It’s said that life inspires art—and what better place to get inspired than in art school? (Or at least a college or university with a great Visual Arts program.) With so many programs across the country to explore, where do you start? Right here, of course! Below you’ll find amazing schools that offer Visual Arts majors throughout the Northeastern and Southern US. This is a great place to get to know colleges and universities quickly and see if they offer programs you’re interested in.
But that’s not even the best part! You’ll find a brief overview of each school’s Visual Arts offerings on this page, but if you want more info, each school's name is linked to its CollegeXpress profile so you can learn more. Better still, you can click the green “Connect me” button below each school to have your CollegeXpress profile information sent directly to the admission office—then they’ll reach out to you with more information. There are so many ways to research and learn about schools on CX, so let’s get started.
Allegheny College
Allegheny College is a private national liberal arts college in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Around 1,800 undergraduates can choose from more than 900 program combinations in social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities, including majors and minors in Studio Art and Art, Science & Innovation. Whether you’re interested in the creative and critical study of theater, rhetoric, and media; discovering your passions in dance, music, or art; or performing on stage as part of the College’s Playshop Theatre, Allegheny encourages you to explore your artsy side through its programs, clubs, and organizations that allow you to express your artistic talents.
Christian Brothers University
Christian Brothers University is a private Roman Catholic university just four miles from downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The University’s Department of Visual and Performing Arts offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Art (with required concentrations in Graphic Design or Studio Arts) as well as minors in Theatre Arts, Graphic Design, and Visual Art. Since the study of art history is a vital part of all Visual Art concentrations, CBU students have many opportunities to become aware of global issues in the arts through internships, visits to campus by artists from around the world, and study abroad programs.
College of the Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross is an exclusively undergraduate private liberal arts institution located on a 174-acre campus in Worcester, Massachusetts—around 50 miles from Boston. At Holy Cross, students design their own course of study with a curriculum consisting of common requirements, a major, and freely elected courses, which allows you to combine majors and/or add a minor or concentration. Art students can choose from an Art History path in areas of studies such as pre-1800, cross-cultural, modern and contemporary, architectural studies, and museum studies; or Studio Art with paths like drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and digital media and new media.
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private coeducational institution located in the heart of the Theatre District in Boston, Massachusetts. With 3,813 undergraduates, 633 graduate students, and a 13:1 student-faculty ratio, the College offers more than two dozen majors as well as 30 minors, including Media Art Production, Theatre Design/Technology, Individually Designed Interdisciplinary Programs, and more. Students dive right in and start working with talented mentors, collaborators, crew members, and sophisticated, state-of-the-art equipment from day one.
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology is a public institute of art, design, business, and technology in Midtown Manhattan, New York. With 2,160 Visual Arts students and a 16:1 student-faculty ratio, FIT offers 17 specialized Art & Design degree programs ranging from Fine Arts, Toy Design, and Photography to Animation, Interactive Media, and Game Design. FIT also provides opportunities for professional consultation, industry-sponsored competitions, and internships in the heart of New York City.
The George Washington University
The George Washington is a private research institution in the federal section of Washington, DC. The University is home to more than 11,000 undergraduates studying in 75+ majors and 2,000+ courses, including programs in Art History, Dance, Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Interactive Design, Interior Architecture, Music, Photography, Photojournalism, and Theatre. As a GW art student, we encourage you to think unconventionally and give you the tools and critical-thinking skills for a lifetime of innovative creative practice.
High Point University
High Point University is a private comprehensive institution affiliated with the United Methodist Church on a 420-acre campus in High Point, North Carolina. Known as The Premier Life Skills University, HPU is rooted in the liberal arts and offers 63 majors and 65 minors, including in Fashion Merchandising, Graphic Design, Interior Design, and Studio Art. The University produces highly sought-after students and graduates who garner internships and professional careers at companies like Disney, Pixar, Kate Spade, Calvin Klein, Anthropologie, and many more.
Marymount Manhattan College
Marymount Manhattan College is a private liberal arts college in Midtown Manhattan, New York. With a student body of nearly 2,000 and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio, the University offers majors in Art; Art History; Cinema, Television & Emerging Media; Digital Media & Video Production; and Theatre Design & Technology, plus minors in Art History, Arts for Communities, Arts Management, Fashion Studies, Graphic Design, Photography, and Studio Arts. MMC takes advantage of its city locale through courses like The Galleries of New York and New York Artists.
New York University
New York University is one of the largest private universities in the country, located in the heart of Greenwich Village in New York City, New York—with additional degree-granting campuses in Shanghai and Abu Dhabi. Majors, minors, and concentrations include Studio Art, Digital Art & Design, Game Design, Interactive Media Arts, Photography & Imaging, and individualized study in Visual Arts or Design & Media. Studio art practice and the study of art throughout history come together in a two-track program at NYU Abu Dhabi, while Interactive Media Arts majors at NYU Shanghai make discoveries that push the boundaries of visual expression.
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Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester Institute of Technology is a private technical institution in Rochester, New York—75 miles from Buffalo and 97 miles from Syracuse. RIT’s nine colleges offer over 80 bachelor’s programs and 90+ minors, including cutting-edge programs such as Illustration, Fine Arts Studio, Film & Animation, 3D Digital Design, Photography, and Graphic Design. At RIT, students work in state-of-the-art facilities and studios equipped with the latest tools, software, and technologies professionals use, from traditional art studios to VR and 3D modeling equipment to photographic darkrooms.
Sacred Heart University
Sacred Heart University is a private coeducational university—and the second-largest Catholic university in New England—with a main campus in Fairfield, Connecticut, and international campuses in Ireland and Luxembourg. With more than 9,000 pupils enrolled, art students take foundational digital visual communication design and traditional fine arts courses through the College of Arts & Sciences, then choose to major or minor in Graphic Design, Illustration, or Studio Art. Sacred Heart also offers five art studios and art and design gallery exhibitions.
Samford University
Samford University is a private Baptist university in the suburban Homewood area of Birmingham, Alabama. With more than 5,600 students from 47 states and 28 countries, the University offers 180+ majors, minors, and concentrations through eight academic schools, including in Architecture, Game Design & 3D Animation, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Marketing, Studio Art, and more. The Department of Art & Design and the Samford University Art Gallery are dedicated to fostering a unique intersection of faith, artistic expression, and community service within the academic framework for an education that’s both scholarly and transformative.
Interested in learning about even more great art schools? Check out the full list of featured Visual Arts School Profiles.
