University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Department of Art
4505 S. Maryland Parkway
Box 5002
Las Vegas, NV 89154
The Department of Art at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) invites applicants for our Master of Fine Arts degree program, entering fall 2015. Full fellowships plus stipend are awarded upon matriculation for the duration of our three-year program.
The UNLV MFA is a research-based studio art program that uses a tutorial and seminar system as the primary basis for instruction. Graduate students come in direct contact with a diverse art/art history faculty whose work engages a variety of media, including site-based installation, sculpture, ceramics, photography, painting, and printmaking.
Degree requirements
60 credit hours are required to complete the Masters of Fine Arts degree in Art. MFA candidates are full-time students, expected to enroll in a minimum of ten credits each semester.
In their second year semester, candidates conceive and execute midway exhibitions for evaluation by each candidate’s Graduate Committee. A successful midway exhibition permits each candidate to progress to the third year, which culminates in a solo exhibition, a thesis paper, and a comprehensive evaluation.
Students enrolled in the UNLV MFA program gain wide exposure to the professional activities of practicing artists today. Through teaching, research, or curatorial/collections assistantships, students graduate with extensive professional experience that translates into art instruction at the university level, continued professional studio practice, and/or a variety of roles in curatorial, arts administration, or cultural programming professions.
Las Vegas and the region
A diverse and dynamic metropolitan region home to 1.5 million people, Las Vegas hosts a growing collection of innovative institutions and art spaces, including UNLV’s Marjorie Barrick Museum, the Cosmopolitan’s P3P studio, as well as the vibrant galleries of our Arts District. Our campus studios are located minutes from both the Las Vegas Strip and the stunning surrounding desert environment, including Death Valley National Park, Michael Heizer’s Double Negative, and the Nevada Test Sites bombing range.Students are welcome and encouraged to make use of this unique and fascinating historical setting throughout their MFA careers.
Visiting Artist lecture series
Past visitors have included Robert Irwin, Vito Acconci, Trevor Paglen, Lyn Foulkes, Matt Coolidge, James Casebere, James Elkins, Richard Prince, Amy Siegel, John Baldessari, Jeff Koons, Siah Armajani, George Trakas, Josiah McIlheny, Doug Wheleer
For more information on our program and application process, visit our website.
Noted Art department alumni include Tim Bavington, Tamara Scronce, Sean Russell, Jane Callister, Mike Ogilvie, Victoria Reynolds, Philip Argent, Sush Machida Gaikotsu, Aaron Sheppard, China Adams, David Ryan, Brian Porray, Scott Grow, and Gajin Fujita
About the College of Fine Arts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
The College of Fine Arts serves as the primary artistic and cultural resource for the citizens of the State of Nevada and is located in Las Vegas, a unique, dynamic center of American popular culture. The College of Fine Arts provides a creative, professional education for its students at the highest academic standards. The College prepares students for professional employment in the fine arts, performing arts and design, and equips students to creatively engage in the physical, intellectual and cultural world around them. In addition to mastering the rudiments of their discipline, students are exposed to emerging opportunities/collaborations that encourage entrepreneurship, enhance their careers and benefit the economy and culture of Nevada.
