Art Studio (ARTT)

Graduate Degree Program
College: Arts and Humanities

Abstract

The Department of Art offers a program of graduate study leading to the Master of Fine Arts degree. The program emphasizes independent and interdisciplinary work. The Graduate Faculty consists of 15 active professional artists specializing in a range of studio and post-studio practices, including painting/drawing, sculpture/installation, printmaking, digital and time-based media. The program is small and competitive, and most students receive support in the form of graduate fellowships and assistantships, which include teaching and after-hours studio monitoring.

Financial Assistance

The Department of Art offers numerous fellowships and graduate assistant positions. These positions and awards carry with them full or partial tuition remission as well as an annual stipend. 

Contact 

The Department of Art website, www.art.umd.edu provides a lot of information for prospective students. For further information, contact:

Danielle M. Curtis
Graduate Administrative Assistant

Department of Art
1211E Parren J. Mitchell Art-Sociology Building #146
3834 Campus Drive 
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Telephone: 301.405.1445
EmailDCurtis2@umd.edu
 
Shannon Collis
Professor and Graduate Director

Department of Art
1211E Parren J. Mitchell Art-Sociology Building #146
3834 Campus Drive
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Telephone: 301.405.1445
Email: scollis@umd.edu

Website: http://www.art.umd.edu

Courses: ARTT

General Requirements

Program-Specific Requirements

  • Letters of Recommendation (3)
  • CV/Resume
  • Digital Submission: 15-20 digital images, website/software or video documentation indicative of current artistic practice, uploaded to umdart.slideroom.com, $12.00 supplemental application fee
  • Supplementary Application (contact program for details)

To apply to the MFA Program applicants must complete the Graduate School application available online. Applicants are also required to pay the requisite $75.00 application fee.

For admission to the graduate program, The Department of Art requires an undergraduate degree with a major in art from an accredited college or university, or its equivalent. A minimum of 30 credit hours of undergraduate work in studio courses and 12 credit hours in art history courses is recommended.

The MFA Degree is the final degree in studio art. Only the highest level of undergraduate artistic achievement is appropriate for graduate application. The Department of Art seeks students who have developed coherent bodies of work that are personal and focused. This body of artwork is the primary basis for admittance.

For more admissions information or to apply to the program, please visit our Graduate School website.

Application Deadlines

Type of Applicant Fall Deadline
Domestic Applicants
US Citizens and Permanent Residents February 4, 2025
International Applicants
F (student) or J (exchange visitor) visas; A,E,G,H,I and L visas and immigrants February 4, 2025

Other Deadlines: Please visit the program website at http://www.art.umd.edu

Each MFA student is provided with 24-hour access to an individual studio. Each studio is approximately 400 sq. ft. The studios are adequately ventilated and meet industry standards in safety. General sculpture facilities include: Approximately 2200 sq. ft. wood shop; approx. 2200 sq. ft. steel fabrication studio; approx. 1500 sq. ft. foundry w/indoor furnace plus outdoor furnace for iron casting. There is space within the building, and outside on the grounds, for sculpture and installations. The printmaking studio (screen, intaglio, relief, digital) is approximately 3000 sq. ft. There are also approx. 8000 sq. ft. of undergraduate painting and drawing studios. Digital media features up to date Macs, large format printers, a CNC router, laser cutter/engraver, and 3D printers. The department encourages multi-media and interdisciplinary approaches to technology.

Within the building housing the Department of Art, there are two galleries. The University of Maryland Art Gallery, an independent unit that works closely with the Department of Art, features national and international contemporary and historical exhibitions as well as faculty and annual MFA Thesis shows. The Herman Maril Art Gallery is a student organized gallery that features student exhibitions, lectures, special projects, and a space for social activities. The Art Library, separate from the large research libraries on campus, has an outstanding collection of books, catalogues, periodicals, and reproductions.

Last Name First/Middle Name Graduate Faculty Status Academic Credentials Positions
Bendell Mollye Full Member B.A.Sculpture Glasgow School of Art 2012; M.F.A Intermedia and Digital Arts UMBC 2018 Assistant Professor, Art Studio
Collis Shannon Full Member Bachelor of Visual Communication Design from University of Alberta, Edmonton 2001; M.F.A. in Printmaking, University of Alberta, 2005; Certificate in Digital Technologies, Concordia University, 2009 Assistant Professor, Art Studio
Graduate Director, Art Studio
Craig Patrick M. Full Member B.F.A., Western Michigan University, 1974; M.F.A., University of Cincinnati, 1976. Associate Professor, Art Studio
Donahue-Shipp Brandon J. Full Member B.F.A.Tennessee State University 2009; M.F.A. University of Tennessee 2013 Assistant Professor, Art Studio
Gatlin Jessica Full Member B.A., Florida State University, 2009; M.F.A., University of Tennessee, 2017 Assistant Professor, Art Studio
Keener CY E. Full Member B.A., Colorado College, 1998; M.Arch., University of California, Berkeley, 2005; M.F.A., Stanford University, 2016 Assistant Professor, Art Studio
Klank Richard E. Full Member B.Arch., Catholic University of America, 1962; M.F.A., 1964. Associate Professor, Art Studio
Morse Brandon Full Member B.F.A., University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, 1997; M.F.A., Ohio State University ,2000 Chair, Art Studio
Associate Professor, Art Studio
Ruppert John Full Member B.A., Miami University-Ohio, 1974; M.F.A., Rochester Institute of Technology, 1977. Associate Professor, Art Studio
Sham Foon V. Full Member B.F.A., California College of Arts and Crafts, 1978; M.F.A., Virginia Commonwealth University, 1981. Associate Professor, Art Studio
Strom Justin Full Member B.F.A, Columbia College, 1998; M.F.A., The University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2003. Assistant Professor Assistant Professor, Art Studio