Visual and Performing Arts Programs
Welcome to the College of Visual & Performing Arts at UMass Dartmouth, where our programs are designed to ignite your creativity and prepare you for a vibrant career in the arts. Whether you're interested in animation, design, music, or another artistic field, our dedicated faculty and state-of-the-art facilities will help you achieve your goals. Join a community of passionate artists and start your journey with us today.
Earn your degree in animation: The BFA for animation and game arts integrates digital art, technology, animation, multimedia, 2D/3D design, web design, and virtual reality.
Centered on studio practice, the art education major is a professional degree that prepares you for elementary or secondary school teaching and other learning environments.
Earn your masters in art education online: the MAE Master of Art Education program provides educational opportunities for experienced professionals and novices in art education.
Major in art history. Explore art, architecture, and culture. Develop your visual skills. Prepare for careers in appraisal, museums, conservation, management, and more.
Pursue further study in Artisanry with the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate (PBC) program at UMass Dartmouth. Develop your studio skills and prepare for professional practice or MFA degree programs.
The graduate certificate in Artisanry is a one-year, online, 9 credit program for students who want to extend their learning by focusing on studio development.
UMass Dartmouth offers a comprehensive Ceramics MFA program. Explore the technical and conceptual challenges of ceramics through concentrated studio work. Learn more!
Develop in various design fields, including illustration, graphic design, animation, and game arts.
The MFA in Digital Media at UMass Dartmouth is a 60-credit, 2- to 3-year program of study, encouraging students to explore visual communication in a broad sense.
A minor in Drawing offers professional, studio-based training in the arts. Learn fundamental skills and contemporary practices through courses in representation, human figure, architecture, perspective, mixed media, abstraction, time-based media, installation, and more.
Immerse yourself in the world of drawing with the Drawing MFA program at UMass Dartmouth. Develop your technical skills, explore contemporary concepts, and advance your personal vision.
As a fashion design major, you’ll focus your creativity, develop technical skills, and prepare for careers in apparel design, manufacturing, and the retailing industry.
The MFA in Artisanry - Fibers is a 60 credit, 2- to 3-year program of study: an opportunity for concentrated studio work in two- or three-dimensional structures, garments, costume, functional or non-functional work.
The minor in film & media studies at UMass Dartmouth explores historical contexts, theoretical perspectives, and social and political questions surrounding film, photography, animation, and new media.
For the minor in fine arts at UMass Dartmouth, you’ll select courses from drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture within the Art and Design Department.
The graduate certificate in Fine Arts is a one-year, 9 credit program for artists who have earned a BFA or BA and seek immersion in an academic/studio environment, to prepare to apply to graduate school or to launch a professional career.
Earn a BFA in Graphic Design at UMass Dartmouth and prepare for a career in visual communication. Develop professional skills and a diverse portfolio.
The Visual Design MFA in Graphic Design is a 60-credit, two- to three-year program of study, encouraging students to explore traditional, time-based, and interactive media.
Your studies will focus on the understanding and application of meaning as it applies to visual communication. You'll explore the art of telling a story through images.
The Visual Design MFA in Illustration at UMass Dartmouth is a 60-credit, 2- to 3-year program of study that encourages students to attain higher levels of personal artistic development.
A minor in Art + Design: Integrated Studio Arts is designed for art and design students interested in developing and combining skills across the visual arts.
Prepare for a career in interior design with a BS in Interior Architecture + Design. The interior design major offers state-of-the-art design technology, interior design internships, and opportunities to build your portfolio.
The BA in Music provides opportunities for intensive study in applied music, performance, the history of music, music education, theory, and music from diverse cultures including jazz and world music.
CVPA’s Music Education program is approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education, leading to the Initial License to teach. It takes a global approach to music education, emphasizes instrumental and vocal training, and prepares you to conduct student ensembles.
The music performance concentration is designed to meet the needs of students who are interested in pursuing graduate studies in music, performance careers, conducting, or teaching in private studios.
A minor in Art + Design: Painting offers a professional, studio-based education with a focus on fundamental skills and contemporary practices: form, color, space, concept development, the human figure, mixed media, abstraction, and installation.
Discover the 2- to 3-year MFA in Painting program at UMass Dartmouth, offering assistantships, exhibition opportunities, and interdisciplinary projects to support your artistic and professional development.
Develop your vision and technical expertise using still and moving imagery. Students explore analog and digital techniques of photographic imagery and obtain a critical vocabulary and awareness of how images function in the world.
The Visual Design MFA in Photography is a 60-credit, 2- to 3-year program with a focus on new technologies and design theory. Students advance in their professional practice and attain a high level of artistic development.
The MFA in Printmaking is a 60-credit, 2- to 3-year program that advances your artistic growth, develops your creative vision, and challenges you to explore the interdependence of idea to medium. The MFA signifies an artist's ability to work independently and with distinction.
Study sculpture at UMass Dartmouth's College of Visual & Performing Arts and explore the limitless possibilities of 3D art-making approaches and genres.
The MFA in Sculpture is a 60-credit, 2- to 3-year program designed to prepare students for a professional commitment to their art and the evolution of a personal voice. Advance your development as an artist, practitioner, educator, and interpreter of our times.
Discover your creative potential with a BFA in Art & Design: studio arts at UMass Dartmouth, offering a comprehensive education in the visual arts and focuses in drawing, painting, and sculpture.
If you are undecided about your major in the studio arts, you can select Studio Arts Undeclared and take the opportunity explore CVPA’s many studio options during your first semester.