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California Institute of Integral Studies Master of Fine Arts Programs (MFA)
California Institute of Integral Studies

California Institute of Integral Studies

Master of Fine Arts Programs (MFA)

San Francisco, USA

Master degree

2 years

English

Full time

Distance Learning

* 1st Priority deadline: Submit by February 15th at 11:59pm PT for guaranteed review. ​After this date, some programs may be full and only interview for waitlist spots or not be able to further review applications.

Key Summary

    About : The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is a professional graduate program in arts disciplines. It combines theoretical study and practical application to develop advanced skills in areas such as visual arts, creative writing, and design. Students engage with faculty members who are practicing artists and scholars, fostering a collaborative learning environment. The program typically requires two to three years of study and culminates in a final project or thesis that showcases each student’s creative work.
    Career Outcomes : Graduates of the MFA program can pursue various career paths, including roles as professional artists, writers, designers, or art educators. They may also work in arts administration or arts therapy. Many MFA alumni establish their own studios or become involved in community arts initiatives, contributing to cultural conversations and creative innovations.

CIIS’ Interdisciplinary Arts department offers a unique Master of Fine Arts degree that focuses on the vital role of inquiry in artmaking. We value the complex range of human experience that provokes art and welcome artists from all disciplines — literary, visual, performing, media, and interdisciplinary — into an innovative laboratory for individual and collaborative artmaking.

Our graduates are prepared for professional careers in journalism, coaching, arts administration, academia, and more. Our faculty have a wide range of research interests, among them: cognitive science, creativity, poetry, and the brain, pluralism in the arts, social construction of whiteness, critical media literacy, and social justice comedy.

Through classes, workshops, and events, the program engages a culture of inquiry to further develop and articulate your work. We believe that through this conversation across the arts, genuine and meaningful discovery happens.

Throughout the program, students have individualized sessions with faculty advisers and can enroll in four mentorships with art professionals to hone their craft or learn new skills. This one-on-one support helps to expand students’ creative range and prepare for the next steps as an art professional.