Program overview

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.

Curriculum

Applicants to this program come 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, students 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.

Admission requirements

To be considered for admission to the MFA program in woodworking and furniture design, candidates must fulfill the following requirements:

• Hold a baccalaureate degree in a field of arts, sciences, or education from a regionally accredited institution in the United States,
• Demonstrate, through the quality of the undergraduate record and creative production, a genuine, professional potential,
• Submit official transcripts (in English) of all previously completed undergraduate and graduate course work (undergraduate degree should include 75 quarter credit hours [50 semester hours] of studio courses), and
• Complete a graduate application.
• International students, whose native language is not English, must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language. Minimum scores of 550 (paper-based) or 80 (Internet-based) are required. Scores from the International English Language Testing System are accepted in place of the TOEFL. An IELTS score of 6.5 is required. For international students 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.

Additional information

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 those 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.