Visual Arts Undergraduate Major

BA Visual Arts Overview

In Columbia University’s world-renowned interdisciplinary program, Visual Arts students can explore every form of visual expression–in Drawing, Photography, Painting, Video, Sculpture, Installation, or Printmaking. Students rigorously learn the tools and techniques necessary to create art while enhancing their creative, critical, and analytic voice. Whether choosing to concentrate in one medium, or embracing an artistic practice that incorporates combinations of disciplines, our priority is developing a student's personal vision and signature for the world of culture after graduation. This is reflected in our five public events and exhibitions each year (end of semester shows, open studios, Prentis Hall thesis show, Neiman Gallery thesis show) and the grants, residencies, awards and arts job placement in association with the Center for Columbia Career Education that our graduates receive each year.

Curriculum and Requirements

Our students work under the guidance of distinguished full-time and adjunct faculty, all of whom are active visual artists with global reputations. Key components of our program include studio classes in Painting, Photography, Drawing, Video, Sculpture, Printmaking, Animation, Artificial Intelligence, Seminar in Contemporary Art Practice, the capstone Senior Thesis, courses in Art History, and mentorship by graduate students. These program hallmarks introduce students to various urgent dialogues within contemporary art to develop their own studio practice, engage in specific art historical studies, foster mentor relationships with candidates from our renowned MFA program, and offer opportunities to have a public exhibition of their work in the final semester of Senior Thesis.

For more information, please visit the Columbia College Visual Arts Bulletin.

Planning Forms:

Registration

Registered Students: If you are registered for a Visual Arts class, please note you must attend the first two days of class to retain your position. Due to the limited size of our classes and often high demand, you will lose your place in the class and be replaced if you are not present and on time the first two days.

Students unable to Register Online: If the class you are interested in is full online or if for any reason you cannot register online, please add yourself to the waitlist and attend the first day of class. We encourage students who are interested in any of our Visual Arts undergraduate courses to attend the first day of class, as there are often places available.

Admissions and How to Apply

The Visual Arts Program offers a curriculum that serves the undergraduate Visual Arts majors at Columbia College, the School of General Studies, and Barnard College. Undergraduate students must apply and be accepted at one of these undergraduate schools. In addition, they can submit an artist portfolio through Slideroom and that will be considered in the admissions decision. Students declare the Visual Arts major in their sophomore year in order to access this curriculum.

Career Opportunities

A Major in Visual Arts from Columbia provides a comprehensive and expansive foundation for artists in pursuit of an MFA, a career in the arts, and all other fields requiring a creative outlook and the practice of contemporary art. Our graduates work across the arts sector, including:

Studio: Supporting established artists in their professional practice.
Gallery: Roles in administration, communications, and exhibition support at commercial galleries.
Museums: Support roles in administration, curation, and communication at museums
Arts Organizations: Roles at nonprofits, arts organizations, and community programs focused on engagement, development, and production.
Editorial & Media: Opportunities in publishing and arts journalism.

Our curriculum prepares students to navigate these diverse environments, leveraging the professional networks and technical skills honed during their studies.

Program Contact

Adama Delphine Fawundu
Director of Undergraduate Studies, Assistant Professor of Visual Arts, and Area Head for Photography
[email protected]
212.854.4065