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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

Emmy Award-winner Meliza Fermin

Alumni Spotlight

Meliza Fermin

B.A. in Integrative Arts 2004

Meliza Fermin is an award-winning visual effects artist across television and film genres. She won an Emmy for Outstanding Visual Effects for her work on the television show Heroes, and Emmy certificates for her contributions to The Battle of Gettysburg and American Horror Story. Currently, Meliza works at Fuse FX as a senior digital matte painter on shows such as American Horror Story and Timeless.

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

Stephen Mainzer points at a student's pinned up work while she watches at right.
Stephen Mainzer points at a student's pinned up work while she watches at right.

Stephen Mainzer

Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture

Stephen Mainzer’s research focuses on how human and natural systems intersect to inform how we govern, plan, and access natural resources, particualrly energy resources. As a key collaborator to the E+D (Ecology + Design) research initiative, he is leading the DDREAM (Deep Decarbonization and Renewable Energy in the Appalachian Mountains) project, which attempts to explore how the socio-ecological structure of Pennsylvania might inform a transition from fossil fuels to renewable solar energy, especially in post-coal Appalachian areas.

Portrait of Stephen Mainzer

News from A&A

School of Music alumna featured on Aaron Dworkin's 'Arts Engines' podcast

The episode of "Arts Engines" was recorded in November and will be released on Dec. 9 on the Arts Engines website.

Penn State School of Music alumna Elizabeth Guerriero, owner of Beth G. Consulting, is featured on an episode of “Arts Engines,” where she discusses her music education philosophies and her work with


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Arts and Architecture appoints interim graphic design head for spring

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State College of Arts and Architecture has appointed Darrin Thornton, associate dean for academic affairs and outreach, as the interim head of the Department


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Graphic design professor’s project featured in Philadelphia design festival

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A collaborative research project led by Phil Choo, professor of graphic design in the College of Arts and Architecture’s Stuckeman School, that helps people visualize the


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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.