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.
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.
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.
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.
Alumni Spotlight
Alumni Spotlight
Emily Akers
B.A. in Theatre 2019My training at Penn State has helped me get to where I am today. I am back in my hometown of Brooklyn, NY working for a community Ed tech startup working as a community coordinator and digital content strategist. I would not have gotten here if it weren’t for the amazing mentors and faculty I had within the School of Theatre. Whether you plan on pursuing a career on stage or off, the professors you will work with are happy to help you find ways to flourish.
The student experience matters here.
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
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.
News from A&A
College of Arts and Architecture to honor Alumni Award winners on Oct. 5
The College of Arts and Architecture will honor its 2023 Alumni Award recipients on Thursday, Oct. 5, at 5 p.m. at the Penn State Downtown Theatre Center, 146 S. Allen
Penn State work featured in upcoming long-term Franklin Institute space exhibit
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A video that highlights the work a Penn State team is doing to 3D print houses that can sustain life on Mars is featured in a
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Stuckeman School to host architect and graphic designer as lecturers on Oct. 4
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Stuckeman School in the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State will welcome two guests as part of its 2023-24 Lecture and Exhibit Series
Read MoreWorld-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.