Visual Arts + Sound Art Program

Visual Arts + Sound Art Program Overview

Columbia University’s MFA in Visual Arts attracts emerging and mid-career artists from the United States and around the world to join a vibrant creative and intellectual community. Our students are taught by internationally celebrated artists in one of the greatest art cities–New York, with the highest concentration of museums, galleries, nonprofit art spaces, independent collectives, and artist-run organizations. Students have the opportunity to expand the depth and complexity of their studio practice as well as their ability to think critically in contemporary art theory. Weekly studio visits with faculty, guest artists, curators, and art critics offer meaningful insight into both the form and underlying ideas of our students’ artistic work.

Visual Arts

Our interdisciplinary two-year studio program, spanning painting and drawing, sculpture and ceramics, printmaking, photography, moving image, and expanded practices, allows students to complete a holistic MFA in Visual Arts, allowing for creative exploration, collaboration, and experimentation with other students, across multiple mediums. Our students take classes in departments across Columbia University, and in collaboration with curators, art critics, independent arts spaces, museums and galleries across New York, the most art-intensive city in the world.

Sound Art

The Sound Art Program is a diverse community of artists who have a deep engagement with sound as a creative medium or conceptual subject, situating their work within New York’s broader culture of experimentation and performance Our students have the freedom to explore work in sculpture, video, and ceramics, as well as new media, performance, and conceptual strategies while focusing on the integration of sound with such media. The two-year collaborative concentration in the discipline of Sound Art is offered in association with the Department of Music and the Computer Music Center, and leads to a Master of Fine Arts degree in Visual Arts.

Graduates of the program go on to exhibit internationally, collaborate with leading cultural institutions, and contribute to shaping the future of contemporary art.

Curriculum & Requirements

The MFA degree in Visual Arts is an interdisciplinary two-year studio program. At the time of Admission, Visual Arts students enter the program through a specific field of study, including moving image, photography, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and expanded practice. After entering, students are free to explore and make work in all mediums offered within the program. Unlike some other MFA programs, our students do not have to stay in silos of a single medium. Sound Art students also have the freedom to explore work in sculpture, video, and ceramics as well as new media, performance, and conceptual strategies while focusing on the integration of sound with such media.

The Graduate Studio lays an important foundation for all students. It has two major components: Creative Research / Faculty Visits, in which students conduct individually directed creative research and meet weekly with different faculty members for one-on-one feedback sessions, and Visiting Critics, in which some of New York’s most distinguished art practitioners visit students’ studios to offer their unique perspective. Students also receive intensive feedback through Group Critique as well as the Artist-Mentor Program.

Critical Issues, a two-year-long course, is another core component of students’ training. This class examines political, social, and cultural questions as they relate to the production and reception of art. The aim is to acquaint students with a broad range of contemporary thought, and for students to develop their skills in verbal and textual analysis.

The required 60 points for the MFA degree must include:

• Graduate Studio: Research and Practice (12 points)
• Visiting Artist Lecture Series (4 points)
• Open Studios
• First Year Exhibition
• Thesis Exhibition
• Electives in the Program or at the University

Both Visual Arts and Sound Art have additional requirements. Visit the Graduate Courses and Requirements page for detailed coursework and degree requirements.

Why pursue your MFA in Visual Arts at Columbia University?

Emerging artists from around the world arrive here to join a creative and intellectual community and train under internationally-recognized artists at a world-renowned research institution in New York City.

Every student is given 24-hour access to a private studio that is theirs to work from during the program. Every fall, our second-year students open their studios to the public and guests from the art community to present and discuss their work in an informal setting. Additionally, our students all participate in a First-Year Exhibition and a final Thesis Exhibition. Students also can propose to curate shows at venues across campus (including The LeRoy Neiman Gallery, Low Library, and the Rare Books & Manuscript Library). Students also organize a Summer show at one of New York’s many independent art spaces and galleries. Our alums have also established pedagogical programs, like NewCrits, and art spaces such as Sinkhole. Not only are our exhibitions a celebration of our students’ work, they are an opportunity for students to connect with the greater arts community of New York.

Our signature Visiting Artist Lecture Series brings numerous accomplished visiting artists and critics to campus each year for a lecture and discussion. The series itself is organized by a team of second-year MFA students, giving them experience in producing and managing an event series. This is a unique difference with other MFA programs, where artist lecture series are usually organized by faculty. Notable presenters have included An-My Lê, Huma Bhabha, Laurie Anderson, Mika Rottenberg, Amy Taubin, Juliana Huxtable, Nicole Eisenman, Dana Schutz, Zoe Leonard, Marina Abramovic, David Altmejd, Ayreen Anastas, and many more.

