Mindful of
the past, We contemplate
and create a better future
We inspire rigorous paths of study through individual expression and collaboration across many disciplines of art, art history, and design. Through education and encouragement of broad dialogue within arts, we promote positive and sustainable change in our global community.
Art and Design at MSU
Undergraduate
graduate
community
Majors
Minors
Art photograhy
Master of Fine Arts
Our MFA program seeks to expand our empathic understanding, cultivate the voices of underserved populations and ideas, and mitigate and critique damage done to ecologies, marginalized cultures, and the environment brought about by several centuries of colonialist pursuits.
new program studies race through art
We have established a Critical Race Studies Residency Program that will bring an Artist-in-Residence and a Designer-in-Residence to campus to enrich the life of student experiences and the greater community by facilitating practices of inclusion through art and design as part of the Department of Art, Art History, and Design.
SPARTAN'S JOURNEY OF DETERMINATION
Born with no hands and missing her big toe along with the supporting bones on each foot, Kathryn Bailey, a 24-year-old Studio Art graduating senior hasn’t allowed her quadrilateral limb deficiency to keep her from living a “normal” life and now is about to graduate with a degree in Studio Art and a concentration in Painting and Graphic Design.
MFA in Art, Art History, and Design
The Master of Fine Art program seeks highly motivated students who have the artistic and scholarly vision to guide us into equitable, sustainable, and creative futures. We encourage new and rigorous forms of artistic expression and design innovation that transcend typical constraints to make meaningful contributions to the world. A 100% funded program, your able to customize your student experience at one of the leading research institutions in the world.
Come visit us!
Sign up for our newsletter
Rebecca dekuiper
Apparel and Textile Design Alumna
Lead Designer, American Girl
featured News
From East Lansing to Paris: Graphic Design Student Expands Creative Vision During Semester Abroad
McKenna Long, a Michigan State University student majoring in Graphic Design, spent a semester abroad studying at the Paris College of Art (PCA), an opportunity available exclusively to MSU College of Arts & Letters students. She used the experience to expand her academic and creative focus, exploring interior design, architecture, and spatial design — all while living and studying in the City of Light.
From First-Generation Student to Beal Award Recipient: Thomas Berding Honored for Scholarly Excellence
Thomas Berding, Professor in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design, has spent more than three decades at Michigan State University, creating paintings, mentoring student artists, and developing a studio practice that has taken his work to galleries and museums across the country. He is now among a select few MSU faculty members who have earned the William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award, which is among the most prestigious honors MSU bestows upon its faculty. “I feel humbled and honored,” Berding said of the award. “It is a recognition of not just my work but that of many
Perfect Achievement: 16 College of Arts & Letters Graduates Receive Board of Trustees Awards
Sixteen College of Arts & Letters students who are graduating in Spring 2026 have earned the Board of Trustees Award for having maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average during their undergraduate education. These students are among the 315 graduating from MSU in Spring 2026 with a 4.0 GPA, the highest scholastic average one can attain at the end of their undergraduate career at Michigan State University.