School of Visual Arts

Program Information

Degree Offered

MFA in Art Criticism and Writing

Format: Campus

Program Description:

The practice of criticism involves making finer and finer distinctions among like things, but it is also a way to ask fundamental questions about art and life. The MFA program in Art Criticism & Writing at the School of Visual Arts is not involved in “discourse production” or the prevarications of curatorial rhetoric, but rather in the practice of criticism writ large, aspiring to literature.

The curriculum is designed to give students a grounding in the philosophical and historical bases of criticism, to improve both their writing and their seeing, and to provide sources that they can draw on for the rest of their lives. From its inception, this program has had a special emphasis on the history and current transformations of the image. The critics of tomorrow must study images, in all of their manifestations, in order to better understand how we are subject to them.

Accreditation:

The School of Visual Arts has been authorized by the New York State Board of Regents to confer the degree of Master of Fine Arts on graduates of two-year programs in Art Criticism and Writing. The School of Visual Arts is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, 215.662.5606. The Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation. SVA is also an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, and is a member of the International Association of Independent Schools for Art and Design, AIAS.

Eligibility Requirements:

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university or equivalent diploma from a four-year professional art school.

Requirements:
* Application form and nonrefundable $80 fee.
* Official transcripts from each college or university attended.
* Three letters of recommendation from instructors or practicing professionals. Letters should be written on school or company letterhead and returned to the applicant in a sealed envelope with the recommender’s signature across the seal.
* Writing sample between 2,500 and 3,000 words long, which must by typed. Content is at the discretion of the applicant. Applicants are encouraged to submit papers or articles that have been published or presented, if applicable.
* Statement of purpose (250-500 words) describing the applicant’s reason for pursuing graduate study
* Resume

# of Credits Required:

60

International Student Requirements:

In addition to the general admissions requirements, all applicants whose primary language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in written and spoken English.

Tuition & Financial Aid

Tuition In-State Full Time:

31500 USD

Tuition Out of State Full Time:

31500 USD

Financial Aid Offered: Yes

Classification: Schools of Art and Music

Institution Sector: Private for-profit

Locale: Large City

Size & Settings: 1,000 - 4,999