BA, BFA and MFA programs

Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) has opened the application process for students seeking admission for the academic year 2025. The priority application deadline is November 15, 2024, while the final deadline is January 15, 2025.  Applications that are submitted before the priority deadline will be reviewed first by the admissions team, and decisions will be made on these applications first. 

Students joining VCUarts Qatar will be part of a worldwide network that boasts more than 1000 alumni employed in roles as varied as art and design, filmmaking, interior design, curation, museum management, and others. Over the last two decades, many of them have garnered international recognition on the global stage, winning coveted awards such as the Red Dot Award, the International Property Awards and others. Alumni, faculty, and students from the campus were actively involved in various creative fields, ranging from film direction and production, creative direction, set design, and wardrobe design to public art, curation, stage performance, and so on, during the latest FIFA World Cup tournament held in Qatar in December 2022.

The Bachelor of Arts in Art History program at VCUarts Qatar offers a distinctive concentration in Islamic art within a global perspective. Aside from Islamic art, our program’s global focus encompasses the visual cultures of Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas, providing students a comprehensive understanding of the world’s diverse artistic and cultural heritage traditions.

Students on this pathway examine culture, past and present, develop visual literacy skills and develop the skills needed to be critical thinkers and cultural heritage stewards who understand the interrelatedness and complexity of global issues.

VCUarts Qatar’s four-year Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design program provides professional skills that help young creatives understand communication problems through critical thinking and creative problem-solving.

Graphic designers work with multiple mediums, including print, web, interactive design, video, and various forms of three-dimensional experiential design, to deliver precise and targeted communication. Our graduates are skilled specialists in print, web, and multimedia who can apply strategic thinking skills to a number of professional careers where visual communication is required.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting + Printmaking at VCUarts Qatar prepares young creatives to become accomplished and confident artists with independent professional practices in the arts.  The program reflects the dynamic attitude toward contemporary art, with emphasis on experimentation and intellectual inquiry.

Our students experiment with a wide range of traditional and contemporary media, including drawing, painting, 3D art, new media, sculpture, installation, photography, film, sound, performance, animation, and printmaking, gaining the skills and knowledge to become versatile artists with a broad range of expertise.

VCUarts Qatar’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design pathway is a studio-based program where students engage in interdisciplinary approaches that explore the built environment. The curriculum is fully accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), in the US.

Using space, form, materials, color, and light, students in this program imagine and re-imagine human-centric living and working spaces. Interior designers are essential to the architecture, engineering and construction sectors. Their solid understanding of construction and building systems helps them create practical and appealing spaces where people can live, work, and play.

The MFA in Design is a full-time, two-year graduate program that trains students to understand clients, collaborators and design challenges in original and authentic ways. Our program’s strength lies in its ability to support each student’s unique interests, providing a custom education tailored to each individual.

Our students can train in a fully-equipped Fabrication Lab with 3D printers, laser cutters and vinyl cutters, a vacuum-forming machine, computer numerical control routers, woodshop and a unique Materials Library, which is stocked with traditional and cutting-edge materials—the only facility of its kind in the Gulf region.

VCUarts Qatar is excited to announce the launch of a new Bachelor of Fine Arts in Kinetic Imaging! This BFA teaches students various technology-based formats such as video, animation, and sound for the purpose of communication, art-making, self-expression, and experimentation. The program is designed for students who want to study video art, sound and game design, and experimental two-and-three-dimensional animation.

Visit here to begin your application process or simply learn more.