fully funded mfa program in art and design

With generous scholarships, access to world-class facilities, a celebrated faculty, and their own private studios, MFA students at the University of Louisville in Kentucky have the resources they need to deepen their artistic practice within a vibrant creative community. Occupying a newly renovated warehouse constructed in the 1800s, the MFA program in Studio Art and Design offers state-of-the-art studio and lab space for interdisciplinary practices or for focusing on ceramics, drawing, fiber, glass, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, design, new media, and installation.

The Department of Art + Design at the University of Louisville, endowed as the Hite Institute of Art + Design, offers an MFA as either a three-year or an optional two-year accelerated program. Led by a faculty of professional artists, scholars, and designers, the studio-intensive program encourages a multidisciplinary approach that challenges students to develop their creative practice in relation to cultural, social, philosophical, and ethical concerns while providing a broad perspective on art and social roles. The program is selective and intentionally small to foster a strong creative community, and to ensure each student has the resources they need to support their creative work, research, and national or international travel.

MFA candidates benefit from the Hite Institute’s substantial resources, which include six galleries, award-winning facilities in glass and additive manufacturing, partnerships with local art museums and galleries, a powerful alumni network, and a speaker series featuring internationally recognized artists, prominent curators, and gallery directors. In addition to guaranteed scholarships, graduate students may be eligible for awards, internships, and teaching assistantships that support the program and aim to build the university’s collaboration with local and regional museums and cultural institutions.

The MFA program in Studio Art and Design at the Hite Institute of Art and Design is highly selective in order to allow students generous access to faculty and studios. MFA students will receive individual attention and be challenged aesthetically and conceptually.

Scholarships and assistantships are also available to qualified students on a competitive basis (a separate funding application is required).