Congratulations! We are very pleased that you are considering joining us!
Weitzman's Open House for admitted students will take place on April 8, 2024. To preregister and see the schedule of events, please visit our Graduate Admissions Spring Open House page.
The Weitzman School is accepting a small number of applicants for the Master of Fine Arts program for fall 2024 enrollment because we will begin renovations to the new Weitzman Hall in the summer of 2024 with expected completion for the fall of 2025.
Below you will find information that might be useful as you consider this important decision. If you have any questions or would like any additional information, please contact us at 215-898-8374 or lbogner@design.upenn.edu. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
University of Pennsylvania MFA Program
The MFA curriculum at Penn unites graduate students with a diverse faculty whose research spans the disciplines of visual art. Students extend their conceptual strategies while inventing and then refining hybridized forms of traditional art making methods. In addition to seminars within the Fine Arts department, graduate students are encouraged to pursue topics of science and the humanities through an impressive selection of courses offered across the university. Each year, students in the program participate in exhibitions across campus and attend lectures at the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute of Contemporary Art in preparation for a career in the arts that reaches the public through multiple channels of engagement.
MFA Curriculum
The MFA coursework requires eleven credit units of Graduate Studio and eight credit units of electives. Of the eight elective courses, two are graduate seminars, two are taken outside of the Fine Arts Department, the remaining four courses may be taken either in Fine Arts or anywhere in the university. Each candidate works with an advisor to select courses that will best support the development of their research and artwork. Additional requirements a thesis statement and a thesis exhibition. For more information on the courses see our curriculum page.
Research Opportunities & Professional Development
Fine Arts offers numerous research, residency and engagement opportunities to graduate students in the arts. These include the professional development & travel research funding, and upon acceptance, the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.
Each year, a select group of our students are hired as lecturers in contemporary art at the ICA; a position that allows them to work with the program curator at the Institute for Contemporary Art. The department also works in concert with the Arthur Ross Gallery, the Common Press, and the Penn Library system to develop unique research, curatorial, and outreach opportunities for students. In addition, the Travel Abroad Studio courses in Weitzman School extend the classroom into diverse locations around the world.
Teaching Opportunities
For those graduate students who have an interest in developing their teaching experience while working on their degree, the department offers all incoming graduate students a Teaching Assistantship in the first year. Depending on student performance, interest, and the availability of positions, additional assignments may follow. Teaching Assistants are rewarded with a stipend of up to $3,000 per semester.
There are also opportunities for MFA students to teach undergraduate fine art foundation level courses in drawing, painting, photography, video and sculpture during the Summer, Fall or Spring semesters of their second year. An MFA student must apply to teach one of these courses and applicants will be reviewed in terms of their qualifications to teach these courses. Remuneration would include a $6,000 stipend.