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2024 Best Fine Arts Master's Degree Schools

116 Colleges in the United States
1,196 Master's Degrees
If you plan on getting your master's degree in fine arts, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #128 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 116 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Fine Arts Master's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,196 master's degrees in fine arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Fine Arts School for Your Master's Degree

Best Fine Arts Master's Degree Schools The fine arts master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality fine arts program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for fine arts students working on their master's degree.

More Ways to Rank Fine Arts Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Fine Arts Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Fine Arts Master's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.


 

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Fine Arts in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in fine arts. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

17 Top Schools for a Master's in Fine Arts

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in fine arts has to look into University of Notre Dame. Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a master’s in fine arts from University of Notre Dame

2
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
8 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a master's degree in fine arts needs to check out New York University. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in fine arts from New York University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6 Annual Graduates

University of Southern California is a great option for individuals interested in a master's degree in fine arts. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in fine arts from University of Southern California

4
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
16 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in fine arts needs to check out University of Pennsylvania. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.More information about a master’s in fine arts from University of Pennsylvania

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of New Orleans, Tulane is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in fine arts from Tulane University of Louisiana

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
9 Annual Graduates

WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis.More information about a master’s in fine arts from Washington University in St Louis

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4 Annual Graduates

TCU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Fort Worth.More information about a master’s in fine arts from Texas Christian University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
20 Annual Graduates

UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign.More information about a master’s in fine arts from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in fine arts from University of California - Berkeley

10
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
15 Annual Graduates

UF is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Gainesville.More information about a master’s in fine arts from University of Florida

11
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3 Annual Graduates

SMU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Dallas.More information about a master’s in fine arts from Southern Methodist University

12
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 Annual Graduates

Pratt Institute is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Brooklyn.More information about a master’s in fine arts from Pratt Institute - Main

13
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
27 Annual Graduates

Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a small public college located in the large city of Boston.More information about a master’s in fine arts from Massachusetts College of Art and Design

14
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in fine arts from George Washington University

15
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in fine arts from University of Maryland - College Park

16
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
18 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in fine arts from Indiana University - Bloomington

17
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in fine arts from American University

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Fine Arts students that almost earned our Best Fine Arts Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
18 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
19 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
20 California College of the Arts San Francisco, CA
21 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
22 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
23 School of the Art Institute of Chicago Chicago, IL
24 University of Delaware Newark, DE
25 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL

Fine Arts by Region

View the Best Fine Arts Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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One of 13 majors within the Fine & Studio Arts area of study, Fine Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Fine Arts

Related Major Annual Graduates
Art History 764
Art Studies 512
Other Fine Arts & Art Studies 165
Painting 132
Sculpture 42
Printmaking 40
Ceramic Arts & Ceramics 40
Fiber, Textile & Weaving Arts 31
Jewelry Arts 24
Drawing 19

Notes and References

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