Mindful of
the past, We contemplate
and create a better future

We inspire rigorous paths of study through individual expression and collaboration across many disciplines of art, art history, and design. Through education and encouragement of broad dialogue within arts, we promote positive and sustainable change in our global community.

Art and Design at MSU

Undergraduate

graduate

community

Majors

women with blue eyeliner and blue lipstick, wearing a blue veil
APPAREL & TEXTILE DESIGN
canvas covered in paint with paint brushes lying on top
ART EDUCATION
museum with paintings in intricate gold frames
ART HISTORY & VISUAL CULTURE
cluttered desk up against a wall covered in graphics and typography
Graphic Design
Abstract ergonomic sculpture mounted on a wall
STUDio ART

Minors

A light blue background with a dark strip down the center, two colorful angular polygons are on either side of the strip
ART HISTORY & VISUAL CULTURE
a camera with a purple reflection in the lense

Art photograhy

a collection of layered comic books
Comic Art & Graphic Novels
A colorful page spread
Graphic Design

Master of Fine Arts

Our MFA program seeks to expand our empathic understanding, cultivate the voices of underserved populations and ideas, and mitigate and critique damage done to ecologies, marginalized cultures, and the environment brought about by several centuries of colonialist pursuits. 

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new program studies race through art

We have established a Critical Race Studies Residency Program that will bring an Artist-in-Residence and a Designer-in-Residence to campus to enrich the life of student experiences and the greater community by facilitating practices of inclusion through art and design as part of the Department of Art, Art History, and Design.

SPARTAN'S JOURNEY OF DETERMINATION

Born with no hands and missing her big toe along with the supporting bones on each foot, Kathryn Bailey, a 24-year-old Studio Art graduating senior hasn’t allowed her quadrilateral limb deficiency to keep her from living a “normal” life and now is about to graduate with a degree in Studio Art and a concentration in Painting and Graphic Design.

Woman in art studio painting on canvas
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Woman with glasses and brown hair placing a glass cylinder over an unseen object, against a colorful background
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MFA in Art, Art History, and Design

The Master of Fine Art program seeks highly motivated students who have the artistic and scholarly vision to guide us into equitable, sustainable, and creative futures. We encourage new and rigorous forms of artistic expression and design innovation that transcend typical constraints to make meaningful contributions to the world. A 100% funded program, your able to customize your student experience at one of the leading research institutions in the world.

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Interested in learning more about our degree programs, galleries/exhibitions, and community programs?
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“I knew design was what I loved doing. It wasn’t until I started job searching that I found there were so many possibilities to use the skills I learned in my degree. I love working for American Girl because I get to work on such a diverse range of projects.”

Rebecca dekuiper

Apparel and Textile Design Alumna
Lead Designer, American Girl

Learn More >

featured News

Award
College of Arts & Letters Students and Staff Earn Several ADDY Awards
One of the top awards presented at this year’s Mid-Michigan American Advertising (ADDY) Awards competition went to Graphic Design junior Jordan Brooks for his “Wizard of Oz Book Cover” entered in the Sales + Marketing – Publication Design – Cover category. Brooks received a Judge’s Choice Award in addition to a Silver and Bronze ADDY. […]
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Award
Professor Glendinning Receives William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award
In recognition of his comprehensive and sustained record of scholarly excellence, instruction, and outreach, Peter Glendinning, Professor in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design, has received the William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award.  Supported by MSU’s Office of University Development, the William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Awards are made each year to faculty members for their […]
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Event
Ann Hamilton to Present Signature Lecture on April 16
The College of Arts & Letters is pleased to host National Medal of the Arts recipient, MacArthur Genius, and internationally acclaimed artist Ann Hamilton as part of the College’s Signature Lecture Series. The event, to be held virtually Friday, April 16, at 5 p.m., is free and open to the public, but registration is required. To register, please […]
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Faculty
Professor Publishes Book Promoting Collaboration in Design Education
Rebecca Tegtmeyer, Associate Professor of Graphic Design, recently published a book she co-wrote, titled Collaboration in Design Education, with Marty Maxwell Lane. The idea for the book came while Tegtmeyer was a student at North Carolina State where she met and began working with Lane as collaborators in the Graphic Design graduate program. Together, they […]
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Alumni
Art Education Alumna Creates and Exhibits Black Art Library
Last year, at the start of Black History Month, College of Arts & Letters alumna Asmaa Walton began posting covers of art monographs, exhibition catalogues, and art biographies of African American visual artists to Instagram. An Art Education graduate, Walton was in the middle of her appointment as the Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellow at […]
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