College of Art and Design
Welcome MFA Candidates,
The College of Art and Design at Lesley University has been shaping the careers of professional artists, designers, innovators, and inventors for over 100 years. Founded by Roy Davidson as the School of Practical Art in 1912, the mission was to “train students to become professional artists so they could put their talents to work in rewarding creative fields.” We continue to uphold this mission today, encouraging students to explore and experiment during the creative process while nurturing a critical dialogue for an advanced arts practice.
Our two Masters in Fine Arts programs, the full residency MFA in Photography and Integrated Media, and the MFA in Visual Arts Low-Residency, unite craft, concept, context, personality, and professional priority. The curriculum incorporates rigorous studio practice with critical and cultural exposure, blending traditional knowledge and skill with the capacity to influence a rapidly changing world. The goal of the MFA Degrees is to foster a community of passionate artist-scholars with a strong work ethic, while emphasizing play in learning.
MFA Visual Arts (Low-Residency)
The MFA in Visual Arts Low-Residency program centers on your interdisciplinary exploration, where you integrate various visual arts media over a sustained investigation of cultural contexts. This approach fosters a dynamic and enriching learning experience as you delve into the interconnectedness of different artistic forms while understanding their relevance in your exploration. The program provides you with the tools and expertise to refine your individual vision. Advance your study of art history, culture, and critical thinking through rigorous academic exposure. Increase awareness for how your work relates to contemporary audiences and increasingly global themes. Broaden your knowledge of the visual arts as a profession through attending seminars in professional development, including exhibitions, grant writing, commissions, and media presentations.
The Low-Residency MFA Visual Arts program is specifically designed to integrate your creative thesis seamlessly into your daily life. With a flexible structure, the program allows you to complete your graduate degree while balancing busy schedules and life responsibilities. The program includes two ten-day residencies at the Lesley campus, fostering community building, stimulating conversations, and constructive critiques. After the residencies, you continue your work from home, while artist mentors work closely with you to provide a personalized course of study to help you excel in your craft. These mentors nurture your unique point of view while equipping you with analytical tools essential for a breadth of study and depth of visual expression.
MFA Creative Writing (Low-Residency)
The MFA in Creative Writing is a low-residency program that allows students, with the oversight of a faculty mentor, to design their own concentrations in fiction, graphic novels and comics, poetry, nonfiction, writing for stage and screen, or writing for young people. The Lesley program embodies an axiom: life experience is the raw material for literature, but the writers we read and re-read have shaped their experiences—whether personal, intellectual, or cultural—into fresh aesthetic forms. Therefore, the best creative writers are passionately creative readers, thinkers, observers, and listeners, constantly re-examining their habits and premises.
The Low-Residency MFA Creative Writing program is designed for for students to attend over two years, a nine-day residency at the beginning of each of the four six-month semesters. The residency will include workshops, seminars, lectures, and readings, providing a forum for intensive study, collaboration, and constructive critique of student work. In addition, students will be matched with faculty mentors to create individualized study plans that incorporate rigorous reading lists. After each residency, students work on their own, under the guidance of faculty mentors. Following the fourth semester, graduating students return for the final portion of a fifth residency to conclude the program, offering a craft seminar and giving a public reading from their creative thesis.
The work cultivated through your intensive MFA experience will serve as a powerful catalyst for your next creative venture in the professional art world and beyond. We are thrilled to embark on this transformative journey involving your artistic growth and accomplishments. We look forward to working with you!
Heather Shaw
Vice Provost for Art and Design