The Northeastern United States is home to a variety of prestigious graduate programs in the field of art and design. From New York City to Boston, these institutions offer unique opportunities for emerging curators, artists, and scholars to deepen their understanding of the cultural history of the material world. Here are some notable programs in the region:
Bard Graduate Center: Located in NYC, Bard Graduate Center offers MA and PhD programs that encourage students to ask new questions about the cultural history of the material world. The institution provides training for curators, researchers, educators, and museum professionals.
Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College (CCS Bard): Situated in the Hudson Valley, CCS Bard offers a two-year graduate program that focuses on contemporary art history, exhibition practices, and theory since the 1960s. Students gain hands-on experience in exhibition-making, work placements, and curatorial programming.
Columbia University: The Visual Arts + Sound Art Program at Columbia University provides students with opportunities to expand their studio practice and think critically in the context of contemporary art theory.
Cornell University: Cornell offers an MFA in Creative Visual Arts that emphasizes studio practice across all mediums. The university also has a new low-residency MFA in Image Text program that blends creative writing, contemporary visual media, and design for print and digital publication.
Dartmouth College: Dartmouth’s MFA in Sonic Practice is a fully funded three-year graduate program for artists, composers, and scholars working with sound.
Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D): MECA&D offers an interdisciplinary MFA program that encourages students to think across traditional academic boundaries.
Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt): With concentrations in Painting, Printmaking, and Sculpture, MassArt’s MFA in Studio Arts fosters cross-pollination across studio disciplines while allowing students to focus on their chosen media concentrations.
School of Visual Arts (SVA): SVA’s MA in Curatorial Practice provides hands-on training with renowned faculty and experts in small case-study seminars, writing workshops, and professional practice workshops.
SUNY New Paltz: Out-of-state and international MFA students at SUNY New Paltz receive scholarships that waive out-of-state tuition, and 90% of students benefit from paid assistantships, scholarships, or tuition waivers.
University at Buffalo: The flagship R1-designated research university in New York state offers full-tuition scholarships and fully funded teaching appointments for MFA students.
University of Connecticut: This fully-funded three-year graduate program in Southern New England supports a broad range of art making and culminates in an exhibition in a Northeastern US gallery.
University of Maryland, Baltimore County: UMBC’s MFA in Intermedia and Digital Arts (IMDA MFA) invites applications from interdisciplinary artists seeking to expand or reinvent their practice. Full funding is available for students.
These programs in the Northeastern United States provide a diverse range of opportunities for artists, curators, and scholars to deepen their practice and engage with the contemporary art world. From traditional studio practices to cutting-edge digital media, these institutions offer a rich and vibrant environment for graduate study in the arts.
