The Master of Fine Arts Program will challenge and support independently motivated artists in their intellectual, philosophical and artistic development. The graduate program encourages lifelong learning, career success and community involvement.
The JMU School of Art, Design, and Art History is one of the most notable and time-honored public university visual art programs in the United States, dating its foundation to the creation of the institution in 1908. The Master of Fine Arts degree was the first terminal degree granted by the university, and today the M.F.A. is a nationally ranked program by U.S. News and World Report.
The JMU School of Art, Design, and Art History is a collaborative community that fosters independent thought and creativity, embraces the diversity of cultural expression, and cultivates excellence in the making and understanding of visual art. SADAH's graduate programs are part of The Graduate School at JMU.
Financial Support
All M.F.A. full-time students admitted to the graduate program are recommended for a Graduate Assistantship within The School of Art, Design and Art History. This assistantship pays for full in-state tuition and graduate comprehensive fees for 18 graduate credits per year in exchange for 20 hours of work per week, per the stipend amount set by The Graduate School. Out-of-state tuition coverage may be available but is on a limited basis. The program requires an additional 6 credits to be completed during summer sessions; this tuition is not covered by the assistantship, but students may be able to apply for financial support. Students in their third year of M.F.A. study may be eligible for a Teaching Assistantship, which awards a larger stipend.
Acceptance into the Art M.F.A. program is highly competitive, with just three in-state Graduate Assistantships available. The offer of Graduate and Teaching Assistantship employment is contingent upon budget availability.
Please go to the Cost of Attendance Calculator to see the estimated cost of attendance for your program of study.
MFA Thesis Catalogs
MFA Student Profiles
M.F.A. students earned their Bachelors degrees from a variety of universities, from large, prestigious private art schools to smaller liberal arts colleges. Some of the undergraduate art schools represented in the M.F.A. program include:
- The Art Institute of Chicago
- University of California, San Diego
- East Carolina University
- New York University
- Old Dominion University
- Ringling College of Art and Design
- Tampa University
- Texas Tech University
- Towson University
- University of Virginia
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Wake Forest University
- Yale University
Students from around the world have earned their M.F.A. at JMU. Countries represented in the M.F.A. program include:
- China
- Colombia
- South America
- England
- Japan
- South Korea
Graduate Faculty
A distinguished graduate faculty of practicing artists and scholars is dedicated to exemplary teaching and research and to the professional growth of each student. Graduate students are challenged through a rigorous curriculum of study that seeks to develop their personal practice of contemporary art and the historical and theoretical contexts that inform it.
Corinne Diop
Graduate Director for Art, Photography Area Head, Coordinator of Art Minor, Professor of Art
William Wightman
Art Education Program Coordinator; NASAD Coordinator; Art 200 Coordinator; Professor of Art and Art Education
