Call for applications: MFA program in the Department of Art

Non media specific three year program

Set in the striking landscape of the San Bernardino Mountains and in close proximity to Los Angeles’ international art scene, the MFA program in Visual Art at UC Riverside offers an intensive environment of advanced art research and practice for highly motivated students. We provide a theoretically driven curriculum that prioritizes studio production. An explorative and open approach to both traditional and interdisciplinary media encourages students to experiment and pursue their aesthetic ideas in the media that most benefits their practice. MFA students receive beautiful generously-sized studio spaces (350+sq feet with 12 foot walls) and have access to excellent state of the art facilities.

The intimate scale of the program boasts an unusual student-to-faculty ratio of 12 to 8 that allows for deeply engaging interactions with the nationally and internationally exhibiting faculty members. Core to our program is the dynamic visiting lecture series which provides students with the opportunity to engage with internationally recognized artists, curators, and critics through lectures and studio visits, broadening and intensifying the discourse.

Recent visiting artists and critics: Amanda Ross-Ho, Kim Fisher, Kimberli Meyer, Rob Pruitt, Max Maslansky, Anna Sew Hoy, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Bruce Yonemoto, Roy McMakin, Simon Forti, Susan Silton, James Benning, Monica Majoli, Kelly Akashi, Brian Bress, Miljohn Ruperto, Nancy Lupo, Lisa Williamson, B. Wurtz, Guadalupe Rosales, and Rodrigo Valenzuela

Faculty: John Divola, Jim Isermann, Brandon Lattu, Charles Long, Lynne Marsh, Yunhee Min, Amir Zaki, and Anna Betbeze

Funding and teaching assistant opportunities
Successful applicants receive excellent academic financial support through a combination of fellowships, stipends, and fee waivers that offset the cost of fees and tuition for all three years of study. Given today’s climate of escalated cost of higher education in the arts, this is a significant benefit to our highly focused program. Typically, graduate students are appointed a minimum of one teaching assistantship per year and are offered a Gluck fellowship in arts education in local schools.

International students are eligible to receive teaching assistantships, Gluck fellowships, and other departmental awards. The UCR Graduate Division offsets the Nonresident Supplemental Tuition Fee for all international students who complete their MFA degree within the normative time of 3 years. This means that International students are treated in the same way as California residents for funding,  tuition, and fees during their 3-year tenure.

Online information sessions
Prospective applicants are encouraged to attend an online information session to learn more about the MFA program and the application process. Sessions include a virtual tour of the campus facilities and graduate studios as well as an overview of the curriculum, financial aid, and a Q&A with faculty, current MFA students, and recent graduates. Information sessions are offered at the following dates and times. To sign up for a virtual tour, click the link of the date and time of your preferred visit:

October 29, 1:30pm PST with Charles Long
November 9, 1pm PST with Brandon Lattu
November 17, 1pm PST with Anna Betbeze
November 24, 1pm PST with Amir Zaki
December 9, 10am PST with Lynne Marsh

Please see our website for more information and application details, or contact Leslie Paprocki, Graduate Coordinator: leslie.paprocki [​at​] ucr.edu, T 818 457 1622.