Why Pursue a Community Arts Master's Degree
The MFA in Community Arts is an interdisciplinary degree program that blends art practice, leadership and education to create meaningful change in your community. Students gain professional skills in collaborative art making, community arts leadership and community arts education. Graduates are prepared to lead collaborative arts initiatives, cultivate community partnerships and manage programs across a variety of cultural, educational and healthcare settings.
Facilities and Partnerships
Graduate students have access to the unique facilities and resources of UT San Antonio’s Southwest District. Located in the heart of downtown San Antonio, this district offers access to specialized studios, professional equipment, collaborative spaces and art galleries.
Through UTSA Arts and its extensive network of cultural and community partnerships, students gain valuable hands-on experience, connect with arts professionals and engage with organizations across San Antonio.
Research Areas
Admission & Application Requirements
Applications are submitted through the UT San Antonio Graduate Application. Please upload all required documents (listed below) on your UT San Antonio 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 UT San Antonio by the appropriate application deadline.
| Community Arts (MFA) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Completed adequate credit hours or foreign institution equivalent coursework as preparation for the program. | |
| 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 FCSA or any NACES-approved credential evaluation agency. | |
| English Language Proficiency | 79 TOEFL iBT / 6.5 IELTS / Duolingo 100 For exams taken on or after January 21, 2026: We require a minimum TOEFL iBT score of 4.0. |
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| Purpose Statement | Required | |
| Resume | Required | |
| Letters of Recommendation | 2 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 Submit a selection of work that demonstrates your creative practice, professional experience and potential for community-engaged work. This can include: visual art, performance, music, theater, dance, writing, or documentation of collaborative/community-based projects. Brief contextual statements and descriptions of your role in collaborative work are encouraged. Prior experience in Community Arts is not required; however, your submission should demonstrate your potential as a creative practitioner and your interest in working with others. | |
| *Unofficial transcripts will be taken into consideration for admissions; however, if admitted into the program, you must submit official transcripts to the University. | ||
Application 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.
| Community Arts (MFA) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Timing on Admission Decision: Completed applications will be reviewed as they are received. Decisions generally will be made and sent to applicants within 4 to 6 weeks of receiving the completed application. | |||
| Application Deadlines for: | Priority | International | Domestic |
| Fall 2027 | February 1 | February 1 | |
| Spring | Not Available | Not Available | |
| Summer | Not Available | Not Available | |
Funding Opportunities
ResourcesCareer Options
UT San Antonio prepares you for future careers that are in demand. The possible careers below are based on 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.
Take a look at a few featured courses from the MFA in Community Arts:
- Foundations of Arts Leadership
- Arts and Community
- Community Arts Education in Theory and Practice
- Arts Education Geographies
- Foundations of Public Practice and Arts Based Research
For a full list of courses, visit the Graduate Catalog.
- Place and Civic Imagination
- Building Healthier Communities through the Arts
- Addressing Health Disparities with Arts Interventions
- Directed Research
- Internship
Thesis Option
The thesis option is designed for students whose primary interests include sustained research, critical inquiry or preparation for further academic study. A thesis may combine creative practice with a substantial written component and could investigate a question related to community arts through qualitative, ethnographic, participatory or arts-based research methods. Students work closely with a faculty committee to develop and complete the research, culminating in a written thesis and, where appropriate, a creative or community-engaged component.
Non-Thesis Option
The final project is designed for students who want to demonstrate their ability to conceive, develop and implement a substantial community-engaged arts project. Working with a faculty committee, students identify a community context or partnership, develop an artistic and engagement strategy, carry out the project and document and critically reflect on the process and outcomes. Projects might take the form of a public performance, exhibition, workshop series, community arts initiative, participatory installation, arts education program or other collaborative creative project. This option emphasizes professional practice and gives students a substantial body of work they can carry into their careers.
Emilie Amrein is a scholar, musician and educator whose work draws on participatory arts practices, community education and social action. Amrein works primarily in community-based settings, creating with incarcerated people, refugees and asylum-seekers and LGBTQ+ communities. Amrein holds degrees in music from Indiana University, the University of Arizona and the University of Minnesota. Amrein is the founding Executive Director of UTSA Arts and professor of Community Arts at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Mark Menjívar is a San Antonio-based artist and Associate Professor in the Interdisciplinary School for Engagement at the University of Texas at San Antonio. His art practice primarily consists of participatory projects rooted in photography, oral history, archives and social action. He attended McLennan Community College and holds a BA in Social Work from Baylor University and an MFA in Social Practice from Portland State University.
Tanesha Payne is a dancer, creator, advocate and teaching artist based in San Antonio, TX. Payne is senior program manager for UTSA Arts and supervises community-based placements for MFA students. With a BFA in Dance Studies from Texas State University and an MFA in Choreography from Jacksonville University, her journey merges academic insight with personal experience, shaping both her performance and educational approach. She strives to cultivate inclusive spaces where all movers thrive, forging connections that defy boundaries.