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Visual Arts Schools and Programs in The United States

Study Visual Arts in The United States

  • Gulf Coast State College

    Panama City, The United States

    Gulf Coast State College (GCSC), listed here under its former name Gulf Coast Community College, is one of Florida's public colleges. Its main campus lies by the water in Panama City, Florida. It also has the North Bay Campus in Southport, a public-safety training site for…

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Visual Arts Studies in The United States

Visual arts in the United States cover studio practice such as painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography and ceramics, and increasingly video, digital media and design. The subject is taught in two settings: in art departments and schools inside universities, where students also take general academic courses, and in independent schools of art and design. SpainExchange lists 48 colleges and universities in the United States under visual arts, from community colleges to research universities.

How the degree is organised

  • Associate degree: a two-year programme, usually at a community college, that leads to a specific vocation or transfers to a bachelor's programme
  • Bachelor of Arts (BA): a four-year degree with a major in art or visual arts inside a broad liberal arts education. Students normally declare the major by the end of the second year
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA): a four-year degree centred on studio work in a chosen medium
  • Master of Fine Arts (MFA): the graduate studio degree. Other master's degrees cover fields such as art education, art therapy or arts administration
  • Doctorate (PhD): offered in art history and, at some universities such as UC San Diego, in art practice

The schools' own pages show the range. The Boston University School of Visual Arts offers a BA in Art and BFAs in Graphic Design, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture and Art Education, and MFA degrees in Graphic Design, Painting, Print Media & Photography, Sculpture and Visual Narrative. At New York University, the BFA and MFA programmes in studio art are interdisciplinary and combine cultural theory courses with facilities in painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, computer art and design, video, ceramics, metalsmithing and installation. The Department of Visual Arts at the University of California San Diego offers five undergraduate majors: Art History Theory and Criticism, Media, Studio, Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts, and Speculative Design; at graduate level it offers an MFA and a PhD.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), education gives artists the opportunity to build a portfolio, the collection of work that shows their styles and abilities.

Admission and language

Admission works in two steps at many schools: the general application to the university and, for studio programmes, a portfolio. Boston University, for example, publishes portfolio requirements for both undergraduate and graduate applicants. Other universities admit students centrally: at UC San Diego, admission is managed by the university's admissions office and all applicants complete the UC Application before the November deadline.

Teaching is in English, and universities require an English proficiency test before admission. For a full degree, international students need a student visa. Once accepted by a school certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), the school's international student office issues the Form I-20 that is presented in the visa application. Costs are set by each institution; as a general rule, state universities are less expensive than private universities, and community colleges offer lower costs for the first two years of a bachelor's degree.

Where to study visual arts

Schools are spread across the country. New York, Boston, Baltimore and Dayton each have two schools in this directory. Examples include New York University and Fordham University in New York; Boston University and Suffolk University in Boston; UMBC - The University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Coppin State University in Baltimore; and the University of Dayton and Wright State University in Dayton. Other options include large public universities such as The University of Texas at Austin, the University of Washington, the University of Florida, Florida State University and Rutgers; private universities such as Duke University, Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania; and community colleges such as Western Wyoming Community College and Chemeketa Community College.

Recognition

The United States has no national ministry that validates degrees. Recognition of course credits and degrees by other institutions and by employers is linked to the institution's accreditation, so check it before you apply. Art schools and departments can also be accredited members of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), as New York University states for itself. Artists do not need a licence, but those who want to teach art in public elementary or secondary schools usually need a teaching certificate in addition to a bachelor's degree.

Careers

An art degree does not lead to one defined job. BLS counts about 53,400 jobs for craft and fine artists in 2025, of which 58% are self-employed, and notes that many artists hold another job as well. Overall employment is projected to decline 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,300 openings a year. Portfolios are essential, because art directors, clients and others look at them when deciding whether to hire an artist or buy the work. Graduates also work in related fields such as design, art education, museums and galleries, and arts administration.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a BA and a BFA?

Both usually take four years. The BA places art inside a broader academic programme, while the BFA concentrates on studio work in a medium such as painting, sculpture or graphic design.

Do I need a portfolio to apply?

Often, yes, for studio programmes. Schools such as the Boston University School of Visual Arts publish their own portfolio requirements, while some universities admit students through the general application only. Check each school.

Can I start at a community college?

Yes. Community colleges provide the first two years of a four-year undergraduate degree, and students can then transfer. The transfer process varies for each school.