Master’s degree · MFA
Master of Fine Arts in Studio
School of the Art Institute of Chicago · School of the Art Institute of Chicago · Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Official award
- Master of Fine Arts in StudioMFA
- Subject
- Studio ArtsPainting (concentration)Photography (concentration)
- Format
- On campus
- Tuition
- Not published
About this program
A 60-credit studio MFA in which students specialize in one of SAIC's graduate departments, including painting and drawing, photography, printmedia, ceramics and visual communication design.
- Department
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Awarding body
- Not stated on the pages we checked
Award and subject
The award is shown exactly as the institution titles it. A program belongs to a subject only through the link below: a dedicated degree, a named major, a formal concentration or a documented pathway.
- Official award
- Master of Fine Arts in StudioMFA
- Award family
- MFAA Master of Fine Arts, exactly as titled by the awarding institution.
- Academic level
- Master’s degree
- Previous degree required
- Yes
| Subject | Relationship | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Studio Arts | Dedicated degreeThe official program title is in this subject. | |
| Painting | Official concentrationA formally named concentration, track or emphasis of a broader degree, confirmed on an official page. | Painting & DrawingApplicants apply to this pathway“Painting & Drawing”Source |
| Photography | Official concentrationA formally named concentration, track or emphasis of a broader degree, confirmed on an official page. | PhotographyApplicants apply to this pathway“Photography”Source |
| Printmaking | Official concentrationA formally named concentration, track or emphasis of a broader degree, confirmed on an official page. | PrintmediaApplicants apply to this pathway“Printmedia”Source |
| Ceramics | Official concentrationA formally named concentration, track or emphasis of a broader degree, confirmed on an official page. | CeramicsApplicants apply to this pathway“Ceramics”Source |
| Graphic Design | Official concentrationA formally named concentration, track or emphasis of a broader degree, confirmed on an official page. | Visual Communication DesignApplicants apply to this pathway“Visual Communication Design”Source |
Accreditation, validation and recognition
Recorded for this program and campus, with the authority’s role. Institutional accreditation, degree-awarding authority, program accreditation, professional validation and national qualification registers are different things.
No program-level accreditation or validation record has been verified yet. That does not mean none exists; check the national authority and the institution.
Study structure
- Delivery
- On campusTaught at the listed campus.
- Study mode
- Not published
- Duration
- Not published
- Credits
- 60 creditsCredit systems differ between countries and institutions.
- Intakes
- Not published
- Campus
- Chicago campus
Teaching language
- Taught in
- Not stated on the pages we checked
- English
- English teaching not verifiedAn English-language website does not mean a program is taught in English.
- Published language requirements
- TOEFL iBT minimum 85 (tests completed before January 21, 2026); IELTS 6.5
Admissions
- Portfolio
- Portfolio required
- Portfolio details
- Number of works: 15-20 still images, or up to 10 minutes of time-based work, or a combination (one image is equivalent to approximately two minutes of time-based work)
- File requirements: Images: .jpg, .gif, .pdf (up to 5 MB each); Videos: .flv, .wv, .mov (up to 60 MB each)
- Platform: SlideRoom
- Written components: 500- to 700-word statement; two letters of reference
- Interview: Interviews by invitation only, in mid-February; may be conducted remotely
- Portfolio deadlines: Reduced Application Fee Deadline December 1; Application Deadline January 10 (year not printed on the page)
- Interview
- Interview possible
- Statement
- Write a 500- to 700-word statement that describes your work.
- Previous qualification
- A conferred four-year baccalaureate degree or its equivalent
- Documents
- Official college transcriptsTwo letters of referenceResume or CVE-PortfolioStatement
- Official instructions
- Application instructions
Fees and costs
Original currency is authoritative. Each price keeps its basis (per year, per credit, whole program), academic year and student category, and is never converted. Annual tuition and whole-program tuition are different figures.
| Item | Amount | Applies to | Dated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application fee by January 10 deadlineApplication fee · mandatory | $90one-time, year not stated on page | All students | 23 October 2026Source |
| Reduced application fee by December 1 deadlineApplication fee · mandatory | $45one-time, year not stated on page | All students | 23 October 2026Source |
Sources and verification
Not published on the program’s source pages: tuition, duration, full-time or part-time options, intakes, accreditation or validation record.
Sources and how this was checked
Last checked 23 October 2026. Each fact carries a verbatim quote that is re-checked against the live page. Research methodology.
Sources (checked 23 October 2026)