The Master of Fine Arts degree is the terminal graduate degree in studio art. Graduate students in the BFSDoA MFA program are charged with surpassing their previous art achievements by evolving a fresh conceptual premise into a body of artwork relevant to today's contemporary art world. MFA candidates achieve new heights as a studio artist through coursework that challenges them to advance their conceptual, historical, theoretical and practical knowledge. In the supportive climate of an artistic community, graduate students from around the world co-exist in spacious graduate studios. A number of graduate assistantships are available to provide students with valuable professional experience along with financial support.

The MFA degree program guides the graduate student towards competence in specific media, while acknowledging that in contemporary art the boundaries of various disciplines often consciously cross when relevant to student conceptual and production goals. MFA Studio Courses and Emphasis Areas include: Ceramics; Drawing/Illustration; Graphic Design; Jewelry & Metalsmithing; Painting; Photography and Digital Imaging; Print, Paper & Book Arts; and Sculpture. Relevant issues are addressed in the MFA Seminars of: Professional Practices for the Studio Artist, Art Theory and Criticism, Critical Readings in Contemporary Art, and Pedagogical Practices for the Artist in Academia. Recognizing that the MFA graduate promises to be the next generation of the professoriate, the degree program also offers an optional pedagogical practicum intended to prepare the MFA graduate as a faculty member in higher education.