Leslie Smith III
UW/ART Department Chair
Welcome
It is my sincere pleasure to introduce you to what the MFA in Studio Art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has to offer.
Our MFA program, part of the Department of Art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a highly ranked MFA program situated within Wisconsin’s flagship public research university. Embedded within UW-Madison’s history is the “Wisconsin Idea”, the notion that education and research at the UW should impact the lives of people beyond the classroom. In fact, our national impact has led us to be ranked #15 in the nation by US News & World Report. Over the years we have produced many outstanding graduates who have gone on to incredible international careers.
Students in our MFA program can study with any of our twenty-five distinguished faculty, drawing from a wide breadth of instruction, or focusing on a particular discipline. Through individualized and group instruction, MFA students work toward the development of a significant body of artistic work. Many of our MFA students have highly visible professional lives while also participating fully in the program.
An MFA from UW-Madison will put you in the upper tier of creative producers in the nation, within any specialization we offer or within one of your own creation. Our graduates often go on to successful careers as independent artists, academics, designers, educators, and participate in an ever-expanding list of art related careers. More importantly, graduate school and the MFA experience is about deeply questioning your assumptions about you, your work, and the world. At the end of that journey you emerge with clarity and confidence about your work and your relationship to it.
We look forward to showing you at length what the MFA at UW-Madison has to offer. Come for a visit, or get in touch. We are excited to show you more about our world-renowned program.