The reason I recruit high school kids to go to art school is that it teaches you certain ways of looking at things, a way of being critical about culture that is incredibly imperative, especially right now.
-Artist, Andy Alexander
With a better understanding of the Ivy League art programs from our last post, let’s consider those university art programs outside of the Ivies that are highly ranked and offer a rigorous education. Stanford’s undergraduate art program, for example, focuses more heavily on theory, unlike UCLA, which we profile below. However, rigorous studio practice and art theory complement each other at Virginia Commonwealth University’s art program, which also offers students an opportunity to gain experience in creative careers while in school through partnerships with, for example, its Center for Creative Economy.
In our chart below, you’ll find more highlights like these for each of the top university art programs outside of the Ivies to help you decide which might be the best fit for you. At each of these programs you’ll receive an outstanding arts education in a university setting, which means a comprehensive and well-rounded education as opposed to a singular and more technical approach to art, like you would find at an art school. For a better understanding of the differences between an art school and a university art program, be sure to check out Post 2 of this series: Art School or Art Major, Which is Right for You? Now, we’ll take a closer look at UCLA’s art program, which is consistently regarded as one of the top in the country by US News & World Report.
| Name | Virginia Commonwealth University | University of Michigan | UCLA | Stanford |
| Location | Richmond, VA | Ann Arbor, MI | Los Angeles, CA | Stanford, CA |
| Total Number of Undergraduates | 21,563 | 34,454 | 33,040 | 7,841 |
| Arts Majors | 16 Programs | 2 Majors | 6 Majors | 1 Major |
| Arts Minors | 6 minors | Link to some popular minors | 1 Minor | 1 Minor |
| Factors to Consider | VCU offers a highly regarded and serious art program nestled in the heart of Richmond, VA. At VCU you’ll enter a mandatory Art Foundation Program your first year, where you will engage in both the intellectually rigorous study of art and an intensive studio practice. After that, you will be able to declare your visual arts major. VCU is also known for its pre-med program and science department, and a surprising number of students decide to double- or triple-major across these fields. | University of Michigan’s Stamps School of Art & Design offers two ways to study art: a BA in Art and Design or a BFA in Art and Design. The BFA focuses more heavily on studio practice. Stamps was one of the first schools in the country to incorporate a “transdisciplinary” structure. There are no specific majors in the undergraduate art program. Students work with their advisor to design a personalized curriculum of studio classes that support their own unique creative vision. They are also required to study abroad, creating a well-rounded university experience. | UCLA is one of the best non-Ivy League university art programs in the country. It is well-connected in the Los Angeles art scene and is known for its rigorous studio-centered approach to studying art. At UCLA, students major in art and study across all six studio areas:
Ceramics, Interdisciplinary Studio, New Genres, Painting and Drawing, Photography, and Sculpture. UCLA is known for its experimental New Genres coursework, which includes the study of moving images, sound, performance, installation, and hybrid and emerging art forms. |
Stanford’s undergraduate visual arts program is known for its variety of both traditional arts courses as well as expanded opportunities in new media, digital arts, and technology, among other mediums. Stanford’s visual art program is very theory-focused; while students will, of course, learn technique, they should be interested in approaching art from a conceptual standpoint as well. That said, Stanford makes a point of helping its arts students build career paths post-graduation, including a well-designed and comprehensive program called Art is My Occupation. |
| Atmosphere of program | VCU’s atmosphere is shaped by the city that it calls home. Richmond, VA is a medium-sized city that is diverse and rich in history, and has a vibrant arts scene. Richmond’s art district hosts open gallery nights, and students can also enjoy performances at the theater or the ballet downtown. The VCU campus boasts its own Institute for Contemporary Art which offers challenging art exhibitions. While the curriculum is rigorous, professors are helpful and students find myriad ways to bond on campus. | The interdisciplinary approach at Stamps can be appealing to students who prefer creative freedom, while it may be a deterrent for others who would rather focus on one medium. Overall, the atmosphere is very supportive and collaborative. Current students describe it as a close-knit, uplifting, and encouraging environment that provides positive and constructive critiques. Ann Arbor is a small city anchored by the university, but it hosts a lively arts scene, including an annual art fair. | Home to over 30,000 students, UCLA is a large school with a vibrant and diverse campus experience that includes students from a variety of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Campus life at UCLA holds space for a variety of different experiences. One of the defining characteristics about UCLA’s culture is that there is no singular defining experience. It accepts and encourages both the traditional and the nontraditional in art and in life. There’s also a playful school spirit that pervades the student body. | Stanford is known for its academically serious atmosphere, its wealth of well-funded resources, an ambitious and hard-working student body, and a beautiful campus which serves as the hub for undergraduate life. Current students and alumni talk about Stanford as a bubble, because it is quite spread out and far from major cities. For some that feels claustrophobic, while others love the intimacy of the close-knit campus community feel. |
Program Spotlight: University of California – Los Angeles
Artsy – an online art marketplace and leading voice in the contemporary art world – notes that UCLA “offers Ivy League quality at state prices.” Unlike other undergraduate art programs at universities, which often decentralize studio art in favor of a more traditional and comprehensive curriculum, UCLA is unique in its rigorous approach to studio practice for its students. The program is known for its focus on the production of art with less emphasis on the study of theory. Conceptual artist Jennifer Moon, whose work blends fantasy, self-help, and political theory, recalls her time as an undergrad: “At UCLA I learned how to make stuff. They didn’t stress reading or researching. They really wanted you to produce. I learned a way of working that I liked…I was allowed to work free and do as much as I could.”
