Master of Fine Arts
Master of Arts

For More Information

Campus address: Art Building (ART) 3.330, phone (512) 471-3377; campus mail code: D1300

Mailing address: The University of Texas at Austin, Graduate Program in Design, School of Design and Creative Technologies, 2301 San Jacinto Boulevard Stop D1300, Austin TX 78712-1412

E-mail: Graduate Coordinator: design@utexas.edu

MFA in Design URL: https://designcreativetech.utexas.edu/mfa-design

MA in Design URL: https://designcreativetech.utexas.edu/ma-design

Facilities for Graduate Work

After completing required safety training, graduate students in design may use the woodshop, computer lab/digital printing lab, risograph lab, in-house fabrication lab (equipped with ABS-plastic and thermal 3D Printers, large-scale CNC router, laser cutters, and vinyl cutters), and letterpress printing lab (featuring platen presses, proofing presses, bookbinding equipment, and an extensive collection of metal and wood type), housed in the ART Building and Anna Hiss Gymnasium (AHG).

Graduate students in design also have ready access to the book and periodical collections of the Fine Arts Library (FAL), where they may also check out photographic, video, audio, computer, and robotic equipment. The FAL is also home to the Foundry, a staffed maker space equipped with 3D printers, laser cutters, VR headsets, sewing machines, mills, soldering guns, large-format printer, vinyl cutter, video wall, recording studio, and workstations with game development software.

Areas of Study

Through advanced studio courses in design, elective courses in related fields, and design history/theory/criticism courses, the curricula of the graduate programs in design encourage students to take full advantage of the programs' location within a top-tier research university. Rather than offering traditional medium-based specializations in communication design, interaction design, or industrial design, the programs instead encourage students to integrate knowledge and modes of inquiry from other disciplines into their design practice, and to develop mastery in a range of image-making, typographic, modeling, prototyping, and/or coding skills most appropriate to their own area of investigation.

Graduate Studies Committee

The following faculty members served on the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) in the spring 2023 semester.

Tasheka Arceneaux Sutton Katherine Canales Alexandra Kate Catterall Michael Ray Charles Gray B Garmon Tamie Michele Glass Carma Ryanne Gorman

Kelcey C Gray Sam Lavigne Jiabao Li Monica Penick Jose Manuel Perez Byron Wilson

Admission Requirements

Master of Fine Arts

In addition to meeting all general admission requirements laid out by the Graduate School, applicants to the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree program must submit a portfolio, a personal statement, and two letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the applicant’s academic and design work. The GRE is not a requirement for admission to the MFA program; but students who have taken the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT or other graduate-level standardized tests are encouraged to submit their score reports with their application.

Applicants for admission to the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree program are expected to be self-motivated, experienced practitioners of design with a strong portfolio of recent work, a clearly stated rationale for undertaking graduate study in design, and a well-defined area of investigation around which they propose to focus their coursework, research, and creation in the program.

Master of Arts

In addition to meeting all general admission requirements laid out by the Graduate School, applicants to the Master of Arts (MA) degree program must submit a personal statement, current résumé/CV, and three letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the applicant’s academic and professional potential. The GRE is not a requirement for admission to the MA program, but students who have taken the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT or other graduate-level standardized tests are encouraged to submit their score reports with their application.

Students must enter the Master of Arts in Design Option III program in the summer semester. Applicants admitted to the Master of Arts in Design Option III program will be required to submit a nonrefundable enrollment deposit to secure enrollment in the program.