The Low-Residency MFA in Visual Art gives you the opportunity to pursue an in-depth graduate-level experience in art that is flexible and tailored to your individual needs. You also cultivate a community of support around your practice, developing friendships and connections to sustain your life in art.
In this 68-credit, 2½-year MFA program, students work in their own chosen media, including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, ceramics, installation, and video and performance art. This unique program combines a variety of interdisciplinary experiences that enrich work in the studio. In remote studio courses and online graduate seminars, students work independently, while on-campus residencies invigorate, energize, and challenge students’ studio practices.
Meditate and Create
At MIU, you’ll learn the Transcendental Meditation® technique during your first on-campus residency. This simple technique for inner peace and wellness, along with MIU’s unique Consciousness-Based Education, allows you to access your creative imagination and illuminate deeper connections in your life and work.
Get started by contacting Adriene
Adriene Crimson is this program’s admissions counselor for US students. Adriene will provide you with all the details of becoming a student, including connecting you with the program director or faculty.
Work directly with nationally-recognized faculty and artists
As a low-residency MFA student, you’ll work directly with a rotating roster of visiting artists during summer and winter residencies, and will meet in person with a visiting artist mentor in your home studio during remote semesters. Additionally, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in our regular on-campus visiting artist lecture series throughout the semester via webinar.
On-campus residencies
In each of the five semesters, students attend a two-week studio residency on-campus. Through workshops, critiques, field trips, and interactions with visiting artists, they learn practical strategies for developing the internal creative momentum necessary to fuel their studio work when they return home. These in-person residency courses are also designed to forge strong connections between the graduate cohort and instigate discussions that can be continued online during remote semesters.
In addition, there is a capstone and thesis residency which includes an exhibition of original work accompanied by a formal, professional-quality slide presentation, artist’s statement, and supplementary images illustrating historical/visual context and subject sources. Students also meet with critics to discuss their thesis work and participate in final group reviews with faculty and peers.
Courses and degree requirements
This course explores a path through the principles at the basis of the Teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi as a way to reveal deep connections to creativity in human consciousness. During this course you will be exposed to numerous sources that swing between the world of art, source texts on consciousness and videos by Maharishi. Each session will be geared toward nourishing and establishing your own greater understanding of a personal creative practice in relation to the development of consciousness. The Creativity and Consciousness course is delivered a two-month course during the first semester of the MFA Visual Art program. ART 580 must be successfully completed to fulfill the Science of Creative Intelligence (SCI) requirement for MIU graduate students. (4 credits)
These independent study courses comprise the bulk of the workload between on-campus residencies. Students are expected to spend a minimum of 15 hours per week working independently in their studio. Documentation of works/process/progress is assessed monthly by the program director in individual video conference meetings with the student. Materials and any travel involved are the responsibility of the student. (25 credits)
During remote semesters, students consult with the Program Director to choose a regional artist who visits with the student in person or by video conference for a minimum of 90 minutes four times throughout the semester. (10 credits)
This seminar engages discussions that relate the inception of ideas to the realization and manifestation of works of art. Student interaction with peers, faculty and guest artists becomes a way to build upon a point of view. Understanding the relationship of consciousness to the artist’s own experience becomes an important tool for advancing studio work. Discussions are based on readings, videos, podcasts, field trips and talks by guest artists. Lab fee: $250 max if term includes visiting a major metropolitan area. (4 credits)
This seminar fosters a condition for conversation with a lineage of art forms – from cave art to current works, on a global scale. Addressing how ideas germinate, generate, reproduce in varied ways over and across space and time. Consideration of cultural traditions and their relationship to consciousness acts as a perspective for discovery. Discussions are based on readings, videos, podcasts, field trips and talks by guest artists. Lab fee: $250 max if term includes visiting a major metropolitan area. (4 credits)
This seminar addresses the source, course, and result of works of art while engaging the relational aesthetics of how the artist and artwork interacts with the world at large. Students address the connection of the experience and understanding of the development of human consciousness to the process of creation. Discussions are based on readings, videos, podcasts, field trip and talks by guest artists. Lab fee: $250 max if term includes visiting a major metropolitan area. (4 credits)
