Fibers
MFA

The MFA in Artisanry - Fibers is a 60 credit, 2- to 3-year program of study.

The Fibers program offers you the opportunity for concentrated studio work involving both technical and conceptual challenges. Graduate students pursue individual areas of interest, which may take the form of two- or three- dimensional structures, garments and costume, functional or non-functional work.

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Discover why UMass Dartmouth is the right place to earn an advanced degree or certificate.

Application deadlines

Fall: January 15
Spring: Dec. 15
Summer: Not applicable

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By merging technical processes with a conceptual basis, you will develop personal analytical and critical skills, confidence, and the self-discipline required for accomplished artistic work. Close relationships with your advisor, student peers, and committee members support research, experimentation, and ongoing inquiry, directed toward the development of a strong sense of your own artistic vision and a sensitivity to the role of art within your culture.

The Fibers studio is a vigorous and demanding environment where faculty and students critique, discuss, and debate the issues inherent in studio work; individual meetings take place on a weekly basis and critiques occur each month.

The required studio and academic course work to earn a Master's degree in Fibers includes seminars in professional and aesthetic issues, art history, philosophy of art, and support studios. Studies culminate in a visual and written thesis.

Fibers student work

Student success

Sung Ji Li, MFA student at UMass Dartmouth's College of Visual and Performing Arts

Sung Ji Lee '21: Finding a home away from home

Inspired to reignite her career after moving to the US from South Korea, Sung finds the ideal balance between managing family life, pursuing an MFA, & promoting her career as a textile artist.

UMassD advantages

Pursue your MFA at UMassD

Assistantships: provide stipends, tuition waivers and fee reductions
Exhibition opportunities: local, regional, and on campus
Facilities: labs, equipment, and tools for artistic exploration and production
Faculty: involved in scholarly, creative, and professional projects
Individualized attention extended to every student
Interdisciplinary projects and committees are encouraged
Location: an hour from Providence, Boston, and Cape Cod
New Bedford: an active downtown arts community
University education: access to faculty in other fields
Visiting artists: enrich your artistic and professional development
Visual Resources Center: more than 150,000 archived images
Workspaces: assigned to each graduate student

A limited number of assistantships are available on a competitive basis. This award is subject to the work needs of the position and department, your satisfactory performance of duties, your academic record, and availability of funds, and may be subject to change.

Learn more about assistantships at UMass Dartmouth

Graduate admissions requirements

University requirements for graduate admissions

Submit an application via the online portal. Be sure to provide your full legal name and to capitalize the first letter of all proper nouns.
Pay non-refundable $60 application fee (American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa) via the online portal. For Nursing applicants, the non-refundable application fee is $75.
Statement of Purpose, minimum 300 words. Unless otherwise indicated in the program requirement details, indicate your graduate study objectives, research interests and experience, and business or industry experience if applicable. If you are applying for a teaching or research assistantship, include any special skills or experience that would assist us in making assistantship decisions.
Resume
Transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended (regardless of whether a credential is earned or not). Unofficial transcripts are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled a final official transcript is required. International students applying with an transcript evaluation, please submit that document with your unofficial transcripts. International applicants for Data Science must submit semester-by-semester transcripts as well as consolidated transcripts.
Many programs have specific recommendations/requirements, please see the additional program-specific requirements for more information.
International students: official TOEFL iBT, IELTS, Pearson PTE or Duolingo (if accepted by program) score. Unofficial scores are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled official scores are required and must be sent by the testing agency (copies/scans not accepted). This is required of any applicant who did not earn a bachelor’s degree or higher degree from an accredited academic institution in the U.S. or accepted English-speaking country, see exemptions for more details. We require an overall/total minimum score of 72 on the TOEFL iBT or BAND 6.0 on the IELTS or a 52 on the Pearsons PTE Academic for entrance to any program and a minimum score of 79 on the TOEFL iBT or BAND 6.5 on the IELTS for consideration for a teaching assistantship. Some programs require higher minimum scores (see program-specific requirements). Most programs also accept the Duolingo with a minimum score of 95. The following programs do not accept the Duolingo: Art Education, Biology/Marine Biology, Nursing (MS, DNP, PhD), Psychology: Clinical, and Public Policy.
All official documents are required for enrollment, please have documents (ie. test scores) sent prior to the expiration.

Program-specific requirements

Candidates must submit the required application materials, university requirements and program-specific requirements, for consideration.

Portfolio of 20 images representing your artwork, process of thinking, implementation of concepts, and studio production. The portfolio is the equivalent of the entrance examinations which other academic areas often require. Submit your portfolio to: SlideRoom.
2 letters of recommendation. Applicants will be required to provide the recommenders name and email address so we can contact the recommender for the letter of recommendation.

Program deadlines