
Why Pursue a Fine Arts Master's Degree
UTSA is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The objective of the MFA is to provide advanced study in the field of art in preparation for a career as a practicing artist, in higher education, or as a professional in other art enterprise. A small graduate program size allows for more student-faculty contact, resulting in a more personalized and intensive experience. The UTSA Art Department faculty all have outstanding exhibition records as part of major museum collections. Students explore a myriad of mediums and styles, and have the full resources of the art faculty and facilities to reach their artistic potential.
Area Concentrations



Admission & Application Requirements
Applications are submitted through the UTSA Graduate Application. Please upload all required documents (listed below) on your UTSA Graduate Application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure completion and submission of the application, a nonrefundable application fee, and all required supporting documents are on file with UTSA by the appropriate application deadline.
Art (MFA) | ||
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Required Degree | Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in the United States or have proof of equivalent training at a foreign institution. | |
Minimum GPA | 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) Departments may consider GPA of last 60 semester credit hours | |
Coursework | 18 credit hours in an area related to this graduate degree and at least 12 hours must be at the upper-division level. | |
Transcripts* | Required from all institutions attended; international transcripts must be recorded/translated to English | |
Credential Evaluation | Required if you have earned university-level credit from foreign institutions. Submit an evaluation of your transcripts from Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) directly from the graduate admission application platform | |
English Language Proficiency | 550 TOEFL Paper / 79 TOEFL Internet / 6.5 IELTS / Duolingo 100 | |
Purpose Statement | Required | |
Letters of Recommendation | 3 academic or professional reference(s) demonstrating your attributes for successful completion of this program (you will request these through the Graduate Admissions Application; let your recommenders know of your deadline to ensure submissions are on time) | |
Portfolio | Required | |
Artist's Statement | Required | |
*Unofficial transcripts will be taken into consideration for admissions; however, if admitted into the program, you must submit official transcripts to the University. |
Admission Deadlines
Applicants are encouraged to have their admission file completed as early as possible. All applications, required documents and letters of recommendation, if applicable, must be submitted by 5:00 PM U.S. Central Time on the day of the deadline. Deadlines are subject to change.
Art (MFA) | |||
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Timing on Admission Decision: Students can expect to hear back on an admission decision within 4 to 6 weeks after the posted deadline. | |||
Academic Year 2023-24 | International | Domestic | |
Fall 2023 | February 1 | February 1 | |
Spring 2024 | October 1 | October 1 | |
Summer 2024 | Not Available | Not Available | |
Academic Year 2024-25 | International | Domestic | |
Fall 2024 | February 1 | February 1 | |
Spring 2025 | October 1 | October 1 | |
Summer 2025 | Not Available | Not Available |
Funding Opportunities
ResourcesCareer Options
UTSA prepares you for future careers that are in demand. The possible careers below is data pulled by a third-party tool called Emsi, which pulls information from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, online job postings, other government databases and more to give you regional and national career outlook related to this academic program.
The UTSA Art Department offers the Margaret Denslow Harris Graduate Fellowship in Studio Art, which provides a $20,000 award to one graduate student applicant seeking to complete the MFA degree in a visual art studio discipline at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA).
