Program
For September admission, complete applications with all supporting documents must be received by January 10th. Late applications and documents will not be considered. In the event, January 10th lands on a Saturday or Sunday, the complete application will be due the
Please note that our MFA program in Studio Art does not have teaching faculty nor resources for design or architecture students. Other graduate programs may be more suitable.
| Program | Expected Length | Project and/or thesis | Course based |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.F.A. | 2 years |
This is an intensive, studio-based program offering artists the opportunity to develop a practical and theoretical understanding of their art practice in the context of a challenging and supportive faculty of studio artists, art historians and art educators. Students may specialize in the areas of painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, photography and digital and integrated practice. The program is normally two years in length. Through seminars, classes, committee meetings and critiques, an environment is created which enables self-examination, change and growth. Artistic experimentation as part of the search to locate one's practice within a wider art historical and critical context is encouraged.
The Master of Fine Arts degree is offered in studio art. Candidates are required to take 18 credit units of course work in addition to a thesis exhibition and seminar. Candidates should anticipate a minimum of two years to complete the program, taking half of the required course work each year and maintaining an active studio practice throughout the program. Studio facilities are provided for first and second year participants.
Candidates in the University of Saskatchewan M.F.A. Program come from a wide variety of backgrounds and have varying degrees of experience and engagement in the wider arts community. The University of Saskatchewan does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, colour, national or ethnic origin, disability, or gender in any aspects of its operation.
Please note that we do not offer programming in design, fashion, illustration, architecture, traditional film, commercial animation, or other applied arts. You can include examples of this type of work in your portfolio, but we suggest that you focus your selection on works that fall into contemporary studio art practice (it is expected that you already have developed work in this area). We are not an industry preparatory program.
Decisions about who will supervise each student is made following admission (all students are assigned a supervisor and a committee). You can specify who you would like to work with in your application and this will be kept in mind when decisions about supervision are made. We do our best to place students with their first choice, but this may not always be possible. Please do not contact faculty directly about supervision.
Get to know our
graduates and their artwork
Faculty
It is not necessary to find a potential supervisor before you begin an application. The list below though may be helpful to learn about the artistic interests of our faculty.
| Name | Research areas |
|---|---|
| Jonathon Bath | Book design; digital humanities; interface design; media history; research creation; typography |
| Lisa Birke | Video art; performance-for-video; animation; installation; augmented reality; popular culture; media theory; digital and interdisciplinary practice |
| Jennifer Crane | Archival practice; memory; narrative; photography; technology |
| Cameron Forbes | |
| Allyson Glenn | Animation; Drawing; Painting |
| John David Graham | Dream aesthetics and psychology; Mythological, allegorical and metaphorical visual storytelling; Safer Printmaking and Multi-disciplinary Art; Short experimental films; Visual poetics and Expressionism |
| Mary Longman | Aboriginal; Digital Media; Indigenous; Interdisciplinary Arts; Sculpture; Studio; art history; drawing |
| jake moore | Critical spatial practices; exhibitions; installation; vocality; materiality; sound studies; theory; anti-colonial; anti-racist; museology |
| Alison Norlen | 2D/3D Drawing and Sculpture; Cultural Spectacle; Fantasy; Landscape/Architecture; Utopias; drawing; sculpture; themed sites |
| Tim Nowlin | 20th Century; Digital imaging; Digital memory; cinema; digital; painting; phenomenology |
| Susan Shantz | Art and craft; culture; extended media; ritual; sculpture |
Tuition and funding
Funding
The Department of Art and Art History offers a variety of scholarships to students in their program. After you've been accepted, the department may also nominate you for a university wide competition for awards.
Graduate students at USask can receive funding from a variety of sources to support their graduate education.
Tuition
Thesis or project-based master's program
Graduate students in a thesis or project-based program pay tuition three times a year for as long as they are enrolled in their program.
| Term | Canadian students | International students |
|---|---|---|
| September 1 - December 31, 2023 | ||
| January 1 - April 30, 2024 | ||
| May 1 - August 31, 2024 | ||
| Total per academic year |
Student fees
In addition to tuition above, students also pay fees for programs like health and dental insurance, a bus pass, and other campus services. The amount you need to pay depends on if you are taking classes full time or part time, and if you are on campus or not. The table below assumes you are on campus full-time.
| Fall 2023 | Winter 2024 | Spring 2024 | Summer 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student fees | $497.88 CAD | $659.51 CAD | $35.00 CAD | $35.00 CAD |
Tuition information is accurate for the current academic year and does not include student fees. For detailed tuition and fees information, visit the official tuition website.
Admission requirements
Master of Fine Arts
- Language Proficiency Requirements: Proof of English proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English.
- a completed on-line application, the application fee and all supporting application documents. See department website for application and deadline details.
- a cumulative weighted average of at least a 70% (USask grade system equivalent) in the last two years of study (i.e. 60 credit units)
- a four-year honours degree, or equivalent, from a recognized college or university in an academic discipline relevant to the proposed field of study
Application process
Submit an online application
Before beginning your online application, be sure that you have carefully reviewed all program information and admission requirements on this page.
