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Master of Fine Arts
A two-year program administered in collaboration with the Graduate School, the Master of Fine Arts is a professional degree in the practice of art preparing students to pursue careers as professional artists. The opportunity to gain experience as a teaching assistant is available on a competitive basis. Applicants must hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts, or equivalent, from an accredited school. The intended area of primary interest must be indicated and the applicant must provide 20 images or videos of recent work. Transfer work applicable to the M.F.A. degree must have been completed within five years of the date of application. Supplemental applications are available at roski.usc.edu.
Supplemental applications and related materials should be sent directly to: Graduate Programs, Roski School of Fine Arts, Watt Hall 104, University of Southern California, University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0292. Applicants wishing to have their portfolios returned should include a stamped, self-addressed envelope or mailing container.
Program Requirements
At least 48 units are required for the Master of Fine Arts, to be distributed as follows: FA 515 Visiting Artist Forum, 6 units, FA 520 Individual Studies, max 16 units; FA 555 Seminar in Art Theory and Criticism, 8 units; FA 550 Seminar: Contemporary Issues, 4 units; FA 551 Fine Art and Interdisciplinary Studies, 8 units; 400 or 500-level electives outside of Fine Arts, 4 units; 594abz Master's Thesis, 4 units.Master of Fine Arts students are evaluated by faculty during reviews held near the end of each semester. Before a student is recommended for the Master of Fine Arts, a comprehensive review of past work and professional goals is held. An exhibition of work at the end of the course of study and a written thesis, documented with visual material, complete the Master of Fine Arts program. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 on all graduate work is required for the Master of Fine Arts degree.
Complete details can be found in the Roski School of Fine Arts Graduate Studio Guidelines, obtainable upon admission to the program.
Master of Public Art Studies
The Master of Public Art Studies program is a two-year master's degree program administered by the Roski School of Fine Arts in collaboration with the Graduate School. The program is designed to prepare students to pursue careers in the organization of art projects and exhibitions situated in the public spaces of cities and other environments (as curators or administrators working in museums, alternative spaces, municipal organizations and other cultural contexts), or as critics, writers and scholars whose focus is the public realm and public space. The program is a laboratory for rethinking the role of art in the public sphere and analyzing the impact of artistic engagements in social space, with a focus upon both the theoretical and practical challenges facing artists, curators, organizers, administrators, critics, theorists and others who seek to re-imagine the public sphere and public space. Immersed in a cross-disciplinary curriculum, students utilize readings from art history, architectural history, urbanism, social theory and other disciplines, and engage in a curatorial/organizational practicum, cultivating the necessary balance of intellectual and organizational skill sets.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the Master of Public Art Studies program is granted through the USC Office of Graduate Admission, which receives and processes all applications, evaluates credentials and issues notification letters. The Master of Public Art Studies program, in conjunction with the Roski School of Fine Arts, establishes and monitors the standards under which students are admitted, in tandem with the USC Office of Graduate Admission.Requirements for admission are:
- A Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Fine Arts degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university comparable in standards to that awarded at USC;
- A 3.0 overall GPA;
- Three letters of recommendation;
- Writing samples.
Thesis Requirements
A master's thesis committee comprises three members: the director of the program, a primary reader and a secondary reader. The thesis committee is established and contingent upon satisfactory completion of the second semester's course work. Advancement to candidacy will be determined by the director of the program, in consultation with other faculty.Program Requirements
A minimum of 36 units, taken during a two-year period, is required, to be distributed as follows:| First Year, Fall | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| PAS 549 | Methodologies of Art Writing | 2 |
| PAS 555a | Practicum | 1 |
| PAS 561 | Organizational Models | 2 |
| PAS 571 | Histories of Art in the Public Sphere | 3 |
| 8 | ||
| First Year, Spring | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| PAS 555b | Practicum | 2 |
| PAS 562 | Curatorial Methods and Institutional Programming | 2 |
| PAS 572 | Contemporary Art in the Public Sphere | 3 |
| PAS 581 | Critical Conversations | 3 |
| 10 | ||
| Second Year, Fall | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| PAS 550 | Art, Communities, and Global Publics | 2 |
| PAS 555c | Practicum | 2 |
| PAS 585 | Theorizing the Public Realm | 3 |
| PAS 594a | Master's Thesis | 2 |
| Elective | 2 | |
| 11 | ||
| Second Year, Spring | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| PAS 555d | Practicum | 1 |
| PAS 591 | Field Internship Experience | 1 |
| PAS 594b | Master's Thesis | 2 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| 7 | ||