slickjaketheruler

Ay, congratulations. Happy to break these things down for you and explain these few things. For classes all grads take a few of the same classes each semester. You will be taking directed studio practice - 3 credits that are just given to you for studio time, graduate projects - a 3 credit class that meets every Tuesday within your department, and critique and critical discourse - a 3 credit class every Thursday that mixes all the departments grads together for critiques (this is time to get feedback outside of your specialized field). One of the great things about Tyler is that they are currently and actively restructuring the way they approach critique to be more ethical and responsible with their students. Outside of that you will then take an elective of some sort and an art history. All first years will take a theory class their first semester and the elective can be anything you want as long as it is junior level or above. Electives and art histories aren't limited to your department either. I'm a printmaking major and ended up taking a glass class both semesters (which completely radicalized my practice). Class sizes for electives are no more than 10-15 students, for graduate projects usually it's between 5-10 people per section depending on department. Like printmaking has 6 grad students total. So our class sizes are only 6 for our graduate projects. For financial aid, funding, and assistantships: it really depends on the programs and what they have to offer. The university breaks down funding in a few ways. They offer fellowships that are determined outside of Tyler but through Temple as a whole. These are usually based off of academic merit, involvement, portfolio, and CV status and engagement. Each program usually has 1-3 fully funded fellows that will receive an assistantship stipend for their first year without having to work. TA appoints and graduate intern and externships and based off of each department. Right now, I currently have 3 semesters fully funded with a print shop technician appointment for my first year, with a TA assistantship where I will be teaching a class as instructor of record my 3rd semester. There are research and travel grants you can apply for for supplies. One of them is the deans grant for academic research. It offers up to $1000 to complete a project that otherwise wouldn't be achievable without the additional funds. They also have the project completion grant which is a $12,000 grant you can apply for your thesis/dissertation semester for funding. That one is unrestricted so can be used to help pay tuition or whatever. My best advice for you once the program reaches out, is to not commit until you have other offers on the table. And negotiate hard! Tell them your other offers and what those schools are offering you. It's possible that more funding can be available. I negotiated additional scholarship money in by laying some full funded offers on the table since Tyler was my top choice. For painting faculty, I really love Philip Glahn, Jessica Vaughn, and Gerard Brown. Philip is the smartest person I know and will really challenge you to think critically about the work you are making. He also taught my theory class this semester. Jessica Vaughn has an incredible interdisciplinary practice and always takes the time to help you understand important writings. I just met Gerard recently and he is really passionate about teaching in higher education (he teaches classes on it at Tyler for graduate students). Outside of painting I have really enjoyed studio visits with Amze Emmons and Hester Stinnett in printmaking (biased bc they are my program heads), Jessica Jane Julius in the Glass department, Mallory Weston and Doug Bucci in Jewelry, Jesse Harrod in fibers + material studios, Nichola Kinch in sculpture/foundations, and with Alpesh Patel in art history. If you want to message me here or on instagram @jakelahah, I'm happy to put you in touch with current first year painters so they can give you their honest opinion on the painting program. Hope this info is helpful for you and anyone lurking.

Current tyler print MFA here. Happy to answer any questions about painting faculty/program since I’ve had frequent studio visits with them, or put you in touch with first year painters that can help you with good info on the program.

It was my first choice bc of how media fluid the program is and how the printmaking department at tyler has strong theory for printmaking in the expanded field. I was also really invested in working with faculty outside of print at Tyler in other departments. I also chose Tyler for location. I’m doing long distance with my partner and it made more sense location wise for me to relocate to Philly.

I wouldn't let this deter you from applying. I applied to UGA last year and got in. I ended up getting into my first choice school so turned down the offer. But Lamar Dodd at UGA is fully funded, and they throw a lot of money at their applicants in the form of scholarships and other stipends. If anything, and if you think you have a good chance, use that acceptance as a bargaining tool for other applications should you get accepted. I used the offer that I received at UGA for more funding at Tyler. As well, just remember that when schools review these applications, they are probably spending about an hour or two to get 200 applications down to a shortlist of 8-20 depending on the program and how many students they are looking at. They are going to fly through any portfolio and mostly likely won't be spending a lot of time with your work until the interview. I know slide room makes things easy for people. Keep in mind that having good pictures is important, but they probably won't harp on the quality of the photograph or the details of your work until the interview.

Current Tyler student dropping a link to MFA info sessions that are spread out from the 7th through the 11th. I recommend registering with your prospective department if interested. I highly recommend doing one of this if you are considering Tyler, bc most info sessions will be with faculty in respective departments. A great way to put a name to a face. https://www.instagram.com/p/CkbgFYUg-48/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

As someone who had a very mixed bag and interdisciplinary portfolio, I say diversity doesn't hurt as long as it is cohesive and relevant to your artist statement and that it is your strongest work. I'm still making works in wildly different mediums (drawing, printmaking, glass, and material studies) at the graduate level. If anything, if you get into a program with an interdisciplinary approach, then you know the program welcomes that sort of exploration and that it probably is a better fit. In other words, show what your gut is telling you to rather than what you think will get you into the program. It's okay to edit for strength, but if something is speaking to you by all means include it in.

Current Temple/Tyler School of Art MFA student here. I'm happy to answer any questions about my experience with Tyler so far and can give some insight into the nitty gritty about funding, their interdisciplinary approach, facilities, cool faculty, etc.

Any other people commit to Tyler School of Art and would like to connect? PM me!

I live in Richmond and love everything I’ve seen come out of VCU’s sculpture + extended media program. You get a really cool space to show your MFA thesis work in. What I’ve noticed they do differently than other programs, is that they really prize work that is reflective of experience and feeling rather than object making (so lots of installation work that I’ve seen come from the program in both the sculpture and craft program). I think your best bet would be to look at the MFA catalog and ask yourself if you see yourself and your practice in the types of work students are coming out from. I’ve attached the show I saw in person from 2018, which feels like the strongest I’ve seen come from the program. https://issuu.com/vcuarts/docs/vcuarts_2018_mfathesiscatalog_pages

Just got an offer from Tyler for Printmaking, with negotiated funding that’s to be determined.

It’s really just incredibly competitive school. Print is looking at 2-3 people this year, and since 2 offers have been given out with a full ride being one of them pending, who knows if I’ll actually get one based on other applicants.

I’m sorry you are in that position. Reapplying is always frustrating so the impending nature of an offer maybe coming through is quite frankly, annoying.

After visiting Thursday, I got a bit of insight on how their funding works and how they shuffle students around. Apparently, the students there get a certain number of semesters funded in the form of TAships that come with a stipend. Certain applicants are considered for fellowships based off of diversity and portfolio where part of the their stay is funded by temple and the the specific department in the form of additional TAships. This is often something that the Dean of the university overlooks so it has nothing to do with your relationship with the program. The rest of the TAships get divided amount grad prospective grad students so that they have anywhere from 2-4 semesters funded completely. Hence why they keep some programs small so that students that are there are able to have funding to be engaged and focused on the program. After meeting in person, the print head talked about my position right now and how they already had one student confirmed for teaching in Rome for a year, and another student that was offered the fellowship. My offer and if I get in or not is dependent upon how that pans out with what they can give me. What I would do though, is disclose any offers you have already with your department. The print head is going back to the dean with my offer to try and counter what I have to secure more funding so that they can give me an offer. So if you have anything, it’s worth mentioning to your department.

Rejection from VCU via snail mail.

Same here on that one. I wonder if it is just within the painting department that that is happening. I’d only guess that because the printmaking program is also hiring another full time professor so it’s been extra slow on that.