$390
Tuition Cost per Credit
1.5 years
Average Completion*
Create. Experiment. Integrate.
Make Your Mark.
60 Credit Hours | Choose from Three Concentrations
Study at the state-of-the-art Alabama Center for the Arts in Decatur, Alabama
The Master of Fine Arts in Integrative Art at Athens State University is designed for artists and creative professionals ready to take their work to the next level. Through advanced studio practice, interdisciplinary exploration, critical inquiry, and hands-on experience, you’ll develop the creative vision, technical expertise, and professional practice needed to build a meaningful career in the arts.
Located at the Alabama Center for the Arts in downtown Decatur, the MFA gives you access to state-of-the-art studios, technology, equipment, and a collaborative creative community. Choose the concentration that best aligns with your artistic goals—Ceramics, Painting and Drawing, or Media and Design—while developing an integrative approach that encourages you to explore connections across disciplines and creative mediums.
Program Overview
The MFA in Integrative Art is a 60-credit-hour graduate program that combines advanced studio practice with research, experimentation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Rather than limiting your creative development to a single way of thinking or making, the program encourages you to explore how art, design, technology, materials, audiences, and ideas intersect. You’ll refine your individual artistic practice while developing the ability to think critically about your work, collaborate with others, and communicate your creative ideas professionally. Your studies culminate in a visual and written thesis, providing an opportunity to bring your artistic research and creative practice together into a substantial body of work.
Choose Your Creative Focus
Ceramics
Explore the possibilities of clay through advanced technical development, experimentation, and conceptual inquiry. The Ceramics concentration combines intensive studio practice with studies in clay and experimental glaze formulation, kiln construction, ceramic history, and aesthetics. You’ll investigate both functional and sculptural forms while developing your own artistic direction and refining your technical expertise. The program emphasizes experimentation and individual exploration. Through regular critiques and one-on-one faculty guidance, you’ll develop greater maturity, confidence, and sophistication in your studio practice.
A particular advantage of studying ceramics at the Alabama Center for the Arts is access to advanced ceramics facilities and atmospheric firing technology, including salt kiln technology—resources that provide opportunities for experimentation that are uncommon in the region.
Painting & Drawing
Push traditional painting and drawing into new territory while developing your own voice as an independent artist. The Painting and Drawing concentration emphasizes advanced drawing and painting as contemporary forms of communication. You’ll build technical mastery while exploring experimental and expanded approaches that can include animation, digital painting, stop-motion, installation, and other two- and three-dimensional practices.
Through studio work, critical theory, critique, and independent exploration, you’ll develop a cohesive body of work and a deeper understanding of your artistic practice. Faculty also emphasize the professional and commercial aspects of working as an artist, helping you consider freelance work, entrepreneurship, and the broader art market.
Media & Design
Bring art, design, technology, and user experience together to create for the rapidly evolving creative economy. The Media and Design concentration prepares you to work across multiple areas of digital media and design. You’ll develop skills in areas such as photography, graphic design, videography, motion design, multimedia, digital audio, virtual environments, and user experience and interface design.
You’ll also have opportunities to explore emerging technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality (AR/VR/MR). Through collaborative projects, real-world testing, internships, and connections with industry and community partners, you’ll learn how creative ideas can become meaningful experiences, products, and solutions.
This concentration is particularly well suited for applicants with a background in digital media or design who want to expand their expertise across multiple areas rather than specialize in a single digital discipline.
Study at the Alabama Center for the Arts
Join an amazing, supportive, and uplifting community of creatives at the Alabama Center for the Arts. The campus, located in beautiful downtown Decatur, consists of state-of-the-art facilities where students can take a variety of courses in art, theatre, graphic design, visual communications, and music. Additionally, a modern three-story residence hall offers apartments in various configurations, so you can live close to where you study!
Your Career Advantage Starts Here
An MFA is more than an advanced art degree. It is an opportunity to develop a distinctive creative voice, build a professional portfolio, and establish the expertise needed to pursue opportunities across the arts, design, education, technology, and creative industries.
Explore your career pathways with the Master of Fine Arts in Integrative Art, including anticipated salaries, annual job growth, and even active job listings through the Career Concourse portal.
$65k
Art Director Estimated Entry Salary
$84k
Art Director Estimated Median Salary
Estimated salary and employment information based on labor market data provided by Career Concourse and is intended for informational purposes only. Actual salaries and employment outcomes vary based on factors such as experience, location, industry, and employer and are not guaranteed upon degree completion.
Admissions & Aid
Admission to the MFA in Integrative Art is based on your artistic preparation and the strength of your portfolio rather than a GRE score. Portfolio requirements vary by concentration. Applicants should demonstrate artistic maturity, a cohesive body of work, and the ability to develop ideas through a sustained creative practice.
Athens State University is committed to providing a high-quality education at an affordable cost. As Alabama’s most affordable public state university, Athens State gives graduate students the opportunity to pursue advanced education while making a smart investment in their future.
Why Choose this Program at Athens State?
At Athens State, you’ll have the freedom to explore your creativity while building the skills and confidence to turn your passion for the arts into a meaningful career. With flexible degree options, personalized instruction, and opportunities to develop your craft through hands-on experiences, our Arts program are designed to meet you where you are and help you move toward where you want to go.
Designed for Today’s Artists
Build the artistic, creative, and professional skills you need to pursue careers in the arts, education, design, and other creative fields. You shouldn’t have to choose between advancing your education and advancing your career. Athens State’s degree programs are designed to work alongside your lifestyle.
More Creativity. Less Student Debt.
Earn a high-quality arts degree in a supportive, innovative environment at the Alabama Center for the Arts in Decatur from Athens State University, one of Alabama’s most affordable public universities. A degree from Athens State gives you more value for your investment, setting you up for success from the very beginning.
Learn from Experienced, Supportive Faculty
Our faculty combine academic excellence with genuine care and concern. At Athens State, you will receive personalized guidance and mentorship from experience faculty who are invested in your creative development and success. You’re not facing the college journey alone — our dedicated, knowledgeable faculty and staff walk alongside you each step of the way.
Additional Information
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*Average completion time varies by student and depends on prior credits
transferred to Athens State and the number of courses taken per semester.
Please consult with your Student Success Coach and faculty advisor for your personalized plan of study.