Graduate applications are now open at the School of Art at the University of Arkansas for the 2027-2028 academic year. Applications will be accepted through January 15, 2027.
The School of Art, housed in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, has four tuition-free graduate programs and offers graduate assistantships, stipends and scholarships, as well as access to funding for fellowships, research and travel grants and residencies. The school offers over $3.5 million in student support annually, which includes scholarships, conferences, research and travel funding.
As the first graduate-level art education program offered in the state of Arkansas, the M.A. in Art Education is designed for students who are seeking to deepen their knowledge of theory and practice in art education. The program trains art educators to use interdisciplinary, collaborative teaching and research to benefit students across Arkansas and the world. Students will learn the practice of art education across a range of educational sites, such as schools, museums and communities.
The M.A. in Art History, specializing in the study of the Arts of the Americas, boasts a unique formal partnership with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Graduate students have access to internship opportunities, archives, and a network of curators from across the world. The program encourages emerging scholars to reimagine what art history can be through hands-on learning, theme-based curriculum and opportunities for travel where graduate students have previously assisted faculty at statewide symposia and in curatorial projects at the Venice Biennale.
Focusing on graphic and communication design, the Master of Design program prepares designers to build a better world through design and shapes students as designers by preparing them for emerging roles and educating them on designing with accountability. Graduate students have led professional development field trips for undergraduates to local design firms and have worked on design projects with local businesses like Houndstooth Clothing and the City of Fayetteville’s Arts & Culture Division. They have traveled for research projects, working with communities abroad in Bangladesh and Italy, among other countries.
The M.F.A. in Studio Art is designed to give students the space to further hone their craft and to learn rigorous theoretical inquiry, social awareness and research. Studio Art students choose a concentration — ceramics, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking or sculpture + experimental media. Alumni have won prestigious awards such as the Guggenheim Fellowship and the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts Fellowship.
In 2027, the School of Art will add a new facility, the Gallery + Foundations building, which will house new galleries where students can exhibit work, and house the student-run Sugar Gallery which allows for all graduate students to enhance both arts administrative and creative practices.
Applications are open now until January 15, 2027.
Visit art.uark.edu for more information or bring your questions to our School of Art Graduate Information Session at 5:30pm (Central Time) on October 28, 2026.