SFAI empowers students to become sentient, thoughtful, discerning members of society. Our courses and disciplines challenge conventions, embrace risk, and push students to discover uncharted artistic terrain. The graduate programs provide the tools you need: one-on-one mentorship, grounding in art history and community, critical and conceptual skills, and collaborative exhibition opportunities. The undergraduate degree trajectory is as individualized as each SFAI artist. Students use the disciplines of Art + Technology, Film, New Genres, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, and Sculpture—in combination with immersive history and critical theory courses—to forge their own pathways of study. Capitalizing on the interdisciplinary nature of SFAI’s curriculum, our undergraduate students create new ways of looking at and living in the world.
For more information about graduate and undergraduate programs, please refer to the Admissions Viewbook here.
Graduate admissions: Apply here.
Accepting applications on a space-available basis for MFA, MA, Dual Degree, Low-Residency, and Post-Baccalaureate programs.
Graduate degrees
MFA: MFA in Studio Art (optional emphasis in: Art + Technology, Film, New Genres, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, and Sculpture)
MA: MA in Art, Place + Public Studies (new) / MA in Exhibition + Museum Studies / MA in History + Theory of Contemporary Art
Dual Degree MA/MFA: MA/MFA in Art, Place + Public Studies/Studio Art (new) / MA/MFA in Exhibitions + Museum Studies/Studio Art / MA/MFA in History + Theory of Contemporary Art/Studio Art
Low-Residency MFA and MA: Low-Residency MFA in Studio Art / Low-Residency MA in History + Theory of Contemporary Art (new)
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Studio Art
Undergraduate admissions: Apply here.
March 15, 2021: Application priority deadline for BFA and BA upper-division transfer students.
Undergraduate degrees
BFA: BFA in Art + Technology / Film / New Genres / Painting / Photography / Printmaking / Sculpture
BA: BA in Art, Place + Public Studies (new) / BA in History + Theory of Contemporary Art
About SFAI
Founded in 1871 by artists and community leaders with a cultural vision for the West, the San Francisco Art Institute—first as a cultural center and then a fine arts college—has produced generations of creative leaders who have challenged convention and shaped the cultural life of the Bay Area, the United States, and the world. SFAI is accredited by the Western Association of Colleges and Schools (WASC) and the National Association of Art and Design (NASAD) and is a member of the Association of Independent Arts and Design Colleges (AICAD).
