Overview
The School of Art at Washington University in St. Louis is a professional art school within a major university. The rich tradition of intensive art study informed by intellectual interchange within a liberal arts and scientific research community began in 1879. Students have studied here under internationally recognized artists including Max Beckman and Siegfried Reinhardt and now with prominent contemporary artists including Pat Schuchard and Michael Byron in painting, Ron Fondaw in ceramics, Ron Leax and Denise Ward-Brown in sculpture, Joan Hall in printmaking and Stan Strembicki and Richard Krueger in photography. The University enrolls about 11,000 from all 50 states and more than 100 nations; about half are graduate students at either the Hilltop or Medical campuses. The School of Art enrolls about 400, with twenty graduate students studying painting, ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, or photography.

The Community
St. Louis, Missouri, is a major metropolitan area on the Mississippi River offering everything from a major symphony orchestra, a world class zoo and art museum to a major amusement park, scenic bike trails, and nearby rivers for float trips. The University borders Forest Park, one of the largest urban parks in the nation, at the interchange of suburban and urban living and culture. Lambert International Airport is minutes from the campus. Housing for students is available on campus and in nearby apartments within walking distance or campus shuttle. Five blocks from the Hilltop campus, the Loop district offers a range of international dining experiences as well as entertainment venues, trendy shops and even a farmer’s market with fresh produce.

Programs of study and degree requirements
The School of Art offers a 60-credit master’s degree in studio art in painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking/drawing or photography. The residence requirement for the M.F.A.degree is at least two academic years of full-time study with a minimum of 12 credits each semester. Students must complete 44 credits in their major as well as 4 credits of graduate seminar the first year and 3 credits of thesis preparation the final semester. Students must have a combined total of 18 credits in art history and/or related courses completed at the undergraduate and graduate level to fulfill the M.F.A. degree requirements. Electives may be academic or studio courses. Students develop individual programs with the Director of Graduate Studies and may pursue innovative interdisciplinary study plans–individual interests create the curriculum.

Facilities & Resources
Current facilities are in the newly remodeled Bixby Hall as well as the Lewis Center and Vernon graduate studios. The new Visual Art and Design Center will soon bring together the University Schools of Art, Architecture and Art History as well as the Art and Architecture Library and Steinberg Gallery in state of the art facilities designed by Pritzker prize-winning architect Fumihiko Maki. Research facilities include the 80,000 volume Art and Architecture Library within the University’s 2.5 million volume system. Resources include the extensive art collection of the Washington University Gallery of Art. Intellectual resources include interdisciplinary studies across many fields, some with nobel laureates studying and teaching on campus.

Expenses and Aid
The annual graduate tuition cost for academic year is $28,546, with all students receiving varying amounts of financial aid including grants, assistantships, summer teaching opportunities and loans.

The cost of living in St. Louis is relatively low; apartment rentals vary but can cost $430 for a one-bedroom or $800 for three bedrooms within walking distance to campus and many are on the campus shuttle bus route as well.

How to Apply
Application materials are available from: Graduate Studies, School of Art, Washington University in St. Louis, Campus Box 1031, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63130-4899. Application materials include: (1) application form, (2) official transcripts of all post-secondary academic and art studies, (3) 20 slides of work submitted in a slide sheet representing the applicant’s choice of major and artistic direction and video, disk or CD (if appropriate), (4) slide identification sheet, (5) resume, (6) 3 letters of recommendation from instructors and/or professionals familiar with the applicant’s work, (7) written statement of objectives for graduate study that includes whatever personal information is pertinent, (8) $75 application fee payable to Washington University, School of Art, (9) self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of slides. Application deadline is February 1.

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