Program Availability
The Master of Fine Arts in Fine Art at Indiana State University is a traditional, on-campus program offered on the Indiana State University campus in Terre Haute, Indiana. The program is open to U.S. and international applicants who satisfy admission requirements.
Why Earn a Master of Fine Art at Indiana State?
The MFA program allows you to enhance your skills in select art media, including ceramics, drawing, graphic design, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and sculpture-wood/studio furniture. The program requires a minimum of 60 credits of studio art classes. Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA throughout the program of study.
Fine Arts MFA students at Indiana State also study art history, art theory and criticism, and the fundamentals of their chosen medium, to prepare for broader art and design career opportunities.
Learn from Our Talented Faculty
Indiana State’s instructors actively create and exhibit artwork in their chosen media. They guide your experiences on trips to museums, galleries, and studios, and they provide instruction and insight for other hands-on learning activities.
Our small class sizes allow for individualized instruction and mentorship from faculty. And, as part of Indiana State’s commitment to experiential learning, you will work and create alongside your instructors throughout the MFA program.
Create Art in Our Art Studios
As an MFA student, you will complete studio art classes in our 70,000-square-foot Fine Arts Building. The fully equipped facility houses graphic design and computer art studios, classrooms, a Media Realization Center, and an art education facility. You will also take art classes in our designated studios for ceramics, drawing, painting, papermaking, photography, printmaking, and sculpture.
What You’ll Learn in the Fine Art MFA Program
The MFA expands the artist’s skills in a variety of media. The program includes 60 total credits of coursework for you to refine your skills in a chosen medium. You will learn art history, art theory and criticism, and museology, and you will take studio courses.
Additionally, you will complete a research course that explores the nature and process of creative artistic inquiry; it will include library research tools and extensive independent research on a selected topic leading to a final creative project.
The MFA offers eight concentration options:
- Ceramics
- Drawing
- Graphic design
- Painting
- Photography
- Printmaking
- Sculpture
- Sculpture-wood/Studio furniture
You will also complete an exhibition of artwork and creative research at the conclusion of your MFA program. MFA students are responsible for designing the installation and hanging their artwork in a gallery exhibition. The exhibited work must represent an extensive, cohesive body of creative research and include original works created while enrolled in the MFA program.
Financial Assistance and Scholarships
Most students accepted into the MFA program receive some form of financial assistance, which is renewable each year. Students may also apply for graduate assistantships and fellowships. Scholarship awards that waive tuition and fees, exclusive of building and student service fees, are also available.
Career Possibilities for Fine Art MFA Graduates
Many Indiana State MFA graduates are employed by museums, galleries, art administration firms, antique dealerships, corporate collections, and private studios. Additionally, the Fine Art MFA program is an excellent choice for those wishing to pursue further graduate work in art history, museum studies, or art administration.
Meet Kira Enriquez Loya, Chair of the Department of Art and Design
Kira Enriquez Loya has always been passionate about ceramics. Now serving as chair of the Department of Art and Design, Loya inspires students to better understand how they can bring their personal experiences into their art. Read Professor Loya’s story.
Admissions Requirements and Instructions
Enrollment is accepted for Fall and Spring semesters. All application materials must be submitted by March 1 to be considered for fall admission and by October 15 for spring admission. Applicants to the Fine Art MFA program are selected for admission on the basis of undergraduate grades, references, significant accomplishments, and a portfolio of 15 images of artwork made by the applicant.
Admission Requirements and Information
Applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field from a regionally accredited institution (for international students, a degree granted by a recognized institution).
The GRE (Graduate Record Examination) is not required for admission to this program.
Application should include a 500-word written statement outlining the intended program of study (e.g. painting, ceramics), the intended degree (MFA) to be pursued, experience working in the intended discipline or medium, and goals for graduate study at Indiana State.
Application should include quality digital images in a single Portable Document Format (.pdf) or PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx) file, containing 15 different artworks made by the applicant. With each image, applicants must submit caption information: title, year(s) of making, materials, and dimensions (H x W x D in inches).
Application should include three formal letters of recommendation. Important: Have the names and email addresses of your references available at the time that you are completing your admission application as you will need to enter them in the online application. Explain to your references that they will receive an email from Indiana State University requesting that they submit a letter of recommendation. Please ensure that your references expect to receive this request. It will be sent to your references immediately upon completing the application.
International applicants must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or provide equivalent evidence of language proficiency.
Application Instructions
The following are application instructions for the Master of Fine Arts in Fine Art degree program at Indiana State University.
How to Apply
Complete your online application for program admission at apply.indstate.edu/apply/.
Submit official transcripts from all colleges previously attended. To be official, transcripts must be sent directly from the college attended to: Graduate Admissions, Indiana State University, Welcome Center, 318 North Sixth Street, Terre Haute, IN, 47809. E-transcripts should be sent to admissions@indstate.edu.
Submit a nonrefundable application fee of $45.00 (U.S. citizens and permanent residents) or $65.00 (international students) payable by Visa, MasterCard, or check or money order payable to Indiana State University. Submit payment to: Indiana State University, Graduate Admissions, Welcome Center, 318 North Sixth Street, Terre Haute, IN, 47809.
Submit the following as part of the online application process.
- Three letters of recommendation with the names and email addresses of the three individuals
- A 500-word statement of intent as a .doc, .rtf, or .pdf file, outlining the intended program of study (e.g. painting, ceramics), the intended degree (MFA) to be pursued, experience working in the intended discipline or medium, and the goals for graduate study in the Fine Art MFA program.
- A portfolio of quality digital images in either a Portable Document Format (.pdf) or a PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx) file, containing 15 different artworks made by the applicant. With each image, applicants must submit caption information: title, year(s) of making, materials, and dimensions (H x W x D in inches).
International applicants must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or provide equivalent evidence of language proficiency. Submit scores to: Indiana State University, Graduate Admissions, Welcome Center, 318 North Sixth Street, Terre Haute, IN, 47809. For important information, see Instructions for International Students.
Applications for Fall admission are accepted through March 1; applications for Spring admission are accepted through October 15. All materials must be received by the deadlines. Applications and application materials received after the deadlines will not be considered for admission.
Next Steps
Once admitted, students receive notification from the University as well as their University ID number needed to activate their University Username on the MyISU Portal [https://isuportal.indstate.edu/]. The Portal offers access to online registration, University records, and other important University services, including email and University announcements.
Note: Returning ISU students must apply for re-admission if they have not attended Indiana State University for more than two calendar years.
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