustrators, computer graphics designers, architects, art directors, cartoonists, art restorers, and fashion designers, bringing their fine-arts sensibilities to these fields. A number have won such major honors as the Guggenheim, Fulbright, Pollock-Krasner, and Prix de Rome.

Program Details

The program information listed here reflects the approved curriculum for the 2023-2024 academic year per the Brooklyn College Bulletin. Bulletins from past academic years can be found here.

Program Description

The M.F.A. studio program offers specializations in digital art, drawing and painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. Students usually focus on one of these but take courses in other areas and in art history. Periodically, their work is formally reviewed by the full faculty, who also individually visit their studios for informal critiques. Graduating students participate in a large M.F.A. thesis exhibition, usually at a Manhattan gallery. The department has a fine arts rather than a commercial orientation and seeks a balance between the traditional and the new in its mix of students, faculty, and course content. The faculty includes internationally recognized artists whose work is found in such prestigious museums as the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Modern Art, and who have garnered numerous prizes, awards, grants, fellowships, and other honors. Many are represented by galleries here and abroad. Being in the heart of the art world, the department draws on New York’s vast community of distinguished artists for our faculty and for the many visiting artists, art historians, critics, and curators who regularly lecture and give individual critiques of student work as part of a program that supplements the formal curriculum. In addition, our students have easy access to New York City’s great museums and countless galleries.

A large percentage of our graduates are successful artists, many of whom sell their work in commercial galleries. Many also teach at leading art schools and universities. Others have become commercial artists, illustrators, computer graphics designers, architects, art directors, cartoonists, art restorers, and fashion designers-bringing their fine-arts sensibilities to these related fields. A number have won such major honors as the Guggenheim, Fulbright, Pollock-Krasner, and the Prix de Rome.

Matriculation Requirements

Applicants must offer at least 36 credits in studio art and art history courses including a well-balanced distribution of credits in two- and three-dimensional art, installation, performance art, and/or time-based media acceptable to the Art Department.

Applicants must submit directly to the Art Department a selection of work emphasizing their intended area of concentration before February 1 for fall admission.

Applicants must also submit a completed application to Brooklyn College Graduate Studies. General matriculation and admission requirements of Graduate Studies are in the section “Admission” of the Graduate Bulletin.

Program Requirements (48 Credits)

Forty-eight credits are required for the degree.

Students must complete Art 7210X, 7910X, 7920X, 7940G, 7950G, and 7951G. Art 7940G, 7950G, and 7951G must be taken in sequence, usually beginning in the first semester of matriculation.

Students must also complete 21 additional credits in studio art courses, internships, independent study electives, or other electives outside the Art Department.

Students must also complete nine additional credits in art history courses. Art 7198G may be repeated for credit.

Independent creative work developed in Art 7940G, 7950G, and 7951G must culminate in a final exhibition with an accompanying artist’s statement about the work.

Courses in the Art Department offered toward the degree must be 7000-level courses.

The program of study must be approved by the deputy chair for graduate studio art.

Charles G. Shaw Awards

For distinction in painting, the Art Department grants awards each term to a number of graduate students matriculated in the M.F.A. program.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Create a body of work with form and content that is in dialogue with contemporary art practice.
  • Create artwork that demonstrates attention to detail, technical mastery, and a pride of authorship related to the media in which the artist is working.
  • Demonstrate, through presentations and writing, an awareness of contemporary art and relevant historical precedents.
  • Understand the necessary skills needed to set up a professional practice in art making, including how to organize a studio and to  look for opportunities to exhibit their work.
  • Ability to articulate creative practice, including how to lead or teach peer and beginning artists.

Admissions Requirements

  • Fall Application Deadline:
    • Priority deadline: January 19
    • Regular deadline: February 15
    • Followed by rolling admissions
  • Spring Application Deadline: The program does not accept applications for spring.

Supporting Documents for Matriculation

Submit the following documents to the Office of Graduate Admissions:

  • Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Transcripts must reflect at least 36 credits in studio art and art history courses, including a well-balanced distribution of credits in studio art that may include 2D, 3D, digital art, time-based media, or performance acceptable to the Art Department. Applicants who earned a bachelor’s degree outside the United States need to submit a course-by-course international transcript evaluation. See Graduate Admissions for more information.
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • Personal statement
  • Portfolio: Include up to 20 still and/or moving images that best reflect your studio practice. We welcome a broad spectrum of working styles and media. Present your work chronologically with the newest work first and the oldest work last. Include any additional information to help us understand the image.
  • To complete the online form applicants must select one specialization that is either aligned with their current practice or best reflects the intended focus if accepted into the M.F.A. program (300 Digital Art, 301 Drawing and Painting, 302 Printmaking, 303 Sculpture, 304 Photography). Admitted students may take courses in other areas or even change their area of focus during the program.

Note: This application portal for portfolios has a file size limitation of 5MB. Files larger than this cannot be uploaded. If you prefer to submit large files, upload a single PDF file with a link to an external website where we can view your work. This may be a personal website, Google drive, Dropbox, Vimeo, or some other cloud-based folder. Do not have any viewing restrictions or special permissions so we can view your work easily. Do not submit any links that will expire after a fixed amount of time. The URL must point to a webpage or folder that contains only the artwork related to your application. We will not review outside of those you submit. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to e-mail Assistant Professor Eto Otitigbe.

Required Tests

  • F-1 or J-1 international students must submit English Proficiency Exam. TOEFL—79, IELTS—6.5, PTE—58–63, Duolingo—105–160.

Refer to the instructions at Graduate Admissions.

Contact

Derrick Adams

derrick.adams@brooklyn.cuny.edu
718.951.5000 x3521
5144 Boylan Hall

Eto Otitigbe

eto.otitigbe@brooklyn.cuny.edu
305.815.3149
102 Whitehead Hall

Kathleen Smith, Program Coordinator

kathleens@brooklyn.cuny.edu
718.951.5572
5144 Boylan Hall

Or contact:

Office of Graduate Admissions

222 West Quad Center
2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210
P: 718.951.4536
E: grads@brooklyn.cuny.edu

Office Hours

Mondays–Fridays, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

To make an appointment with a graduate admissions counselor, visit:

BC Admissions Appointment Tool

Internships and Employers

Through job fairs, the internship database, and internship panels, the Magner Career Center gives students in the art M.F.A. program access to career opportunities at a wide variety of employers, including:

  • Brooklyn Museum
  • International Center for Photography
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • MoMA PS1
  • New York City Department of Education
  • Rubin Museum of Art

Learn More

Brooklyn. All in.

Brooklyn. All in.