University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth (UMass Dartmouth or UMassD) houses the College of Visual & Performing Arts (CVPA), home to the BFA in Art + Design: Illustration and Visual Design MFA: Illustration Programs. An Illustration Minor is also available.
As part of UMass Dartmouth, the BFA and MFA Programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). Students in both programs have access to IDEAStudio—a state-of-the-art digital/multimedia space where they can access equipment and software, and collaborate with peers and faculty from across the UMassD campus.
Students also have access to additional digital media labs, the Painting/2D Media Lab, Graphic Design & Illustration studios (graduate students are assigned individual workspaces), the Visual and Media Literacy Hub (HUB), which maintains the largest image and media repository on the UMassD campus, and Textile & Fiber Arts facilities equipped with papermaking studios, a textile media lab, dark rooms, and more.
In the Art + Design: Illustration Program, students will explore color, composition, drawing, painting, rendering, and printmaking, along with specialized areas such as book illustration, concept art, documentary illustration, and character development. The program requires 120 credit hours of study, with 78 credits in the major. The BFA Program culminates with a professional portfolio and participation in the Senior Exhibition. Graduates are prepared for careers in Illustration, Animation, Scientific Visualization, Multimedia Design, and graduate study.
The Visual Design MFA: Illustration Program at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth consists of 60 credit hours of study that can be completed on a two- or three-year schedule. In addition to Illustration, students will have opportunities to explore other areas such as Digital Media, Graphic Design, and Photography. Other MFA Program features include assigned graduate workspaces, individualized attention from faculty who are professionals in traditional, interactive, and time-based media, assistantship opportunities, interdisciplinary projects, visiting artists, access to the Visual Resources Center, which houses more than 150,000 archived images, and exhibition opportunities.
The Visual Design MFA: Illustration Program at UMass Dartmouth requires a Visual Thesis and Thesis Report to graduate. Examples of career paths for graduates of the program include Curator, Art Director, Arts Administrator, Senior Illustration Manager for Publications, Storyboard Director for Advertising, Animation or Film, and Art Educator.
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has been accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE) since 1963. The school dates back to 1895, when textile schools launched as New Bedford Textile School and the Bradford Durfee Textile School in Fall River. Today. UMass Dartmouth is a public, four-year, national research university that serves 7,717 students enrolled in more than 100 programs across eight colleges and schools.