The LSU School of Art offers graduate programs in art history, graphic design, digital art, and studio art. Tracks in the studio art include the areas of ceramics, painting & drawing, photography, printmaking, and sculpture.
Out of 229 schools, the LSU School of Art MFA program is ranked 69th nationally and is 17th among public flagship universities and 7th among schools in the South, according to U.S. News & World Report. The ceramics MFA program was ranked 7th in the nation in the 2017 rankings.
Master of Arts in Art History
(Two Years)
The Master of Arts in Art History program prepares students for careers in both academia and the art world by providing exceptional grounding in art from globally diverse cultures and by encouraging students to explore a range of historical strategies, research techniques, and critical theories. We accommodate students seeking a terminal graduate degree and those who plan to continue to a PhD program at another institution. Our graduates enjoy positions in museums and galleries nationwide, and many have gone on to PhD programs in some of the nation’s highest ranked universities. Read more about art history.
Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art
(Three Years)
Digital Art
The digital art MFA program is comprehensive, experimental, and flexible. Converging practices in interactivity, lens-based media, and virtual spaces are central to the program, as are balancing individual explorations with team-based collaborations. The program emphasizes emergent forms, and student work may manifest through integrated media including digital cinema, mobile networks, printed matter, performance, public intervention, audio composition, installation, game platforms, and the Internet, among limitless possibilities. Students will be challenged to apply their talents to produce objects, experiences, and spaces that stretch their potential for cultural and artistic relevance. Read more about digital art.
Graphic Design
The graphic design MFA program prepares students to become visual communicators, critical thinkers, and creative problem solvers. Today’s graphic designers are challenged to be masters of a complex cluster of aesthetic, conceptual, technological, social, strategic, and presentation skills. The graphic design curriculum prepares students to meet these challenges through a broad range of experiences in the development of work in typography, print and editorial design, information design, digital imaging, packaging, environmental design, identity design, and branding. Read more about graphic design.
STUDIO ART
Ceramics
The Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art ceramics program encompasses an expansive investigation of the ceramic material, its historical precedent, and its contemporary application for visual art. Graduate students are expected to work as maturing artists motivated by independent ideas. The program’s success is reflected in the current rankings by US News & World Report, which places LSU as the ninth best MFA ceramics program in the nation. Read more about ceramics.
Painting & Drawing
The Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art painting & drawing program provides an intellectual and creative environment that addresses an awareness of traditional conventions in the context of current forms, methods, and issues. It stresses both breadth and depth and offers a wide array of artistic experiences from figure and landscape painting to abstract painting, water media, and performance and installation art. Read more about painting & drawing.
Photography
The Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art photography program merges new and traditional techniques with the critical concerns of contemporary art. Students explore a full array of conventional and experimental processes through course work and independent study in darkrooms and studios available for work in black and white, color, large format, non-silver, studio lighting, and digital photography. Read more about photography.
Printmaking
The Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art printmaking program consists of a vibrant and diverse community of students who come here from across the country and abroad for the exceptional opportunity to study with dedicated faculty in a dynamic and nurturing environment at one of the most comprehensive and best-equipped printmaking program in the United States. Students explore innovative avenues of collaboration and expanding art practices while maintaining the integrity of existing traditional practices such as lithography, intaglio, relief, and silkscreen and the art of the book and papermaking. Read more about printmaking.
Sculpture
The Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art sculpture program encourages students to develop their own unique visions and welcomes a wide range of aesthetic approaches, both traditional and non-traditional. Advanced courses focus on developing personal style and the creation of a body of work. Sculpture graduates have an impressive history of success in both exhibitions and professional accomplishments. Read more about sculpture.