The premier graduate program in the U.S. for art criticism studies

• For us, criticism is a way to ask bigger and better questions
• We want students with wide-ranging curiosity about contemporary culture
• Emphasis on the history and current transformations of the image

Get your masters degree in art education at SVA in NYC.

• Develop an educational philosophy while continuing to create personal artwork
• Gain specialized teaching experience through the School of Visual Arts’ innovative children’s program within the New York City community
• Start teaching next fall with our one-year intensive program, or attend part-time with our two-year program

A multidisciplinary approach to a masters in fine arts degree

• Multidisciplinary program that addresses the intellectual, aesthetic, technical and practical concerns of the artist
• Three-year low-residency format combines online coursework with three summers of studio practice in NYC
• Students will engage with artists, designers, curators and others from New York’s art world and beyond

The two-year, 60-credit Master of Professional Studies in Art Therapy program is interdisciplinary in approach and designed to help students understand the relationship between cognition, emotion and behavior, as well as how these areas relate to humanistic art therapy.

• The MPS Art Therapy program is committed to developing students into working professionals, via coursework and a clinical internship program, and to serving the community locally, nationally and internationally.
• In addition to writing a thesis that is clinical in scope, second-year students choose from two unique specialization tracks—Challenged Populations (physical, emotional or mental challenges) or Addictionology (substance abuse and non-drug addictions).
• The program offers numerous opportunities to work with a variety of populations on a short-term basis through a unique Special Programs & Projects component, allowing students to enhance clinical skills and to supplement their training and experience.

The masters in branding offered by the School of Visual Arts is the first program of its kind in the United States.

• Create frameworks to guide brand, design and business development
• Critically evaluate brand, business, marketing and design strategies
• Master the intellectual link between leadership and creativity

The MFA Computer Art Department emphasizes creativity and a multidisciplinary approach to making art with computers and emerging technologies.

• The goal of the program is to develop artists who will produce significant creative work throughout their careers
• The faculty comprises internationally renowned artists, curators, critics, theorists and industry professionals—a who’s who of New York’s art world
• Recently renovated, state-of-the-art facilities; named one of the top ten digital art schools in the world

A one-year, three-semester MA program in critical social theory focused on the arts, including the study of art theory and aesthetics, social history, social theory and the history of art.

• Focal points of the program are the Proseminars on the “The Situation of the Arts: The Level of the Problem” and the Serious Times Lecture Series, which poses the question, “Why doesn’t the United States make social progress?”
• Up to 14 students are selected annually by the Committee on Graduate Admissions.
• Graduates of Critical Theory and the Arts remain ongoing members of the Serious Times Lecture Series and of the program’s intellectual community.

The premier graduate program for designers in New York City

• We emphasize entrepreneurship as an alternative to conventional practice, and as a means to raise the level of design expertise and achievement.
• We teach a broad set of visual, verbal and textual approaches as foundation for design.
• We focus on creation to optimize the designer’s abilities to rise to the next professional level.

The MFA in Design Criticism is one of the only graduate programs of its kind in the U.S.

• Prepare for careers in design research, writing, curating, education and management
• Contribute to the public discourse on design and architecture
• Examine the implications of design practice and its products
• Learn how to write compellingly about images, objects and spaces

The MFA in Design for Social Innovation at the School of Visual Arts is geared toward designers looking for meaningful and engaging work through which they can make a significant contribution to society, as well as for graduates in other disciplines who want to learn to harness the power of design to create positive change and transformation.

• We offer a uniquely holistic approach – at the intersection of design, social innovation and enterprise.
• Our faculty, curriculum, networks and partnerships with Babson, PopTech, Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, etc, keep us connected with the best thinking and practice in the world.
• Students have the opportunity to begin their future the day they are accepted into the program.
• We teach design as a tool for social and environmental impact, not an end in itself.

Earn your graduate degree in digital photography with a one-year, full-time program or through our low-residency option.

• Master digital photography’s latest tools and techniques in this intensive one-year program
• Working professionals comprise the faculty—numerous guest lecturers enhance the technical and creative curriculum
• Available as an online/summer residency or on-campus/summer residency program for a cutting-edge education in current digital photographic practices and aesthetics

Study fashion photography in the fashion capital of New York City.

• One of the few graduate programs specifically devoted to fashion photography
• A program aimed at proficient photographers who want to develop their craft in this genre
• The program utilizes the resources of NYC as a world fashion and media capital

Earn your MFA in Fine Arts in the capital of the art world—New York City.

• Develop artistic self-expression through exploration and experimentation
• The faculty comprises many internationally renowned artists—most prestigious art faculty in New York City
• The visiting artists program—for lectures, studio critiques and visits—invites critics, artists and curators from the City’s diverse art world

SVA is the best choice for earning a graduate degree in illustration.

• Develop your personal vision in our highly selective program
• Classroom-based curriculum, where close interaction between faculty and other classmates is an essential part of the creative process of the program
• New York City’s diverse and celebrated professional world provides mentors, guest lecturers, advisors and faculty

MFA Interaction Design focuses on concepts central to interaction design, design research, human-computer interaction, interface design, graphic design, information architecture and ubiquitous computing.

• Create innovative approaches to human problems
• Develop fluency in prototyping and the practical application of visionary ideas
• Transform entrepreneurial concepts into new products and services

Learn filmmaking in this unique 10-month program chaired by one of the legendary short-film commercial directors, Bob Giraldi.

• Transform an idea into a short film using the latest in digital technology
• Connect with industry professionals: working directors, screenwriters, editors and producers
• A practical, hands-on curriculum where students gain experience in every aspect of short filmmaking

If you’re looking for an MFA photography program, studying in NYC at SVA is the right choice.

• Extensive and innovative courses in all aspects of the lens arts—still and moving
• Understanding the need to create new technologies, new histories, new criticism and professional practices for success in a changing world
• New York City is the creative hub of a worldwide network from which we readily draw our mentors, faculty and lecturers

Products of Design transforms designers, educating head, heart and hands to reinvent systems, create new types of value and catalyze positive change through the business of making.

• An optimistic re-imagining of the artifacts of design, reconciling the challenges of production and consumption, systems and consequence
• Students use a hands-on, making-driven approach to master strategic, technical and narrative skills
• Industry leaders, interdisciplinary practitioners, passionate iconoclasts and savvy entrepreneurs comprise the faculty

The MFA in Social Documentary Film program guides and supports emerging artists to fully explore the social documentary film form.

• Trains students to find innovative ways to examine and communicate the core experiences and events that define us
• Open to qualified students at any level—no filmmaking background required
• A tailored curriculum designed for students to attain artistic and technical fluency in documentary filmmaking

Starting in June 2013, SVA will offer a low-residency program in visual narrative with two years online and three summers in NYC. APPLICATIONS REMAIN OPEN, but we expect application reviews to be completed by 4/17. So, all visual storytellers, please apply by 4/10 to be sure your materials are processed in time. And check out our helpful pdf guide. --Nathan Fox, Chair

• Offers a distinctive and evolutionary approach to storytelling on a graduate level
• Focuses on the growing need for original content creators in advertising, video games, picture books, graphic novels, film, illustration and animation
• Prepares artists and authors to become innovators in the ever-evolving art of visual storytelling