International Students

The School of the Arts is home to a global community of artists, scholars, and storytellers. In Fall 2025, students from 58 countries comprised 32 percent of our student body, bringing perspectives that enrich every classroom, studio, and stage. We welcome applications from international students and value the unique experiences they bring to our community.

Learn more about attending the School of the Arts as an international student ==>

Career Opportunities

The interdisciplinary nature of our Program means there is no limit to the kind of artist our students can become. Dedicated studio, mentorship, and critique allows students to develop their singular artistic voice in a challenging, supportive environment.

Students have the opportunity to form working relationships with leading artists, critics, and curators, allowing them to build a professional network that will last well after graduation. There are also public exhibition opportunities, which gives our students the important opportunity to work directly with external curators and gallery staff members. This prepares them for making the professional transition into the independent art world.

Being located in New York means our students are exposed to key exhibitions (e.g., Whitney Biennial of American Art, New York Art Book Fair, Creative Time and Public Art Fund Commissions, MTA Public Art Commissions), leading museums (e.g., Guggenheim, MoMA, Queens Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum, New Museum, Storefront for Art & Architecture, Brooklyn Museum, Studio Museum of Harlem), institutions (e.g., New York Public Library, CARA, The Shed), publications (e.g., New York Times, Bomb, Aperture, Art Forum), nonprofit art spaces, artist collectives, and artists. All of this is your network of support and community after you graduate from the program.

How do I apply?

Applications open October 1, 2026 for Fall 2027

Visual Arts + Sound Art Tours

We offer weekly tours of our facilities for prospective graduate students given by one of the current MFA students. It’s a great opportunity for prospective students to not only get a better sense of our Program and facilities, but also to connect with current students who can offer a unique perspective into the life of the MFA.

Inquire about  tour dates and times. All tours meet at the LeRoy Neiman Center for Print Studies & Gallery (310 Dodge Hall).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who should consider an MFA in Visual Arts?

There is no one path that leads to the MFA. Our students arrive from across the world, bringing diverse life experiences with them. The one thing they all share is a passion for the visual arts and sound art. The MFA in Visual Arts provides a safe space for creative mentorship, risk-taking, and experimentation that pushes our students to produce the work that only they can make.

How long is the MFA in Visual Arts at Columbia?

Students complete their degree requirements over the course of two years. There is no part-time study available. Visit the Graduate Courses and Requirements for more information. 

Can I take courses outside of my main discipline?

Absolutely! We encourage our students to take advantage of the interdisciplinary nature of our Program. While our Visual Arts students are accepted into a specific field of study, they are not restricted to that field once they begin the MFA. Our Visiting Artist Lecture Series also ensures that students are exposed to and learn from artists of varying disciplines, which we believe makes their approach to their own work all the more rich.

What careers do MFA in Visual Arts graduates pursue?

Our alums have gone on to create major installations at world renowned galleries, teach at top universities, score feature films, compose for world-class ensembles, and pursue PhD research in art practice, composition, music theory, computer music, music perception, and more. Check out our recent news to learn more about what our talented alums are up to!

How does MFA Visual Arts at Columbia differ from other art schools?

The interdisciplinary nature of our Program gives our students the unique opportunity to explore different disciplines and approaches as they work to refine and develop their artistic voice. Our small cohort sizes also mean our faculty are able to dedicate meaningful time and creative attention to their students, becoming meaningful mentors not only in their artistic practice, but their paths after graduation.

Is there financial aid available?

Columbia University School of the Arts provides over $18 million for student support each year in the form of tuition scholarships, paid student positions, and teaching assistantships, as well as institutional awards and grants to support research, travel, and productions. We believe that the education and resources provided by the School of the Arts support an investment that will yield personal, intellectual, and professional gains for the rest of your life. We also realize that meeting the cost of this investment requires careful planning.

Columbia University School of the Arts and Columbia University Student Financial Services work carefully with students to arrange the financing of their degrees. Loan packages, jobs, fellowships, scholarships and other options are available for eligible students. Please see Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid for information and important financial aid application procedures and deadlines.

Have more questions? Visit our MFA Visual Arts FAQ page.