The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Illustration & Visual Culture program explores the idea of illustration authorship by combining studio practice in illustration with curatorial training in visual and material culture. This program is ideal for illustrators, designers, and those interested in working with popular visual matter of the modern period to discover how it was made and by whom, who it was for, and how it remains relevant today.
This is a two-year residential program. Graduates of the program will be prepared to work as author-artists of graphic novels and picture books; professors of illustration; critical writers on popular culture; and curatorial staff in museums, libraries and auction houses.
The program is built on the strengths and expertise of the Sam Fox School’s illustration and design faculty as well as the vast visual culture resources of Washington University, including the Dowd Illustration Research Archive, a preeminent site for studying the history and culture of American illustration.
Contact Info
| Website: | https://samfoxschool.wustl.edu/academics/college-of-art/mfa-in-illustration-and-visual-culture |
Our faculty are practicing artists and designers who engage in projects internationally, nationally, and regionally. They exhibit their work in museums, galleries, and other venues. They engage a variety of audiences, receive critical review in periodicals, publish their own writing, and produce documentaries. Others produce site-specific performances and lead community-based programs. Their range of creative practice spans conceptual and media territories that include art and social practice; propaganda and print media; figurative painting; and cinematic, time-based work including sound and digital film-making, book arts, and large-scale sculptural installations. Students often have the opportunity to assist faculty members with studio-based work and research that addresses timely and relevant topics, including race, global politics, the environment, art + science, evolving technologies, social justice, and materials culture and studies.
For further information, please visit the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts website:
Visiting Lecturers
The school brings nationally and internationally recognized artists, designers, historians and critics to campus to promote new ideas in practice, theory and technology. Invited speakers often participate in graduate studio visits and conduct one-on-one reviews of work.
The Henry L. and Natalie E. Freund Teaching Fellowship is an internationally recognized program that consists of two month-long artist residencies in the Graduate School of Art that culminate with a public lecture and solo exhibition at The Saint Louis Art Museum. During their fellowship, artists teach the graduate students and conduct studio critiques with students.
The Arthur L. and Sheila Prensky Island Press Visiting Artist Program brings distinguished artists to the school for intensive studio residencies at Island Press. Visiting artists work closely with faculty, graduate students and advanced undergraduate students to create innovative prints that garner a critical response from national and international audiences.
MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture
The Graduate School of Art subscribes to the standards for the MFA degree as set forth by the College Art Association of America (CAA) and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
The residence requirement for the MFA degree is at least two academic years of full-time study.
The MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture program combines studio work in illustration and cartooning with the academic study of visual and material culture, and it places an emphasis on popular print and hands-on curatorial training in partnership with the Dowd Illustration Research Archive (DIRA) and the Olin Library Special Collections staff. Individual programs of study are arranged with faculty advisors according to the student's area of interest.
Students are expected to proceed at a pace that enables them to finish their degree within the appropriate time limit; this is usually four semesters. Students have a maximum of three calendar years from the date of their first registration to complete the degree. Delays in a two-year completion must be approved by the program chair.
Students will complete a major creative project and a significant writing exercise to position and defend their work.
Students in the class of 2028 and beyond must fulfill the following degree requirements. For class of 2027 academic requirements, consult the Prior Bulletins.
| Required | Units |
|---|---|
| Illustration Studio | 33 |
| Visual Culture History & Theory | 12 |
| Hands-On Archival Work | 6 |
| Electives | 9 |
| Total | 60 |
The two-year program can be organized as follows:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1: Fall | ||
| DESIGN 5010 | Illustration Studio 1: Drawing and Voice | 6 |
| DESIGN 5115 | Creative Writing for Illustration | 3 |
| DESIGN 5120 | Reading Pictures: Materials Lab | 1 |
| DESIGN 5160 | Reading Pictures: Illustration History | 3 |
| DESIGN 5410 | Applied Illustration | 3 |
| Year 1: Spring | ||
| DESIGN 5020 | Illustration Studio II: Artist, Author, Audience | 6 |
| DESIGN 5130 | Comics and Cartooning: A Critical Survey | 3 |
| DESIGN 5140 | Exhibiting the Archive | 2 |
| DESIGN 5401 | The Designed Image | 3 |
| Year 2: Fall | ||
| DESIGN 6010 | Illustration & Visual Culture Thesis Studio I | 8 |
| DESIGN 6011 | Thesis Mentoring | 1 |
| DESIGN 6160 | Writing Visual Culture | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Year 2: Spring | ||
| DESIGN 6020 | Illustration & Visual Culture Thesis Studio II | 8 |
| DESIGN 6021 | Pedagogy & Professional Practices | 1 |
| Electives | 6 | |
| Total Units | 60 | |
- Art and design electives introduce students to the intellectual and conceptual issues and production methods of a broad array of practices that complement and expand the student's studio practice.
- Elective courses taken inside or outside the College of Art must be at the 3000 level or above to count as graduate-level credit and require approval by the student's academic advisor (program chair) in advance of registration.
- Students may not register for courses in WashU Continuing & Professional Studies.
Thesis Oral Defense and Thesis Submission
The Final MFA IVC Thesis Defense is the last and most significant comprehensive assessment of a student's work in the program. The defense is led by the chair and conducted by a committee that includes the IVC faculty and guest critics. Reviews take place in the context of their installed thesis exhibition. Students present their work and research to the committee for critique, inquiry, and discussion. This defense determines whether the candidate is awarded the Master of Fine Arts degree. The review consists of a viewing of the work with an introduction by the student and a question-and-answer period with the faculty committee. For the final review, a Pass/No Pass vote of the committee members is conducted based on the following criteria:
- Refined, focused, and significant body of work exploring visual culture in form and/or content
- Demonstration of depth of inquiry and professional competence at all levels of craft
- Evidence of rigorous exploration of ideas and ambitious execution of work
- Development and analysis of relevant research questions in their critical essay that make a clear and argumentative narrative
If the student passes the review, the chair of the MFA IVC program signs the Approval to Graduate form, which is submitted to the Office of the Registrar. A passing vote indicates that a majority of members of the thesis committee find that the candidate has met or exceeded the requirements of the MFA thesis through the thesis text, artist talk, and artwork. In the event of a No Pass vote, which indicates that the majority of the thesis committee judged the quality of the candidate's thesis to be below the standards expected of master's level performance, the degree program of the candidate is terminated. In addition to the Pass/No Pass vote, the thesis committee also votes to approve the candidate's thesis text. In the event that the thesis text is not approved, candidates will have up to one week to address concerns and then resubmit the text to the chair of their program. All candidates are required to submit their written thesis or critical essay to the Open Scholarship platform to be eligible for graduation.