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• Graduate
  Information
• Admissions
• Academic Advising
• Curriculum
• Finances
• Registration
• Student Activities
• Student Services

Design and Film School Connection

Graduate Design Program

The information below is an overview of the Design Program and its admissions requirements. For additional information and detailed instructions on accessing the online application, preparing your portfolio, admissions criteria, course of study, program costs and financial assistance, as well as information on facilities and resources, please download the following guide:

M.F.A. Design 2010 Admissions and Program Guide (pdf - download adobe reader)

For additional information on funding graduate study in design, please see M.F.A. Design Financial Aid.

Program Description

The Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Design is a two-year, full-time course of study, requiring one summer of classes, in order to complete the 60-credit-hour program. Students are admitted in the fall semester only.

We define design as a complex cultural activity that expresses the ideas and values of society while it contributes to the formulation of those ideas and values. One goal of our program is to encourage designers to use the process of design as a method for understanding their culture and to effectively articulate this understanding to others. Building on each student’s individual base of knowledge, talent, and perspective, we stress the making of artifacts informed through critical thinking, writing, and discussion focused through extensive visual investigations of design, culture, and related subjects. The student initiates research/creative work through a range of projects developed in both structured courses and independent studies with design faculty. Themes of interest are identified and explored through these works. The student is encouraged to pursue the making of objects and systems in relationship to these themes, both directly and tangentially. During a student's course of study, themes of interest will evolve and grow as new work is created.

The transdisciplinary nature of design is reinforced through the curriculum of our M.F.A. in Design. The course of study is structured so that students whose research leads them across disciplinary boundaries may easily incorporate coursework from other departments and schools throughout the university. Up to 30 credit hours of the degree program may be taken in interdisciplinary studies to augment the required 30 credit core design program.

Read about the Division's Design Values (pdf - download adobe reader)

Admissions Requirements

You must submit materials to two separate offices: the Graduate and International Admissions Center (GIAC) and the Design Division of the Department of Art and Art History.

For additional academic information and detailed application instructions, please download the following guide:

M.F.A. Design 2010 Admissions and Program Guide (pdf - download adobe reader)

To Graduate and International Admissions Center (GIAC), you submit:

To the Department of Art and Art History, you submit (in one package):

Contacts

Prospective applicants wishing to visit the graduate Design program should arrange an appointment in advance. Please see Visiting the Department for detailed information.

kt shorb - Graduate Coordinator

ktshorb@mail.utexas.edu
Phone: 512-471-3377
Fax: 512-232-1999
Office: ART 3.320
Campus Mail Code: D1300

Professor Daniel Olsen

d.m.olsen@mail.utexas.edu
Phone: 512–232–1824
Fax: 512-232-1999
Office: ART 1.214
Campus Mail Code: D1300

Information Request Form

Self–Guided Tour Map (pdf - download adobe reader)