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The School of Fine Arts (SFA) at UMD is dedicated to preparing students for a career in the arts and serves as a cultural and artistic center for the campus, the community, and for the entire state.

Our faculty and staff recognize the importance of exceptional instruction, performance, research, and outreach, and their commitment to excellence is sustained within a balance of traditional academic experiences, exposure to new technologies and processes, and continuing performance/exhibition opportunities.

Being a part of the School of Fine Arts means so much more than just classes in Art & Design, Music, or Theatre - because SFA also includes the Fine Arts Academy, the Tweed Museum of Art, and the historic Glensheen mansion estate, students at UMD are surrounded by another layer of fellow artists who understand the needs and aspirations of the developing professional.

Fine Arts Academy is a non-degree granting community school that coordinates classes both on the UMD campus and at several satellite locations throughout the local area. Fine Arts Academy music programs are fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. UMD Fine Arts Academy is a certified member of the National Guild of the Community Schools of the Arts.

The Tweed Museum (on campus) and Glensheen historic estate (in eastern Duluth) both serve as campus-wide learning laboratories and significant educational resources with important connections to the community. Art & Design students frequently stage exhibits at the Tweed, and students of many disciplines can enjoy volunteer or internship opportunities at Glensheen as tour guides, groundskeepers, clerks, or researchers.

Rochester Programs

UMD's School of Fine Arts has formed a partnership with the University of Minnesota Rochester (UMR) to offer two professional art degrees to the people of that community. The complete slate of upper-level courses required for the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design or in Studio Art (emphasis in Digital Art & Photography) is offered by UMD, mostly by full-time faculty teaching in UMR's state-of-the-art downtown classroom facilities. Occasional online or Interactive Television (ITV) courses from UMD round out the required curriculum. Students can transfer their lower-level credits from any 2- or 4-year institution or be admitted to the UMD program as early as the freshman year to begin taking courses that will lead to their degrees.

Rochester Programs Coordinator: Lindsay Brown, 218-726-8312, lcbrown@d.umn.edu