The Master of Fine Arts degree in the ASU School of Art is offered for advanced study in the following areas: ceramics, drawing/painting, fibers, interdisciplinary digital technology, intermedia, metals, photography, printmaking, sculpture and wood.

Application deadline

Applications will be available in September and the deadline for completed applications is January 15.

Application requirements

To be eligible for the program, you must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA.

You must apply to the ASU Graduate Education as well as submit additional materials directly to SlideRoom.

The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is not required for the MFA program.

Applying To ASU Graduate Education

You must apply to ASU Graduate Education in addition to sending supplemental application materials to the School of Art. Review ASU Graduate Education requirements and apply through the Graduate Education website.

Official transcripts

Send one set of official transcripts from every college and university from which a bachelor's degree or higher was earned to the Graduate Education Admissions office.

Mailing address:
Arizona State University
Graduate Admission Services
PO Box 871003
Tempe, AZ 85287-1003

Letters of recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required from faculty with whom you have studied or from recognized professionals in the field. Please follow the instructions for letters of recommendation and submit the names and email addresses with your application online to Graduate Education.

Materials for the School of Art

The preferred method for submission of your portfolio and supplementary materials is online via SlideRoom. Please follow the instructions on this website for submission of your official supplemental application materials. For technical assistance, visit the SlideRoom support website.

• Portfolio: Applicants may upload images (jpg), video (mp4, mov, wmv), music (mp3) or PDF documents. For good image quality and fast upload, your image files should be sized with a maximum dimension of 1,024 pixels. Video files must be under 60MB each. Please follow the instructions and submit via SlideRoom.
• Statement of intent: The statement of intent should address the applicant’s artistic interests, reasons for applying to graduate school in general and the ASU School of Art in particular as well as professional goals. It should not exceed 1,000 words. Please follow the instructions and submit via SlideRoom.
• C.V. or resume: Please follow the instructions and submit via SlideRoom.

Additional information

International Students 
Please refer to international student information on the ASU Graduate Education website.

Transfer credit
A limited number of transfer credits taken prior to admission (or after admission) to the MA in art education program may be included in your program of study. Transfer credits are not included among the classes leading to the 15 hour review.

Regular admission
If you qualify under regular admissions, you have no conditions to meet and are eligible for assistantships and scholarships. The minimum number of hours for an assistantship is six and the minimum number of hours for a scholarship is nine.

Regular Admission with deficiencies
If your grades, test scores or portfolio are at an acceptable level but do not have the undergraduate background expected by the academic unit and the university, you may be required to complete courses to remedy deficiencies. In such cases the letter of admission specifies the courses that must be completed before you are awarded a graduate degree. In the School of Art these courses must be completed with a grade of B or better during the first year of study. Any extension beyond one year must have the approval of the temporary advisor and the chair of the graduate studio committee. Deficiency hours may not be applied toward the minimum hours required for the degree program.

Provisional admission
If you do not meet minimum academic standards, but have counterbalancing evidence to suggest the potential for success may be admitted on a provisional basis. You will be reviewed by area faculty following 12 hours of graduate study, at which time the School of Art will recommend to Graduate Education either a change to regular admission or withdrawal from the program.