MFA in Art

Our generously funded three-year MFA program provides intensive professional training in the study of art at a major public research university. We emphasize both interdisciplinary and medium-based approaches to artmaking, offer a solid historical and theoretical grounding in a variety of art practices; and encourage engagement in diverse contemporary art discourses. Students undergo a rigorous course of study, combining one-on-one meetings, seminars, and group critiques within a supportive community of artists and thinkers. Students participate in numerous exhibitions in three professional galleries and a state-of-the-art black box theater on campus and can avail themselves of presentation and exhibition opportunities throughout greater Los Angeles. 

Key components of the curriculum include a dynamic Visiting Artist Lecture Series, Graduate Colloquium and numerous innovative exhibitions/events that take place on campus. Each year graduate students and faculty collaborate to bring renowned artists, writers, critics and curators to campus. Recent visitors to the department include EJ Hill, Kelly Akashi, Simone Forti, Bassem Saad, Paul Chan, Analia Saban, Beatriz Cortez, Paul McCarthy, Julie Tolentino, Arthur Jafa, Yau Ching, Tourmaline, Nikita Gale, Mary Kelly, Patty Chang, Cauleen Smith, Alicia Piller, Slavs and Tatars, Rodney McMillian, Jane and Louise Wilson.

Beyond the department, MFA students take advantage of the academic excellence of UC Irvine, an R1 research university by enrolling in courses in other departments. In addition to their primary graduate degree in Art, some students also obtain emphasis certificates from the graduate programs such as Feminist Studies, Visual Studies, Law Society and Culture, and Critical Theory, for which UC Irvine is well-known.

Fellowships and funding opportunities
The Art Department is committed to offering all successful applicants the best financial package possible to ensure that graduate students receive full tuition remission. With a combination of fee waivers, stipends, and teaching fellowships, successful applicants receive excellent financial support for all three years of study. In addition, some applicants are offered recruitment fellowships, and students may also take advantage of numerous grant, scholarship and fellowship opportunities available through the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, the UC Irvine campus, the University of California, and beyond.

Teaching Assistant and Graduate Student Researcher opportunities
All graduate students in the Art MFA Program are appointed to approximately six Teaching Assistantships over the course of three years, plus stipends during their non-teaching quarters. Some of these students are given additional appointments as Graduate Student Researchers during the academic year. The Art Department also employs selected, MFA alumni to teach Summer Session classes, with some current graduate students appointed as TAs during Summer Session.

Faculty
Rhea Anastas, Kevin Appel (Department Chair), Sarah Awad, Jennifer Bornstein, Juli Carson, Coleman Collins, Miles Coolidge, Liz Glynn, Jibade-Khalil Huffman, Jesse Colin Jackson, Simon Leung, Joseph S. Lewis III, Monica Majoli, Daniel Joseph Martinez, Na Mira, Deborah Oliver, Jennifer Pastor, Simon Penny, Shelby Roberts, Amanda Ross-Ho, David Trend, Bruce Yonemoto.