The relationship between opposite values of Stability and flexibility come into play as the focus of this discussion. Recognizing constants and variables in different art forms sets up a structure for play within one’s personal studio practice. Exposure, exercises and discussions that relate this topic to consciousness are designed to strengthen that understanding. Discussions are based on readings, videos, podcasts, field trip and talks by guest artists. Lab fee: $250 max if term includes visiting a major metropolitan area. (4 credits)
This final seminar allows each graduating student to use interaction with faculty and peers as a platform for developing a coordination between their work, its presentation, and the way it represents a specific point of view. Mentoring addresses practical strategies for studio management and organization. The course leads toward, and culminates in, the MFA thesis exhibition. Discussions are based on readings, videos, podcasts, field trip and talks by guest artists. Lab fee: $250 max if term includes visiting a major metropolitan area. (4 credits)
These studio-intensive, two-week residency courses on campus are designed to invigorate, energize and challenge students’ studio practices. Through workshops, critiques, field trips, and interactions with visiting artists, students will learn practical strategies for developing the internal creative momentum necessary to fuel their studio work when they return home. These in-person residency courses are also designed to forge strong connections between the graduate cohort and instigate discussions that can be continued online during remote semesters. (5 credits)
After successful completion of the 2nd and 3rd summer studio residencies on campus, all continuing MFA students create a portfolio to document and compile images of their work and progress during the residency. This portfolio is submitted along with a written reflection on their experience in the residency and their studio plans for the upcoming remote semester. Submission of these materials will be followed by an individual meeting with the Summer Residency faculty to review progress and the student’s plan for the following semester. Students are encouraged to reflect deeply on breakthroughs and emerging ideas then metabolize them into concrete plans and studio directives that can be assessed as the semester progresses. (2 credits)
In the final residency of the MFA Program, students will mount and present an exhibition of their work in the Wege Center gallery on campus. Students will also create and present a formal slide presentation to accompany their thesis exhibition. The verbal content of this presentation will be built from the artist statement they will have completed in the previous seminar course, and the visual content will be comprised of professional-quality documentation of their artwork and thesis installation, as well as additional supplementary images illustrating historical/visual context and subject sources. Finally, students will meet individually with visiting critics to discuss and present their thesis work and participate in final group reviews in the gallery with faculty and peers. (2 credits)
Our newly-renovated gallery in the Wege Center for the Arts hosts four exhibitions per year that focus on bringing nationally-recognized artists and artworks to campus. Exhibitions are curated to maximize their relevance to the subjects our students are studying in the classroom. Wege Center for the Arts programs like artist talks, workshops, and studio visits bring students in direct contact with professional artists working at the top of their field. Learn more about our exhibitions and gallery programming >
Artists are best taught by other actively engaged artists
A core belief in the Art Department is that artists are best taught by other actively engaged artists. Our nationally recognized faculty are professionally active artists who all have studios on campus and work alongside graduate students during on-campus residencies. The faculty’s commitment to a high level of professional engagement becomes a bridge for students, fostering a direct connection with the world of art outside of academia and with major centers of art around the country.
Professor Jim Shrosbree received a 2019 Guggenheim Fellowship.
Joey Fauerso is a Professor at Texas State. She has exhibited internationally with a recent solo show at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. She has been awarded numerous residencies including The Drawing Center and Kunstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin.
Susan Chrysler White
Susan White is a Faculty Emeritus at the University of Iowa. She is a recipient of a Joan Mitchell Foundation grant and has exhibited widely throughout the United States. Her work is in numerous collections including the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Yevgeniya Baras
Yevgeniya Baras is a professor at Rhode Island School of Design. She has exhibited and lectured internationally and is a John Simon Guggenheim Fellow. Her work has been reviewed by numerous publications including The LA Times and Art in America.
Matt Phillips
Matt Phillips is a professor at Fashion Institute of Technology, has exhibited extensively internationally and is a founding member of TSA gallery. His work has been reviewed in numerous publications including The New York Times and ArtForum.
