Visual Arts
Create, innovate, communicate
As a visual artist, you create, innovate, and communicate. You share beauty, you share experiences, you share thoughts and feelings that help people to connect. In the College of Arts and Architecture, we’ll help you hone your skills, nurture your creativity, and prepare you for the next step.
Undergraduate
Degrees
B.A. in Art
The B.A. in Art offers visual artists the opportunity to find their artistic voices in an environment that fosters individuality and prepares graduates for an impactful career in the arts.
B.F.A. in Art
The BFA prepares visual thinkers who work with hands, heart, and head to be leaders in the contemporary art world.
B.S. in Art Education
The B.S. in Art Education degree program produces highly skilled art educators who inspire future generations to embrace art and its power to effect social change.
B.A. in Art History
The B.A. in Art History offers an opportunity for students to explore and examine art while developing a deep understanding of how and why it brings the world closer.
B.Des. in Digital Arts and Media Design
The B.Des. in Digital Arts and Media Design is on the cutting edge of a rapidly growing discipline that prepares students to develop digital technology in art, gaming, simulations, web-based design, and much more.
B.Des. in Digital Multimedia Design
The B.Des. in Digital Multimedia Design prepares students to impact the ever-changing visual art, information science and technology, and communications digital media landscape.
B.Des. in Graphic Design
The B.Des. in Graphic Design empowers students to become innovators that meet the growing demand for branding, storytelling, visualizing information, user experience, and user interface designs.
B.A. in Integrative Arts
The B.A. in Integrative Arts offers the unique opportunity for students to work successfully as innovative and dynamic artists, designers, and performers in an increasingly interdisciplinary world.
B.Des. in Professional Photography
The B.Des. in Professional Photography prepares students to realize the power of photography while training them to professionally capture the beauty and complexity of the world.
Undergraduate
Minors + Certificates
Art Minor
The Art minor will help you develop the skills and knowledge to understand and integrate a range of art and design methods and content into your broader academic interests.
Art History Minor
Explore art from ancient to contemporary times, in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. This minor relates visual images to the big questions of humanity.
Digital Arts Certificate
Blend classroom and online learning in this 15-credit certificate program that will help you develop artistic knowledge and technical skills that can be applied across industries and professions.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Minor
Become a leader in the arts or design. Engage in a start-up venture. Leverage your art or craft. Create alliances. Meet social or business needs. Craft ideas and make art work.
Graphic Design Minor
The Graphic Design minor is intended for students interested in augmenting their academic major with the physical, technological, aesthetic, and conceptual skills associated with a design discipline.
International Arts Minor
Expand your perspective. Become a well-traveled citizen of the world. A minor in International Arts will provide a deeper understanding of how art and design permeate cultures around the world.
Museum Studies Certificate
Learn the fundamentals of museum studies. Explore the history, theory, and practice of institutional collecting and conservation. Engage in a technical investigation of art.
Photography Minor
Acquire technical and conceptual photographic capabilities for documenting, expressing, and sharing information, ideas, views, and cultural perspectives. Learn to communicate in a visual language.
Graduate
Degrees
M.F.A. in Art
The Penn State M.F.A. in Art offers concentrations in ceramics, drawing and painting, graphic design, new media, photography, printmaking, and sculpture – all to elevate your art and impact.
M.S. in Art Education (+Dual M.S.)
The M.S. in Art Education and Dual M.S. in Art Education + Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Penn State explore the making of art and curriculum as the making of ideas that matter.
Ph.D. in Art Education (+Dual Ph.D.)
The Ph.D. in Art Education – plus the Art Ed + African American and Diaspora Studies and Art Ed + Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies dual-title degrees – position you to make a lasting impact on the art education profession.
M.A. in Art History
The M.A. degree in Art History transforms a passion for the arts and cultural history into a career path. Through the completion of a master’s paper or thesis, foreign language...
Ph.D. in Art History (+Dual Ph.D.)
Advanced study of visual arts spanning periods, cultures, and geographies. The Art History Ph.D. program – with Asian Studies or Visual Studies dual-title options – can deepen your expertise and advance your Art History career.
Alumni Spotlight
Penn State embraced my vision for a cross-disciplinary education that combined electrical engineering with theatre and stage lighting.
Alumni Spotlight
Andrew Giffin
Inter-College Bachelor of Philosophy, 2005
Andrew Giffin – a Schreyer Scholar who earned a inter-college Bachelor of Philosophy incorporating studies in Theatre Design and Technology plus Electrical Engineering – is the associate lighting designer for the rock band, Phish, and is widely considered as the top lighting programmer in the industry. Andrew has designed and programmed light shows for musicians such as Pearl Jam, Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber in addition to his work on music award shows, theatre productions and sporting events.
Web
www.gifld.com
Galleries, Studios & Workshops
Sketch. Stitch. Saw. Fabricate. Create. Display. We have spaces for it all.
See All Galleries, Studios & Workshops
Patterson Gallery
Located in the second floor lobby of the Patterson Building, the Patterson Gallery showcases undergraduate student research and creative work, mainly spotlighting senior thesis Learn More
SoVA Makerspace
SoVA’s Makerspace is a hub of creation and fabrication, and contains 3D scanning and printing equipment, robust computer workstations, as well as a CNC Learn More
SoVA Wood & Metal Shop
The Visual Arts Building Wood and Metal Shop is an exceptionally well-equipped and maintained facility located on the 1st floor of the Visual Arts Learn More
Zoller Gallery
Located on the entrance level of the Visuals Arts Building, the Edwin W. Zoller Gallery is a 2,200 square foot exhibition space. Founded in Learn More
See what we mean?
From photography and printmaking to sculpture, drawing, painting and other studio arts to digital and dimensional, the range of visual arts at Penn State is stunning!
Faculty Spotlight
Cristin Millett: The 21st Century Sculptor
Cristin Millett
Professor of Art
Straddling traditional disciplinary boundaries, SoVA Professor Cristin Millett’s investigations of medicine and its history are integral to her artistic process. Her toolkit of sculptural processes incorporates new advances in digital technology along with established methods of sculpture, such as stone carving and bronze casting. The resulting objects and installations prompt a contemporary cultural critique of societal issues surrounding reproduction and gender identity. Millett was awarded a Fulbright to the University of Western Australia in 2020.
Dec 11
Composer's Concert
Music I 121 Esber Rehearsal HallLocation: Esber Rehearsal Hall, 121 Music Building I, University Park, PA Details: Click Here for parking information and directions to School of Music events. Penn
Events
Go. Explore.News from A&A
Stuckeman School graphic design students win UCDA Vote 2020 design awards
Two graphic design students in the Stuckeman School recently earned awards in the University and College Designers Association Vote 2020 Student Poster Design Initiative.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Two graphic design students in the Stuckeman School recently earned awards in the University and College Designers Association (UCDA) Vote 2020 Student Poster Design Initiative. Scottie
SOVA alumna’s artwork featured in virtual exhibition responding to pandemic
Penn State School of Visual Arts alumna and Southwest Philadelphia artist D’nae Harrison, 2014 bachelor of fine arts, has been named as a winner of the 2020 MOZAIK Future Art Award Read More
Creativity and the coronavirus: Interns make the most of challenging situation
Students in the College of Arts and Architecture internship program adjusted their work in creative ways during the challenging spring semester. Read More