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 prepares knowledgeable, skilled, and creative leaders to teach social and environmental justice in educational contexts such as schools, community settings, and cultural institutions.
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 wholly online B.Des. in Digital Multimedia Design program 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, 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
Program Application Deadline The deadline for applications for AY 2024–25 is January 15, 2024. To be assured full consideration, please apply by this deadline. Review individual program descriptions for details...
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 gave me the opportunity to explore the many career paths available in the film industry.
Alumni Spotlight
Caleb Yoder
B.Des. in Digital Arts and Media Design 2016A student internship with DreamWorks Animation led Caleb Yoder to a full-time videographer position with the company following his graduation. Caleb spent eight months as a videographer before moving to the DreamWorks TV division, where he worked as a production assistant and production coordinator on Harvey Street Kids. As a Schreyer Scholar, Caleb graduated with highest distinction, serving as college marshal for the College of Arts and Architecture. Caleb now is assistant animatic editor at DreamWorks.
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
Private: SoVA Makerspace
The School of Visual Arts Makerspace is a hub of creation and fabrication, and contains 3D scanning and printing equipment, robust computer workstations, as Learn More
SoVA Wood & Metal Shop
The School of Visual Arts Wood and Metal Shop is an exceptionally well-equipped and maintained facility located on the 1st floor of the Visual 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
"Light," a Ben Radatz/Brian Alfred collaboration.
Brian Alfred
Associate Professor of Art
Brian Alfred received a B.F.A. from Penn State in 1997, studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Skowhegan, Maine, and received an M.F.A. from Yale University in 1999. He has had numerous solo exhibitions in locations ranging from New York City to Tokyo to London, as well as group exhibitions nationally and internationally. He is the host of the podcast “Sound and Vision,” featuring conversations with contemporary artists, which recently celebrated its 200th episode. His work is in the collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Denver Art Museum, and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, among others.
News from A&A
Woskob Family Gallery to host student art sale
Woskob Family Gallery will host a student art sale in collaboration with clay cOven and the Sculpture Club on Thursday, Nov. 30, 5-7 p.m., and Friday, Dec. 1, 5-8 p.m. (as part of
Woskob Family Gallery will host a student art sale in collaboration with clay cOven and the Sculpture Club on Thursday, Nov. 30, 5-7 p.m., and Friday, Dec. 1, 5-8 p.m.
Art History department head’s new book examines Italian royal residences
Art History Department Head's news book discusses three royal residences outside Naples, Italy, in Capodimonte, Portici and Caserta, all built during the 18th century. Read More
New book addresses civic participation via digital media in art education
“Teaching Civic Participation with Digital Media in Art Education: Critical Approaches for Classroom and Communities” promote youth civic participation through digital technology. Read More