It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the Massachusetts College of Art + Design web site. From here you can explore a variety of information about the college including admissions criteria, financial aid resources, programmatic offerings, exhibitions, events, and more.

Founded in 1873, MassArt is one of the premier professional colleges of art and design in the United States.  The college is located in Boston, a thriving creative center that boasts world-class institutions of higher learning, cultural venues, an eclectic music scene, famous restaurants, and champion sports teams.  At MassArt, we are committed to offering our students a vibrant learning and living environment that is conducive to aesthetic and creative development.  The college has a tradition of small classes conducted in critique and lecture format by faculty who are professional, working artists—many have won fellowships and recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts, Fulbright, Polaroid, Guggenheim, and Britain's Royal Society of the Arts. 

MassArt grants a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with twenty-two concentrations offered by eight academic departments, as well as Master of Fine Arts and Master of Science in Art Education degrees. We also offer certificates for art teachers and designers.  The college has cross registration relationships with the neighboring Colleges of the Fenway and ProArts consortiums, and through the mobility program of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design we provide opportunities for our students to spend a semester at other fine art colleges throughout the United States and abroad.  Students can also take courses at the college that culminate in two-week trips to study art overseas. 

A college with a longstanding public mission, MassArt was recently designated as the first “special purpose institution” in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  This enables us to combine the advantage of state support for in-state students with some of the freedom and academic flexibility of a private college. 

At MassArt we believe that higher education in visual literacy is a key asset to the economy and society.  We encourage our students to develop their artistic sensibilities so they may critically examine their own work within its global, historical, political, and social contexts.  Students become active in various community service programs through our Center for Art and Community Partnerships.  Also, our Exhibitions and Visiting Artists programs fulfill the college’s public purpose of providing access to the arts and bring students into contact with well-known artists from around the world. 

An environment that fosters creative exploration, top-notch faculty and studio facilities, an excellent location in a thriving arts community, expanded learning opportunities, and a history of community involvement, all make MassArt a unique place to learn.

I invite you to visit the college in person and see for yourself how wonderful our students, faculty, staff and facilities really are.

Kay Sloan
President