Boston University

Boston University College of Fine Arts (CFA) is a small, conservatory-style school within a major university, offering outstanding professional training in music, the theater, and visual arts. The college was founded as the College of Music in 1873 and has a long and distinguished history of training artists. The Division of Applied Arts, now known as the School of Visual Arts, was added in 1919, and it currently enrolls approximately 250 students.

The student painters, sculptors, graphic designers, and art educators at the School of Visual Arts prepare for leading positions in the art world by engaging in its present and understanding its past. With a faculty composed of practicing professional artists, the school offers an intensive program of studio training combined with liberal arts studies leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) and Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.).

Campus Surroundings

Boston University—independent, coeducational, nonsectarian—is an internationally recognized center of higher education and research. The University is located in the heart of Boston, along the banks of the Charles River and adjacent to the historic Back Bay district of Boston. Boston University is perfectly situated to enjoy both the charm and beauty of the city and its cultural and recreational attractions. School of Visual Arts students benefit from the many major museums and galleries as well as the theaters and musical organizations that make Boston a rich and varied environment for the art student.

Program Facilities

The School of Visual Arts offers painting, drawing, and sculpture studios; a welding and wood shop; computer labs; photography and printmaking studios; a book and slide library; and exhibition spaces, including the Boston University Art Gallery, the 808 Showroom Gallery, the Sherman Gallery, and the Commonwealth Gallery.

Faculty, Resident Artists, and Alumni

The faculty of dedicated teachers includes some of the finest painters, sculptors, graphic designers, and art educators in the country. Distinguished faculty members include John Walker, painter; Richard Raiselis, painter; Harold Reddicliffe, painter; Lynne Allen, printmaker; Judith Simpson, art educator; and Alston Purvis, graphic designer. Visiting artists include Charles Close, painter; Peter Schjeldahl, art critic; Vincent Desiderio, painter; Greg Amenoff, painter; William Tucker, sculptor; William Bailey, painter; Rackstraw Downes, printmaker; Mags Harries, sculptor, Jonathan Shahn, painter; Pat Steir, painter; Tim Rollins, educator; Al Leslie, painter; and Suzanne Coffey, painter. Alumni include the distinguished American artists Pat Steir and Brice Martin; designer Ira Yoffe, Vice President and Creative Director for Parade Magazine; Penelope Zencks, sculptor; and Richard Heinrichs, sculpture and production/set designer, whose credits include Planet of the Apes, Fargo, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Special Programs

Through the Boston University Collaborative Degree Program (BUCOP), students may obtain a dual degree in the College of Fine Arts and another of the University’s schools or colleges. Students may minor in liberal arts, business, or communications. Painting and graphic design students are encouraged to study abroad at the Scuola Internazionale di Graphica in Venice, Italy, in their junior year. A five-year B.F.A./M.F.A. is available to students interested in majoring in a studio area along with art education.

Application Procedures

Deadline--freshmen: January 1; transfers: April 1. Notification date--freshmen: April 15; transfers: May 30. Required: essay, high school transcript, college transcript(s) for transfer students, portfolio, SAT or ACT test scores. Recommended: minimum 3.0 high school GPA, 3 letters of recommendation. Auditions held 1 time. Portfolio reviews held continuously on campus; the submission of slides may be substituted for portfolios.