MFA in Art and Social Practice

The Art & Social Practice MFA Program at SHSU is now welcoming applications for entry in August 2023. The priority deadline is March 1, 2023. The three-year MFA program supports artists who wish to expand their studio practice by engaging with interdisciplinary, collaborative, and community-based strategies of artmaking. It is designed to prepare students for the demands of professional life as a contemporary artist working in realms of the personal, social, and political. Students have opportunities to develop an interdisciplinary studio practice and to create projects with community partners, collaborate, and exhibit and publish their work.

Assistantships and scholarships
First year students are awarded graduate assistantships working in studios and labs with undergraduate students or assisting in the University Art Gallery. After completing a seminar in University Teaching Methods and 18 hours of course work, MFA students are offered teaching assistantships in the undergraduate foundation program.

Scholarships are available from the University, the College of Arts and Media, and the Department of Art. Out of state students may be eligible for in state tuition. The assistantships and scholarships offered offset the cost of tuition and make SHSU’s MFA a very affordable program.

Facilities
MFA students are provided with individual private studios in the Natural Science and Art Research Center (NSARC). The NSARC is located off campus, near downtown Huntsville in the former Huntsville High School building. The 1937 building was renovated in 2021 to include graduate studios, galleries, and community meeting rooms for students to conduct classes, workshops, and meet with community organizations. The building also houses SHSU’s collection of Natural History specimens and museum. MFA students also have access to and use of the facilities in the new 75000 sq. ft. Dana G. Hoyt Fine Arts Building. Built in 2019, the Hoyt Art Building has state of the art ventilation, studios, equipment, and digital labs for sculpture, photography, printmaking, animation, and graphic design.

Visiting artists
National and international professional artists are invited to exhibit, lecture, and conduct studio visits with MFA students in the Department of Art every semester. In addition, MFA students will connect with leading curators, socially engaged artists, and art institutions in nearby Houston, Texas. 

Application
For more information on the program, available scholarships, and how to apply online, visit here. Or contact Rebecca Finley, Professor of Art & Graduate Coordinator bfinley [​at​] shsu.edu, T +1 936 294 3418 with questions.