School for American Crafts
Master of Fine Arts
The MFA is a professional degree for practicing artists, craftspeople, or designers who desire to leave a lasting impression on their fields by devotion to their work and high standards of discipline and artistic ideals. The MFA is generally a two-year, full-time program that involves the presentation of a thesis. The thesis includes written documentation and the formal exhibition of a body of work.
| MFA in American Crafts | Qtr. Cr. Hrs. |
| Major | 42 |
| Humanities | 10 |
| Graduate Forum | 3 |
| Electives (optional minor) | 15 (18) |
| Thesis | 18 |
| Total | 90 |
Studio residence program
The School for American Crafts offers a craft residence program. Participants are accepted in the ceramics, glass, metals, and wood studios.
Residence positions are limited and are awarded after the review of all applicants’ portfolios, transcripts, and references. An interview is required. Accepted studio residents are required to register for at least two credits of independent study during every quarter of residence. These two credits can be taken as an audit, thus reducing the tuition cost to the resident.
Accepted residents are expected to be present in their assigned studio during class hours and to contribute up to 10 hours of work per week in the main studio. These work hours will be coordinated and overseen by the major faculty in the area. In exchange, the school will provide workspace, access to facilities, and supportive instruction. The resident is invited to participate in the full range of studio activities.
Participants may be people seeking additional studio experience prior to undergraduate or graduate study, early career professionals or teachers on leave who wish to work again in an academic studio environment. The major faculty in the area will make decisions concerning appropriate candidates.
Inquiries should be made to the Residence Program, College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, School for American Crafts, Rochester Institute of Technology, 73 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5603.
Admission requirements
Applicants should hold a baccalaureate degree in a field of arts, sciences, or education from a regionally accredited institution in the United States. Applicants should demonstrate, through the quality of the undergraduate record and creative production, a genuine, professional potential. (Please see section regarding nonmatriculated students.) The undergraduate degree should include 75 quarter credit hours (50 semester hours) in studio courses.
International students need a minimum score of 550 (paper-based) or 80 (Internet-based) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language. An IELTS overall band score of 6.5 will also be accepted. Those coming from countries where the baccalaureate degree is not given for programs in the practice of art may be admitted to graduate study if the diploma or certificate received approximates the standards of the BFA, BA, or BS degrees, and if their academic records and portfolios indicate an ability to meet graduate standards.
Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics
The ceramics studio embraces the contemporary spectra of aesthetic ideas and innovative techniques to educate and train professional artists/craftspeople. It strives to support students’ career goals with pragmatic information and suitable facilities and equipment.
Our structured courses address specific issues inherent to utilitarian pottery, vessel aesthetics, ceramics sculpture, and mixed media. The ceramics program also receives substantial reinforcement from the other craft studios because they, too, explore similar formats and concerns that face artists and craftspeople in the 21st century.
Master of Fine Arts in Glass
This two-year program is structured on the basis of individual needs, interests, and professional preparation, as may be determined through individual/group discussions. A rapid series of exploratory works is developed during the first year, with emphasis on broadening technical and aesthetic understanding. The second year’s focus will be on developing a body of work based on a sustained interest from the first year’s investigation. The final work must be supported by a written thesis, a high-quality portfolio, and an exhibition.
Master of Fine Arts in Metals
This program is structured on the basis of individual needs, interests, and background preparation, as may be determined through faculty counseling. The program gives the student a broad exposure to metal working techniques, expands the student’s knowledge of applied design, strengthens perceptual and philosophical concepts, and develops an individual mode of expression. This sequence leads to the master’s thesis, inaugurated by the student and overseen by the faculty.
Master of Fine Arts in Wood
This program leads to the MFA degree in the studio arts. Men and women come to the program from diverse backgrounds such as architecture, interior design, industrial design, art history, law, and teaching, as well as undergraduate wood programs. In the first year, students identify issues in their technical and aesthetic background and, along with faculty, create a program of study to address these areas. Simultaneously, they discover directions in their work that are promising for further exploration. Based upon this experience, they develop a thesis proposal and, in the second year, create a comprehensive body of work. This work culminates in the end-of-the-year graduate thesis exhibition in the college gallery and a written thesis in support of the work.