Alfred-Düsseldorf Painting

A painting Master's program with international draw

The Division of Drawing, Painting and Photography offers an international MFA Program in Painting. The program operates jointly in the School of Art and Design at Alfred University and at our studio facility in Düsseldorf, Germany. Students work with American and European artists and scholars, gaining an international perspective while interacting with art communities on two continents.

School/Division

School of Art and Design
NYS College of Ceramics

Campus Locations

Main Campus - Alfred, NY

Degrees

Painting (MFA)

Program Contact

Billie Burns

burns@naysnm.com

607-871-2442

Thesis Exhibitions

Each year, candidates of the Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA) and Master of Fine Art (MFA) degrees showcase their work in a series of culminating thesis exhibitions.

Thesis Exhibitions MFA Thesis Catalog (Spring 2020)

Lead the Next Generation of Artists

Through concentrated studio time, significant research opportunities, and mentoring from art world professionals, this program offers a graduate experience that prepares students for leadership roles in the next generation of professional artists and arts practitioners.

International Graduate Experience

This two-year program is anticipated to be highly competitive; seven Painting students are admitted annually. Students spend two semesters at Alfred University's home campus, and two semesters at our studio facility in Düsseldorf Germany. Select teaching assistantships are awarded. Visit alfredpainting.com to see current events and activities.

Emphasis on Professional Practices

Applicants must be committed to extended international study and the practice of painting. Graduate students spend three months of each academic year in Düsseldorf engaging in intensive studio work, research, and professional practices. The program encourages a diversity of approaches within the unique language of painting, and fosters critical dialogue addressing contemporary global perspectives.

European and American Educational Models

Düsseldorf has twenty world-class museums and over fifty contemporary art galleries and non-profit exhibition spaces. Visiting artists and critics, studio visits, lectures and field trips to Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne, New York City and other nearby collections offer even more opportunities to study work in person. Alfred University offers access to and engagement across disciplines through a robust visiting artist program and First Year Graduate Seminar.

Required Courses

A minimum of sixty graduate credit hours is required. Reviews of work are scheduled at midterm and at the end of each semester.

ARTH 660 First Year Grad Seminar
ART 540 Graduate Painting
ART 683 Graduate Painting Thesis
ART 542 Critique and Discussion
ART 544 Professional Practices
ART 674 Written Thesis Prep
ARTH 500 Art History
ART 501 Studio Elective (optional)
ART 601 Studio Advising (optional)

In addition to studio courses, all graduate students take credits in a series of seminars, art history, studio electives, and technical courses relevant to their area of study.

In the second year, students write a thesis and present a MFA thesis exhibition in the School of Art and Design's Fosdick-Nelson Gallery, Robert C. Turner Gallery, or an approved alternate site.

Applicants must be committed to extended international study and the practice of painting. Graduate students spend half of each academic year in Düsseldorf Germany engaging in intensive studio work, research, and professional practices. The program encourages a diversity of approaches within the unique language of painting, and fosters critical dialogue addressing contemporary global perspectives. All courses are taught in English. A valid passport is required.

Applicants for admission should hold the baccalaureate degree with the equivalent of sixty credit hours in studio courses. A portfolio of completed works could be considered the equivalent of some studio courses.

In addition to the transcripts and letters of recommendation required of all students, applicants to the MFA program must present a portfolio showing competency in their art practice. When submitting the portfolio to Slideroom be sure to indicate the program for which you are applying and provide appropriate portfolio.

The School of Art and Design at Alfred University offers graduate study in multiple divisional areas: Ceramic Art, Electronic Integrated Arts, Sculpture/Dimensional Studies (concentration in either glass art or sculpture) and Painting. Applicants should make clear to which MFA program they are applying.

All applications are made through the Graduate Admissions Office and must include supporting documents and portfolio. Application deadline is February 15, 2024. Only completed applications will be forwarded to the Faculty Review Committee.

Accepted applicants must make a $200 deposit and return a signed contract as directed in the notification of acceptance or their acceptance becomes void.

The Alfred/Düsseldorf international painting MFA does not offer a full tuition waiver similar to other Alfred MFA programs. The tuition is based on SUNY guidelines and is less than half the cost of other highly ranked programs. All accepted applicants are awarded assistantships for each of the 4 semesters. The graduate assistantship can be in the form of a teaching assistantship, teaching internship, or social media and facilities coordinator. In all cases, the student receives a stipend of $7000 for each academic year. All assistantships have a commitment of approximately 10 hours/week to meet the requirements of the stipend.