Part of UCLA’s rigor includes its dedication to helping students find their artistic niche. Before settling into one area of artistic expertise, newly enrolled students are required to sample a variety of artistic mediums, from sculpture to photography to the course “New Genres.” This course is part of the larger “New Genres Area,” which includes the study of moving image, sound, performance, installation, as well as hybrid and emerging art forms. UCLA is especially known for the experimental artistic exploration of this area of study.
With renowned faculty, such as Catherine Opie, Rebecca Morris, and Cosmo Whyte, UCLA’s art program (like SVA’s in New York City, which we cover in Post 4) is also especially tapped into the art world and the gallery scene on the ground in Los Angeles. And while UCLA’s MFA students are likely benefiting most from this proximity to the art world, as an undergraduate art student you will absorb important insights about the art market that will prepare you for your future as an artist. In particular, should you wind up pursuing an MFA at UCLA or another prestigious LA art school, such as the Art Center or CalArts, your time spent at UCLA as an undergrad will have equipped you with an understanding of, and connections to, the Los Angeles art scene that surpass those of other MFA applicants.
Even more than UCLA’s stellar art department, industry connections, and emphasis on art production and experimentation, its variety of creative coursework is unparalleled, extending beyond the Art Department and its studio-centric focus to offer its students a broader definition of “art” than one often sees in traditional BFA programs. UCLA’s art program, for example, accommodates students like hip hop artist and UCLA Department of World Arts & Cultures/Dance alum, Harry Weston, who, upon entering UCLA as an eighteen-year-old, didn’t want to feel limited in terms of his creativity: “What intrigued me about the [UCLA art] department was when I went to the open house and I walked around the campus, and I listened to the students and the professors, and I listened to them talk about how…you could come and you could be yourself. You didn’t have to fit into a box of this is what the major’s for and this is what you’re going to do. It was like, what do you wanna do when you’re here? If you have an idea, and a goal and a project or a mission in mind, this is where you’re going to express it.”
The UCLA art department podcast, Works In Progress, brought together Harry and two of his friends – fellow dancers and UCLA alum, Alli Gray and Jackie Lopez – to discuss their time studying hip hop in the Department of World Arts & Cultures/Dance. The three of them now work at Versa-Style, a hip-hop dance company co-founded by Jackie in 2005 to, as she puts it, “give space to folks who have never typically been heard.” Jackie felt UCLA gave her that platform at a time when she didn’t see herself – an American-born Latina – represented in a lot of the dance programs she applied to across the country. “[UCLA] didn’t need me to point my toes or dress in leotards. They were like, show up as you.”
Above all, it seems UCLA lets students be themselves. By offering a studio art major while also making space for students to focus on dance, cultural arts and even art education (UCLA offers a minor in Visual and Performing Arts Education), the university creates a diverse and creative atmosphere that’s teeming with a variety of artistic energies. Overall, UCLA’s program is one of rigor, openness, and experimentation. It’s serious yet spunky with a focus on producing art and instilling trust in each student toward developing their own specific sense of artistry.
UCLA is but one of the extraordinary university art programs outside of the Ivies that we’ve presented here. Each will give you a comprehensive education and a richly varied campus experience – one you’ll be unlikely to find at smaller art schools that are focused solely on artistic technique. For Alli Gray from Versa-Style, getting to a university setting helped her understand that being an artist – specifically a dancer – was actually possible for her. “I saw many different ways to be successful as a dancer. And that’s what intrigued me the most, is that I saw new versions that I wanted to become, and I saw myself in that, [which] was really inspiring as little eighteen year-old Alli.” This is the kind of transformative experience a university setting has to offer developing artists. The exceptional university programs covered here will offer a plethora of influences (from philosophy to history to the sciences) that will help you find your voice as an artist and discover what it is, precisely, you have to say to the world.
The college admissions process can be overwhelming, and it may feel difficult to know where to start. At Collegiate Gateway, we are eager to share our expertise and guide you on your admissions strategy and the path to your “best fit” college. Please feel free to contact us! As always, we’re happy to help!
