The Yale School of the Fine Arts opened in 1869 as the first art school connected with an institution of higher learning in the United States. As the leading M.F.A. program in the country, the Yale School of Art remains situated within the larger research university. Our artists are drawn to the many opportunities to engage with faculty, students, and resources from all areas of the campus. Our excellent studio-based education is enhanced with elective courses and workshops that explore the intersections of art through cultural, social, political, and economic perspectives. Students work closely with a renowned faculty and visiting critics composed of internationally recognized artists, designers, curators, and scholars to further develop their professional practice.
 
This bulletin details the course requirements and policies of the M.F.A. program, taking into account that it extends beyond the school into a wider constellation of programming. The M.F.A. program strives to respond to the evolving interests of its students in areas and practices beyond those offered within the core curriculum. Providing a compassionate education that is relevant to art making today is the school’s core mission. The School of Art recognizes that seeing and making are interrelational, transformative, and identify-forming. To this end, Yale encourages cooperation across disciplines. While this includes the traditional and established relationships with the Schools of Architecture, Drama, and Music, it also presents discussions within the broader sciences and humanities, as well as opportunities with the Yale University Art Gallery, Yale Center for British Art, the Center for Collaborative Arts and Media, the Center for Engineering Innovation and Design, the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, and the Yale Farm to name only a few.
 
This campus ecosystem nurtures diverse studio practices while preserving the development of an engaged student community producing graduates who contribute to a global field of contemporary artists, designers, educators, and community leaders.

Welcome.

Kymberly Pinder

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Dean

Yale School of Art