The School of Art at Ball State has exceptional faculty, world-class facilities and a diverse group of talented, award-winning students. We believe that we provide the best undergraduate art training in Indiana and among the finest in the Midwest. Almost every single student in every course is taught by full-time seasoned professionals with real-world experience and advanced degrees…not by graduate students or adjunct teachers. While enrollment in art programs around the country has dropped dramatically over the last decade, our undergraduate enrollment has seen strong growth, with our population topping 600 majors in 2019. The School of Art offers BA, BS and BFA degrees in thirteen different areas, including Animation and Glass. And we have expanded our selective graduate program to include the MFA degree in Animation, Ceramics, Glass, Metals and Sculpture.
Our biggest concern: graduate assistantships and adequate studio facilities for graduate students. Following one’s passion for art into graduate school is not like going to law school or medical school…very rarely will a large paycheck be waiting at the end of your studies. The School of Art at Ball State University is committed to providing an excellent education without expecting students to incur the burden of substantial debt. We take this commitment seriously as our ethical responsibility. Our goal is to provide reasonable stipends and fee remission for all incoming graduate students. We also hope to make those stipends competitive with other graduate programs in the region so we can attract the brightest and most talented students to Ball State.
Beyond graduate assistantships, our exceptional growth means that we cannot adequately accommodate the expanded graduate program. We simply do not have the physical space for our talented graduate students to fully explore their media. This is a particularly difficult problem in the 3d wing of our building. When the Art and Journalism Building was designed almost twenty years ago, there was no MFA graduate program in Art at Ball State and our undergraduate population was smaller than it is today. The Glick Center for Glass is an incredible facility, but it cannot help us solve space problems in other areas.
The generosity of community partners and alumni has allowed the School of Art to serve students and the people of Indiana for generations. Your contributions will help us to continue our mission to provide excellent—and affordable—training and mentorship to Indiana’s most talented artists.
