Art & Design

Top ranked programs

Murray State's Graphic Design Program is Ranked #1 in the State of Kentucky again for 2023 and in the top 25 Graphic Design programs in the South by Animation Career Review.

The Department of Art & Design provides a broad range of programs and professional opportunities for students preparing to work as practicing artists, craftspersons and designers, for careers in art education, and for graduate study in art, art education, and art history. The Department of Art & Design offers a  Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design and in Studio Art, and the Bachelor of Art and the Bachelor of Science degrees in Studio Art and the Bachelor of Fine Arts and the Bachelor of Art in Studio Art with Enhanced Art History. The Bachelor of Fine Arts, the Bachelor of Art, and the Bachelor of Science Studio Art with Art Education P-12 Certification degrees are available to undergraduate students within each degree as a track requiring only an additional year of study. Degree candidates are certified to teach art in kindergarten through grade 12.

Areas of studio concentration include Ceramics, Drawing, Furniture Design/Woodworking, Graphic Design,
Metalsmithing/Jewelry, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, and Sculpture; non-studio areas include Art Education and Art History. Furthermore, minors are offered in both Studio Art and Art History. A number of departmental courses are also included in University Studies: Art and Visual Culture, three introductory courses in Art History, and Studio Art for
Non-Majors. Graduate courses in art are offered in support of the M.A.Ed. with a teaching area in studio art.

The curricular structure of each degree program is organized to encourage students to study and explore a variety of media and techniques upon which later specialization may be based. At the intermediate and advanced levels, students are encouraged by faculty to express their own personal directions and ideas and to establish
professional standards by the exhibition of their work. The culmination of the student’s undergraduate study is the senior exhibition requirement.

The Department of Art & Design actively supports the personal and artistic growth of its students by promoting the Institute for International Studies, which offers a variety of study abroad opportunities for Murray State art students, and the National Student Exchange.

The department operates a network of three galleries on campus: The University Art Galleries, located in the Price Doyle Fine Arts Building, includes the Mary Ed Mecoy Hall Gallery and the Clara M. Eagle Gallery on the sixth floor, as well as the Eagle Upper Gallery on the seventh floor. The galleries' exhibition schedules include regional, national, and international artists, as well as department faculty and alumni, and address a wide range of ideas and issues of concern to the art world, the region, and the university community at large. Every spring a juried exhibition of student work, organized by OMAS (Organization of Murray Art Students), fills the main Clara M. Eagle Gallery space and helps cap the academic year. (Furthermore, the Visiting Artist program brings in artists from across the country for workshops and public lectures throughout the school year).

Each summer, the department also organizes a residential Summer Art Workshop for high school students.

The Department has 68,000 square feet of lecture, studio and lab space, affording a unique opportunity for
student studio workspaces with 24-hour access. Studios in all areas are well equipped with traditional and
contemporary technologies (3-D printers, laser cutter, CNC router, etc.), providing maximum opportunities for students to pursue their interests. The Art & Design classrooms and studios are located in the Price Doyle Fine Arts Building, Old Fine Arts Building, the Visual Arts Annex, and Woods Hall. Advanced undergraduate students are provided personal studio spaces.

The Credit by Examination programs in which the Murray State department of Art & Design participates are the
Advanced Placement Program of the College Board (APP), the department challenge examination, and the
non-credit placement examination. Test results are subject to evaluation prior to credit approval. For additional information contact the department chair.

Accreditation

Murray State University is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). Teacher certification programs are also accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

• National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)
• Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)

Murray State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, baccalaureate, masters, educational specialist and doctorate degrees. Murray State University also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Murray State University may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling 404.679.4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC's website. Normal inquiries such as admission requirements, financial aid, educational programs, etc., should be addressed directly to Murray State University.

Look what our students have accomplished!

• Lu Colby Wins Southern Graphics Student Fellowship 2020
• 2020 Fulbright Recipient Eriko Whittaker
• CHFA Featured Student: Elaina Barnett

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