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Penn State College of Arts and Architecture
Penn State College of Arts and Architecture
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Explore. Create. Design. Perform. Succeed!

Envision your future here. Undergraduate Degrees Graduate Degrees

We are a vibrant community of artists, performers, researchers, designers, and educators committed to making meaning, learning, traveling, experiencing, and sharing. We collaborate. We build. We act and play.

We impact lives – your life.

Pursue your passions.

The College of Arts and Architecture offers more than 30 undergraduate and 15 graduate degrees in a resource-rich setting with world-class faculty and facilities, coupled with diverse arts, performance, and design programs, all in one of the Best College Towns in America. Our alumni get amazing jobs and make a difference.

Affinity Image Cards, link to Affinity pages. act take expand performing arts visual arts design
Affinity cards, link to Affinity pages. act take expand performing arts visual arts design
Affinity cards, link to Affinity pages. act take expand performing arts visual arts design

Engage with the arts!

Penn State Arts and Architecture is a comprehensive college of arts and design, presentation, and performance. Supporting and elevating our extensive academic programs, the college also holds important collections and hosts powerful performances.

A full-house crowd spread across all three levels of the Center for Performing Arts' Eisenhower Auditorium
Two groups of visitors gathered around paintings in the Palmer Museum of Art.

The Palmer Museum of Art and the Center for Performing Arts, as well as other A&A engagement units, foster significant partnerships and connections across the University, enrich the student experience, and expand the impact of arts, design, and performance at Penn State and within the broader community.

From welcoming world-class performers and premiere performances to housing globally relevant art collections and featuring contemporary exhibitions, the College of Arts and Architecture marshals the power of art, performance, and design to deeply investigate the most significant challenges of the times. And our invitation is open to all – visit, explore, experience. Engage with the arts!


Center for the Performing Arts

The Center for the Performing Arts (CPA) provides a context, through artistic connections, to the human experience. By bringing artists and audiences together CPA sparks discovery of passion, inspiration, and inner truths. CPA motivates creative thinking and examination of our relationship with the world.


Center for the Performing Arts website

Explore the Palmer

In addition to its growing collection that spans world cultures and centuries of art, the Palmer Museum of Art – a leading cultural resource for the region – is providing a diverse array of online programming and events, plus virtual tours and exhibitions. It’s a fantastic time to experience the Palmer.


Visit the Palmer Museum website

Alumni Spotlight

Penn State alumnus and McMaster University professor Michael Schutz.

Alumni Spotlight

Michael Schutz

Bachelor of Music 2002

Michael Schutz, who combined a B.M in Music with a B.S. in Computer Science at Penn State, now is associate professor of music cognition/percussion at McMaster University, where he conducts the percussion ensemble and teaches courses on music perception and cognition. He was named a University Scholar in recognition of his innovative work bridging music performance and music perception.

Penn State alumnus Michael Schutz playing a Glockenspiel.

The student experience matters here.

The College of Arts and Architecture prioritizes experiences inside and outside of the classroom, through opportunities to engage with a thriving arts community.

Engage. Learn. Grow.

Thrive.

100%

100% of people are creative and have the potential to make massive impact on the world. We are here to help you realize your potential.

Faculty Spotlight

Students around a piano, working alongside Simpkins and playwright Joe Iconis.
Students around a piano, working alongside Simpkins and playwright Joe Iconis.

John Simpkins

Head of Musical Theatre

John Simpkins is head of Musical Theatre and the Nagle Family Endowed Chair at Penn State. He is also a professional director who recently directed the world premiere of Tony-nominated Joe Iconis’ Love in Hate Nation, which was commissioned by Penn State Musical Theatre as part of its New Musicals Initiative.

His recent new musical credits include the World Premiere of Legendale (music by Andrea Daly, words by Jeff Bienstock) at Fredericia Teater in Denmark and the subsequent American Premiere at Human Race Theatre Company. Recent new plays include the World Premieres of Raging Skillet (by Jacques Lamarre) at Theaterworks Hartford, The Bus (by Jim Lantz) at 59E59 Theaters and For Better, For Worse (by Reed Arnold). Regionally, he has directed at Sacramento Music Circus, Lyric Theatre Oklahoma, North Carolina Theatre, the Engeman Theatre, and Sharon Playhouse (where he also served as Artistic Director).

John Simpkins

News from A&A

Stuckeman architecture professor awarded inaugural Obel teaching fellowship

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Laia Celma, assistant teaching professor of architecture in the College of Arts and Architecture’s Stuckeman School at Penn State, was named an inaugural recipient of the


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Theatre professor wins national research fellowship

Samuel Yates, assistant professor of theatre, has been awarded an ASTR research fellowship to develop a project on 18th-century actor, editor and playwright Elizabeth Inchbald.
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Review: ‘Stomp’ longevity lives up to the hype

Stop signs, pots, pans, barrels, and a hodgepodge of other items were all built into the set, and, along with the costumes, created an aesthetic appearance best likened to grunge.
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World-class performances, exhibitions, lectures, recitals, symposia and more.

The College of Arts and Architecture is home to a stunning variety of events that are enjoyed by thousands each year. The college fosters a vibrant and inclusive culture of inquiry and excellence within the arts and design disciplines.


We encourage you to explore our upcoming events.