Offered By: Vermont College of Fine Arts

The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Visual Art Program is ideal for those with substantial experience in making art and a working knowledge of art history and visual culture, who are seeking contemporary discourse, community, and to elevate their artistic practice through a realistic model of education. The program encourages an interdisciplinary approach to studio practices, helping emerging artists to integrate contemporary cultural theory with the practical concerns of their own media, method, and place in the world. Graduates will demonstrate an investment in an aesthetic and/or conceptual strategy or strategies for art-making; substantive knowledge of visual culture and an understanding of research methodology; and the capacity to make critical judgments about their own artistic practice and other contemporary art in relationship to visual culture and the social context.

The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Graphic Design is a terminal degree and affords graduates the necessary credentials to teach at the higher education level. The goal of the program is not only to credential, but also to help students develop advanced design skills, vision, and knowledge. The program allows students to craft visual form, generate insightful content, and foster mindful research across visual and digital media. Graduates of the program will acquire the ability to synthesize form, content and craft; deepen and expand critical ability; build fluency in design discourse and visual culture; and claim agency in the larger context of design and society.

The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Film degree represents the advanced study of filmmaking. Students to explore traditional and contemporary film form and professional practice including screenwriting, narrative, documentary, animation, hybrid and transmedia, through a project-based program. Graduates of the program demonstrate a mastery of professional and artistic skills through the creation of a new, rigorously pursued and developed body of work appropriate to the student’s focus in live action filmmaking, animation, and/or screenwriting; make appropriate creative choices, grounded in professional practice, in the application of the language of film; and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of film history and criticism, and of relevant contemporary works by others.

The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Music Composition is for students with a background in music and compositional skills. Some subjects covered in the program include: jazz, songwriting, electronic music, contemporary composition, and scoring (film, television, game). This course will prepare students to have an established composition practice and a portfolio of personal music recorded by professional musicians and ensembles.

The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Writing has many different concentrations based around different types of writing: fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and literary translation. Students can choose to focus on a single writing type or study multiple.

The first Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in the country to focus exclusively on writing for young readers, the Writing for Children & Young Adults program is a diverse and dynamic community of writers.