Other recent visiting artists and critics have included: Michael Velliquette, Eleanna Anagnos, Phillip Chen, Lenore Metrick-Chen, Glenn Goldberg, Abby Donovan and The 181, Paul Kotula, John Dilg, Ben Gardner, Laurel Farrin, Gail Spaien, Andrew Casto, Sangram Majumdar, Sean Nash, David Ratcliff, Josh Bienko, Terry James Conrad
Cost & Aid, 2026-2027
Low-Residency MFA in Visual Art
This program is 2½ years in length. There are two semesters in one year. The table below is the estimate for a semester during 2026-2027, subject to change in future years. The program features a two week studio-intensive residency each summer and winter where the tuition covers the cost of the residency at no extra cost.
Cost and Typical Financial Aid
Tuition and fees
$9,800
Federal student loan
$-9,800
Your payment
0
Additional federal loan for cash expenses
$340
Additional Financial Aid Information
Personal Expenses and Books
While attending college, you may have out-of-pocket cash living expenses, including books, supplies, transportation, or other personal costs which could total an estimated $8,500 per semester. You may be eligible to borrow federal student loans to assist with these expenses.
Federal Student Loan
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) determines eligibility for federal student loans.
Education Tax Incentives
There are a variety of money-saving tax benefits to assist in reducing the cost of education expenses. More about education tax benefits.
Veterans
For questions regarding Veterans Benefits, please contact Tal Ron, our Veterans Certifying Official and Director of Financial Aid, at tron@miu.edu or 641-472-1156.
Loan Repayment Options
Standard
Payments are a fixed amount that ensures your loans are paid off within 10 years (within 10 to 30 years for Consolidation Loans).
Extended
Payments may be fixed or graduated and will ensure that your loans are paid off within 25 years.
Graduated
Payments are lower at first and then increase, usually every two years, and are for an amount that will ensure your loans are paid off within 10 years (within 10 to 30 years for Consolidation Loans).
Income-Based
Your monthly payments will be either 10 or 15 percent of discretionary income (depending on when you received your first loans), but never more than you would have paid under the 10-year Standard Repayment Plan.
Income Contingent
Payments are recalculated each year and are based on your updated income, family size, and the total amount of your Direct Loans. Any outstanding balance will be forgiven if you haven't repaid your loan in full after 25 years.
Income Sensitive
Your monthly payment is based on annual income, but your loan will be paid in full within 15 years.
Tuition, other fees, scholarships, and financial policies are subject to change prior to the entry date.For more information, contact us at awardofficer@miu.edu for a quick reply — normally one business day — or see more about financial aid.
Entrance requirements
BFA or BA undergraduate degree with 3.0 or higher GPA from an accredited college or university
Two recommendations
Statement of Purpose: In essay form, please describe your background, artistic interests, processes, and work. Also, discuss why you have chosen to apply to MIU and what you hope to gain from our MFA in Visual Art program. Statement of purpose should be 1-2 pages.
Portfolio of 15-20 images:
each optimized for the Web with a screen resolution of 72 pixels per inch
the portfolio should demonstrate a focused body of work
include a list of slides that designates: title (optional), materials, size (dimensions), date
Before being accepted, students will be interviewed by the faculty program directors
All MIU students practice the Transcendental Meditation® technique. If you have not learned it yet:
Once accepted as a US student, the cost of TM instruction is covered through a grant offered by MIU
Students are required to learn the TM technique before starting the first class
Contact your admissions counselor for details
Find information on the TM technique or search for a TM teacher at TM.org
Next Steps
Get your questions answered
and download our free booklet.
The Low-Residency MFA in Visual Art gives you the opportunity to pursue an in-depth graduate-level experience in art that is flexible and tailored to your individual needs. You also cultivate a community of support around your practice, developing friendships and connections to sustain your life in art.
Adriene Crimson is this program’s admissions counselor for US students. Adriene will provide you with all the details of becoming a student, including connecting you with the program director or faculty.