During the application, you'll be asked for:
- Personal information such as your name, address, etc.
- Contact information of your three referees
- For your letters of recommendation, two of your referees must be academic contacts, and the third may be academic or professional
- Your complete academic history from all previous post-secondary institutions
The application takes about 30 minutes to complete. You may save your application and return to it later.
At the end of the application, you will need to pay a non-refundable $120 application fee. Your application will not be processed until payment is received.
Submit required documents
Once you've submitted your online application, you will have access to upload your required documents, and provide the contact information for your references. To do this, go to the "Supplemental Items & Documents" tab in your application, and upload the documents outlined below.
Preliminary Statement of Marks
- Once you have submitted your application for admission and paid the application fee, you will be required to upload unofficial PDF copies of your academic transcript(s) from each post-secondary institution attended. This requirement will appear as Preliminary Statement of Marks or Additional Prelim. Statement under admission requirements on your Application Summary when you check your application status.
- The uploaded transcript can be an unofficial copy of the transcript issued by the university or college, and must include a grading key/legend.
- All pages of a transcript must be uploaded as a single PDF document.
- Uploaded transcripts will be considered unofficial or preliminary. Official copies of your transcripts will be required only for applicants offered admission. This requirement will appear as Post-secondary Transcript under admission requirements on your Application Summary when you check your application status.
Post-secondary Transcripts
If you receive an offer of admission, you will then be required to have your official post-secondary transcripts sent (by mail in a sealed envelope directly from the institution) to the address below. Please do not send official documents until we request them.
College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Room 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place
Saskatoon, SK CANADA S7N 5C9
- Transcripts usually indicate the institution’s name, grading scheme (typically on back of transcript), your name, course names, numbers, credits, and the grades you have received. Depending on the country or institution, some features may not be available.
- Transcripts in languages other than English must be accompanied by a certified translation.
- If you are a current University of Saskatchewan student completing your undergraduate program then a letter of completion of degree requirements will be required from your college.
Proof of English language proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English.
For students who are required to provide proof of English proficiency:
- It is your responsibility to have completed an official and approved test with the appropriate score before the application deadline.
- Tests are valid for 24 months after the testing date and must be valid at the beginning of the student's first term of registration in the graduate program.
- Applicants will be required to upload a PDF copy of any required language test score. Uploaded test scores will be considered unofficial or preliminary.
If you receive an Offer of Admission you may be required to have your official language test scores sent to the address below. Please do not send official documents until we request them.
College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Room 116 Thorvaldson Building - 110 Science Place
Saskatoon, SK CANADA S7N 5C9
Please provide a 500-word statement/letter of intent that is focused on describing the artistic research that you would like to pursue during your MFA. Do understand that you can modify your artistic research plan at any time during your MFA period. This statement can also be based on artwork that you have already begun or have completed. MFA Research proposals should demonstrate evidence of solid and wide knowledge of the discipline.
The most effective proposals are clear, concise, and coherent, yet demonstrate a clear, focused approach, explaining how the research would advance the discipline. Write in plain language. Proposals should be understood not only to people within the field but also to a general audience. These statements should be well organized, easily understood and carefully edited as refined documents. It is highly recommended to have someone with a strong command of English proofread and edit your writing.
Please answer the following in your statement:
- Please provide research title based on your topic.
- How could you formulate your topic as a research question?
- What
is your topic of artistic research and your motivations? - What will be your main artistic medium (or media) of research?
- How will you address this topic in your research and art practice?
- What will the artistic research process involve? What will be your plans for exploring this in your art?
- What might your final body of artwork look like?
In addition to the above documents, please upload the following documents:
-
A curriculum vitae or resume including a brief written description of previous relevant course work, grades, employment, and relevant training and life experience
-
Art portfolio of 20 images combined as one document. Please label the following information directly on each image: media, size, title and date of work.
- Video introduction profile, please provide an active, private online link to a short three-minute pre-recorded video on Vimeo.com or Youtube.com that responds to all of the listed prompts below. Provide this as a pdf document listing the link. Your answers will help to give us a more complete sense of your art practice and your interest in the MFA Studio Art Program at the University of Saskatchewan.
Your pre-recorded video response to our questions:- Tell us about your art practice
- In what ways are you looking for Graduate Studies to inform your artistic research and art practice?
- Share with us why you chose to apply to the University of Saskatchewan MFA Program in Studio Art
Contact
Graduate Admissions
Department of Art and Art History
9 Campus Drive, Arts Room 518
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A4
Graduate Chair
Jennifer Crane
Email: jennifer.crane@usask.ca
Application Admin Support
Anna McKenzie
Email: asg.gradapplications@usask.ca
Program Admin Support
Nadine Penner
Email: asg.graduateprograms@usask.ca
- Department of Art and Art History
Learn more about the academic unit offering this program - Program and Course Catalogue
To view official admission and program requirements