Art and Design

Master of Fine Arts

The two-year M.F.A. curriculum at the Stamps School is designed for artists and designers whose current creative practice actively engages fields of inquiry beyond the cultures of art and design. It integrates creative work with academic research, international study with regional community engagement, and theoretical grounding with skills development. All M.F.A. students are required to reach beyond the cultures of art and design to develop robust engagements with one or more fields of knowledge and inquiry at the University of Michigan. Within this framework, the program offers two tracks — scholarly or studio-focused – to meet the individual needs and interests of students.

Admission: Applicants must have a bachelors degree, demonstrate an ability to carry out creative work, and must show evidence for an interest in interdisciplinary work, a strong educational background, and substantive life experience to draw upon in charting new directions for creative work.

Minimum Number of Credits Required: 60 credit hours.

Specific Course Requirements: The 60 hours of graduate study generally requires two years of full-time study in residence. The M.F.A. degree requirements are as follows:

• 30 credits in studio practice
• 9 credits in elective courses
• 12 credits in seminar courses within the School of Art and Design
• 6 credits in History/Theory/Criticism
• 3 credits for International Project

Master of Design

The Stamps M.Des. is a two-year, project-centered program intended to immerse students in the principles, research methods and creative processes of Integrative Design. Throughout their study, M.Des. students work both independently and collectively, focusing on real world problems and enabling collaborative experiences that model future work environments.

Each cohort of students enters the program as part of an umbrella design project. Within this larger project, students are expected to provide individual contributions to the project’s goal in ways that combine inquiry, investigation, and creative work. Each member of the M.Des. cohort has the opportunity to approach the project from a perspective that is of particular interest to them and that contributes to the project as a whole.

Admission: Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree, and be either experienced designers wishing to transform their career path or professionals in other fields who want to transition to a design-engaged practice. They must be interested in a collaborative, designerly approach to solving complex problems, proficient in specialized skills they would like to incorporate into an integrative process; and prepared to revise and expand their understanding of research, design methods and design practices.

Minimum Number of Credits Required: 60 credit hours.

Specific Course Requirements: The 60 hours of graduate study requires two years of full-time study in residence. The M.Des. degree requirements are as follows:

• 18 credits in design studio
• 3 credits in research methods
• 9 credits in design seminar
• 12 credits in elective courses
• 6 credit in fieldwork
• 3 credits in thesis preparation
• 9 credits in thesis project

• Applicants complete a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association; or Complete an international degree that is equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree from a college or university recognized and approved by the Ministry of Education or Commission responsible for higher education in the country where the degree is earned. 
• Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate English proficiency. Applicants are required to provide an official score report. Photocopies and/or faxes of English proficiency scores will not be accepted. IELTS 6.5, IBT TOEFL 85
• Transcripts
• Application Fee and Payment
• Statements and Curriculum Vitae or Resume
• Letters of Recommendation

Scholarships

• Rackham International Student Fellowship