Studio Art, Art History, & Art Education graduate programs

The Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design at Georgia State University features an internationally active faculty and a rigorous curriculum that prepares students for professional careers in art and design. The school’s programs are NASAD accredited and offer an MA in Art History, MAT and MA Ed. in Art Education, and an MFA in Studio Art with concentrations in Ceramics, Drawing and Painting, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Textiles. These full-time degree programs encourage excellence through experimentation, cross-disciplinary pursuits, and critical analyses of existing ideas about art, art teaching, and art history.

Tuition waivers and funding: All MFA students receive full tuition waivers and monthly stipends as part of assistantships, and numerous MA/MA Ed. research assistantships are granted with equal benefits. Graduate assistantships are available for all students in the MFA Studio programs, MA in Art History, and MA Ed. programs. Students are additionally eligible for competitive fellowships including the premium Welch Fellowship, which funds students for the entire three years of study on top of the student’s regular stipend and full tuition waiver. Students may also apply for extra, internal grant funding for research, travel, residencies, and materials twice a year.

Location and gallery: The city of Atlanta boasts the largest and most active art scene in the region with ties to New York and Miami. The downtown location of our school encourages connections with local art institutions such as the High Museum of Art, Atlanta Contemporary, MOCA GA, and a solid network of commercial galleries, alternative spaces, and grassroots artist organizations. Alumni, faculty, and students are very involved in the expanding and ever-evolving scene of the international art hub, having founded a number of artist-run organizations, nonprofits, and creative publications.

The Welch School Galleries support the curriculum by showcasing regional, national, and international art exhibitions throughout the year, while providing student access to professional artists and scholars. Each MFA career culminates with a solo exhibition in these downtown Atlanta galleries. 

VAS Lecture Series: The Visiting Artist & Scholar Lecture Series is a year-round calendar of public talks which brings to campus a diverse breadth of renowned artists, curators, and scholars. Graduate students have one-on-one time with the visitors through studio visits, group dinners, and workshops.

Studios & resources: MFAs are given personal studio spaces and 24-hour access to discipline-specific studios, allowing for creative exploration and research across mediums. The school has its own woodshop, metalshop, and foundry; computer labs and audio/visual equipment rentals; exclusive access to the Skowhegan Lecture Archive; and a dedicated College of the Arts Librarian. In addition to the kiln yard (with a life-sized kiln), textiles studio, a newly-renovated printmaking lab, dark rooms, an interior design materials library, and 3D printers, grads have access to the Georgia State Maker Space and the Creative Media Industries Institute with VR capabilities, green screen rooms, and other digital technologies for interdisciplinary work.

Third year opportunities: As a signature, professional experience, third year graduates are exposed to international art fairs and conferences; given the opportunity to travel or exhibit in major cities; and/or are supported with opportunities to visit research-specific archives. These unique opportunities yield career-building experiences from curator and collector networking, to the development of professional practices, and offer experiences in focused art making and exposure to the greater international, contemporary art scene.

More information: Want to learn more about our programs and meet faculty in your discipline of interest? Email artgrad [​at​] gsu.edu for an invite to our Zoom information session and Q&A on December 7, 2022 at 7:30pm ET.

For more information online and to apply, please visit our graduate page or contact Graduate Coordinator, Wesley Harvey: T 404 413 5229, email: wharvey [​at​] gsu.edu.