MFA in Visual Art
The Sam Fox School’s MFA in Visual Art program is an interdisciplinary program that offers students a site for rigorous inquiry, intellectual generosity, and professional preparedness.
As part of WashU, a tier-one research institution, our expansive facilities and studios serve as a think tank for intellectual and material experimentation across disciplines within the school and the university. Students also have opportunities to engage with the city of St. Louis which serves as both an extension of the studio and site of engagement for art and artists.
The MFA-VA curriculum professionally prepares students for a diversified approach to the field of contemporary art that nurtures sustained, lifelong engagement while recognizing multiple pathways and definitions for a career in the arts and culture. The two-year program culminates in a thesis exhibition at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Chair, MFA in Visual Art | Associate Professor
Two-year, full-residency MFA Program
MFA in Visual Art Program at a Glance
Program Structure
- 2 years (4 semesters)
- 60 credits
- Full-residency in St. Louis
- 4 exhibitions (1 per semester)
- Multidisciplinary program
Studio Space and Facilities
- 180-square-foot, loft-style individual studios
- Installation spaces
- Wood and metal shops
- Printmaking and book studio
- Media studio
- Digital fabrication lab
- Ceramics shop
- Darkroom
- and more
Funding Opportunities
- Scholarships, including full-tuition options
- Fellowships
- Paid assistantships
- Loans
- Funding for research, travel, and production
- Alumni funding, residency, and fellowship
Master of Fine Arts Curriculum
The MFA in Visual Art program at WashU is designed to help you craft a future studio practice you’ll mine for a lifetime; parallel courses in making and thinking build the foundation of studio as research. The curriculum instills students with the agency and resiliency essential to the next generation of artists.
In Graduate Studio, students work independently with the guidance of a primary faculty mentor as well as individual studio visits with a broad range of other faculty and visitors.
Group Critique is the heart of the curriculum. A mix of first- and second-year students meets for rigorous weekly critiques to share new work and engage in lively, constructive, and challenging discussion.
A sequence of required Graduate Seminars engages students in research methodologies and prepares them for professional careers in the arts.
MFA-VA students can enroll in electives across the school and the university that build upon their research interests.
Students also participate in workshops to build essential technical and professional skills.
Exhibition Spaces
The MFA-VA program maintains a regular rhythm of student exhibitions, one every semester. Students also take advantage of opportunities to show their work in WashU exhibition spaces, as well as arts centers, and galleries around the St. Louis region.
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum
- Leading university art museum
- World-class exhibitions of modern and contemporary art
- Includes a study room for students to examine artworks not on view
- Directly adjacent to graduate studio spaces
- Presents MFA thesis exhibition annually
WashU Sam Fox School Gallery
- Presents work by students, faculty, and contemporary artists
- 2,950 square feet of exhibition space
- 2 formal gallery spaces
- less than 1 mile from campus
St. Louis Region
- 4 major art museums
- 2 sculpture parks
- Dozens of galleries and art-run spaces
Socially Engaged Practice and Travel Opportunities
Office for Socially Engaged Practice
MFA-VA students can participate in a variety of courses, fellowships, workshops, projects, and programming—like the Counterpublic Fellowship—offered through the Sam Fox School’s Office for Socially Engaged Practice during the academic year and summer months that meaningfully engage in community-driven work.
WashU MFA in Visual Art Alumni
Support for your artistic journey doesn’t end after graduation. The Sam Fox School at WashU provides alumni-specific grants, residencies, and other opportunities. Our alumni have stablished thriving practices across the country. In their careers as university faculty, gallery and museum curators, leaders of arts organizations, and creative entrepreneurs, they build upon the close relationships formed in the program.
Bahamian-born artist Lavar Munroe’s work has been described as a hybrid medium between painting and relief sculpture.
Sophia Hatzikos earned her MFA in Visual Art from the Sam Fox School at WashU in 2024. In the 2024-25 academic year, she was the second person to hold the school’s Post-MFA Studio Fellowship, which pr
“When I was at WashU, I was always interacting with the community-students, staff and professors in social work, biology, mathematics … it deepened my understanding of the possibility for art to affect different disciplines and vice versa.”
MFA in Visual Art Scholarships & Financial Aid
Paid Assistantships
Assistantships in instruction and/or technical assistantships are awarded to all second-year and some first-year MFA in Visual Art students who are in good academic standing. In addition, a select number of first-year students are awarded assistantships based on the strength and quality of their applications.
MFA in Visual Art Admissions Requirements
Artists working in a variety of disciplines and media are welcome to apply to the MFA in Visual Art program at WashU. Applicants should have completed a BFA or academic equivalent with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and are not required to submit GRE scores for admission. Connect with a graduate recruitment specialist for any questions about applying.
MFA in Visual Art Application
Application opens
September 1
Application fee starts
December 15
Application due
January 10
Materials required
- Transcripts
- Curriculum vitae
- Portfolio
- Statement of objectives
- References
- English test scores (international students only)
- Application fee (free through December 14)
Graduate Recruitment Specialist, Art
Preparing your MFA in Visual Art Portfolio
Students are asked to submit a digital portfolio showing 20 examples of work in the visual arts. The work represented in the portfolio should be a cohesive body of mature work with an original voice. For more information about putting together your portfolio, visit the admissions page, attend an upcoming virtual event, or reach out to us.
As you put together your portfolio, get inspiration from the work of our MFA-VA students.