Sculpture
MFA

We encourage students to discover their identity through their work.

The MFA in Sculpture is a 60-credit, 2- to 3-year program of study specifically designed to prepare students for a professional commitment to their art. The goals of the program focus on working toward the evolution of a personal voice, acquiring historical knowledge of sculpture, understanding the art of various cultures, developing critical skills in looking at art and discussing aesthetic issues.

Graduates are prepared for numerous career choices within the field of sculpture. Students who complete the program have developed a clarity of thinking and a process of personal expression that will allow them to assume the roles in society of artist as practitioner, artist as educator, and artist as interpreter of their times.

Academic courses in art history, critical theory, philosophy, and a broad complement of University offerings support the cultivation of the student's intellectual and aesthetic maturation.

Student success

Ellery Ekleberry MFA '23

Displaying her work primarily as installations full of vivid color and bright patterns, Ekleberry responds to physical space and creates other-worldly atmospheres inspired by a desire to understand empathy.

UMassD advantages

Pursue your MFA at UMassD

Assistantships: provide stipends, tuition waivers, fee reductions
Exhibition opportunities: local, regional, and on campus
Faculty: involved in scholarly, creative, and professional projects
Individualized attention extended to every student
Interdisciplinary projects and committees are encouraged
Location: an hour from Providence, Boston, and Cape Cod
New Bedford: an active downtown arts community
University education: access to faculty in other fields
Visiting artists: enrich your artistic and professional development
Visual Resources Center: more than 150,000 archived images
Workspaces: assigned to each graduate student

A limited number of assistantships are available on a competitive basis. This award is subject to the work needs of the position and department, your satisfactory performance of duties, your academic record, and availability of funds, and may be subject to change.

Learn more about assistantships at UMass Dartmouth

Graduate admissions requirements

University requirements for graduate admissions

Submit an application via the online portal. Be sure to provide your full legal name and to capitalize the first letter of all proper nouns.
Pay non-refundable $60 application fee (American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa) via the online portal. For Nursing applicants, the non-refundable application fee is $75.
Statement of Purpose, minimum 300 words. Unless otherwise indicated in the program requirement details, indicate your graduate study objectives, research interests and experience, and business or industry experience if applicable. If you are applying for a teaching or research assistantship, include any special skills or experience that would assist us in making assistantship decisions.
Resume
Transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended (regardless of whether a credential is earned or not). Unofficial transcripts are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled a final official transcript is required. International students applying with an transcript evaluation, please submit that document with your unofficial transcripts. International applicants for Data Science must submit semester-by-semester transcripts as well as consolidated transcripts.
Many programs have specific recommendations/requirements, please see the additional program-specific requirements for more information.
International students: official TOEFL iBT, IELTS, Pearson PTE or Duolingo (if accepted by program) score. Unofficial scores are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled official scores are required and must be sent by the testing agency (copies/scans not accepted). This is required of any applicant who did not earn a bachelor’s degree or higher degree from an accredited academic institution in the U.S. or accepted English-speaking country, see exemptions for more details. We require an overall/total minimum score of 72 on the TOEFL iBT or BAND 6.0 on the IELTS or a 52 on the Pearsons PTE Academic for entrance to any program and a minimum score of 79 on the TOEFL iBT or BAND 6.5 on the IELTS for consideration for a teaching assistantship. Some programs require higher minimum scores (see program-specific requirements). Most programs also accept the Duolingo with a minimum score of 95. The following programs do not accept the Duolingo: Art Education, Biology/Marine Biology, Marine Science and Technology (MS, PSM, PhD), Nursing (MS, DNP, PhD), Psychology: Clinical, and Public Policy.
All official documents are required for enrollment, please have documents (ie. test scores) sent prior to the expiration.

Program-specific requirements

Candidates must submit the required application materials, university requirements and program-specific requirements, for consideration.

Portfolio of 20 images representing your artwork, process of thinking, implementation of concepts, and studio production. The portfolio is the equivalent of the entrance examinations which other academic areas often require. Submit your portfolio to: SlideRoom.
2 letters of recommendation. Applicants will be required to provide the recommenders name and email address so we can contact the recommender for the letter of recommendation.

Program deadlines