This graduate program will provide a systematic sequence of educational opportunities for students to gain fluency in the practices and issues involved in producing art and practicing their careers within contemporary society, focusing especially on an urban context.

1. To create coursework and experiences in which students examine and learn to shape the formal, thematic, theoretical, social, cultural, cognitive, and technological aspects of visual art
2. To develop university and community-based collaborations that facilitate learning and research opportunities
3. To provide opportunities for developing leadership in the professional practice of visual art and to prepare graduates for a range of specialized careers, from university-level teaching to creative entrepreneurship to employment by urban arts organizations
4. To foster an exploration of visual art as an intellectual and experimental practice that is rooted in a specific time and place
5. To engage students in studio activity that is placed in a professional context, from making work to its presentation, installation, marketing, and critical analysis
6. To provide students with the intellectual flexibility to research, plan, design, fabricate, and complete work utilizing a variety of processes in a variety of settings for a variety of purposes.