Studio Art

Today’s artists utilize cross-disciplinary skills in order to develop successful careers. In the studio art major, you will engage in a comprehensive studio experience in the center of Boston, while you pursue career opportunities in related fields. Suffolk University is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

Our core program philosophy combines an extensive exposure to materials and techniques with critiques and discussions that focus on developing each student’s unique artistic voice. Developing a responsive artistic practice and comprehensive career skills is essential for studio art students. Our academic partners at Suffolk provide career opportunities in fields closely associated with studio art. In many cases, the rigor, curiosity, and collaborative attitude instilled in the studio art program translates directly and effectively into a wide spectrum of careers.

The integrated professional practice component into our program reflects our commitment to preparing our students for post-graduate life. In this major, you will be advised to choose from the many minor options on campus. The following minors expand the studio art curriculum with related career-based disciplines:

You can also choose to double major in an associated career pathway such as Marketing, Advertising, Psychology and History/Public History. Whether you choose a minor or two or a double major, studio art can enhance and focus your career options.

Internships are highly recommended in developing career pathways. We partner with institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts, area galleries and local arts councils to place students directly into the field of their choosing.

The Student Experience

Students say it best. Learn more about the studio art program and the student experience from a current Suffolk student.

Download video transcript [PDF]

The integrated professional practice component of our program reflects our commitment to preparing students for post-graduate life. You will be advised to choose from the many career-oriented minor options available across disciplines, including arts administration, entrepreneurship, nonprofit management, and art history.

As a studio art major, you will:

  • Expand your imaginative thinking skills, drawing from your experiences and other disciplines to generate original ideas
  • Develop, test, and implement design solutions for visual problems
  • Work alongside your classmates in small classes and shared studio spaces, building a creative community that’ll follow you long past graduation
  • Learn to articulate your work and master professional presentation techniques
  • Get individualized instruction and mentorship from a dedicated faculty of working artists

Experience is Everything

Program Options

The Major

All art & design students spend their first year completing our foundation studies program. As a studio art major, you’ll learn art history and the principles of visual language while honing your creative process and conceptual identity through immersive studio experiences. By earning a Bachelor of Arts, you’ll have the flexibility to complement your art education with other interdisciplinary and career-oriented majors and minors, bolstering your professional skillset to suit a spectrum of industries.

Our courses incorporate group critiques, during which students formally present their work to their classmates and instructors and receive constructive feedback. Faculty often invite local artists and professionals to participate as guest reviewers, as well.
View the Studio Art Major Curriculum

The Minor

Expand your artistic toolkit and gain the essential professional skills needed to flourish in the world of fine arts through the studio art minor. To complete this minor, you’ll take courses in drawing and printmaking, as well as theory-based Fine Arts Seminar I and II.
View the Studio Art Minor Curriculum

Customize Your Degree

Studio art students complement their skills with courses, minors, and double majors in areas such as:

  • Advertising
  • Art History Minor
  • Arts Administration Minor
  • Chemistry
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Science
  • Management (Non-Profit)
  • Marketing
  • Psychology
  • Sociology

View the Art & Design laptop requirements.

Beyond the Classroom

In our program, you’ll have room to grow as an artist while gaining the skills you need to present your work to the world. You’ll learn to speak confidently about your pieces, to photograph and present them, and to promote your work through networking and social media.

Our students show their work constantly—to each other, to faculty and alumni, and to the public via large-scale installations, pop-ups, fairs, and gallery shows. Learning to give and receive constructive criticism as you create will help you refine your projects and prepare them for public display. In the last few years alone, our students’ work has been featured on the sides of buildings and inside storefronts in prime downtown Boston locations, and in independent galleries.

Senior Capstone

Your senior capstone will show your progress as you present a curated final exhibition of your work in the Suffolk University Gallery. Once the exhibit is up, you’ll gain critical experience talking about your work with peers and industry leaders during an opening celebration.

Our City

Boston is a city steeped in history, yet on the cutting edge of discovery and innovation—a vibrant blend reflected in the diversity of art and design that surrounds us.

Within walking distance (or a short T ride) from our campus you’ll find world-class museums such as the Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Institute of Contemporary Art. You’ll also draw inspiration from a plethora of work at numerous galleries, university collections, historic and cultural sites, memorials, and public art installations.

The Suffolk University Gallery

Within our walls, you’ll find dedicated space to explore, create, collaborate, and learn. Our gallery features an ever-changing series of thought-provoking exhibits designed to inspire and to showcase the work of students, faculty, alumni, and outside artists.

Our program will prepare you to step confidently into your professional career—and by the time you graduate, you’ll have a good idea of what your first step should be. That’s because most of our students complete multiple internships, and many pursue complementary minors, to gain experience and refine their goals.

You’ll form strong bonds with your fellow students and faculty here, and be welcomed into a creative community that includes alumni who are top working professionals in virtually every medium and application. Whether you want to pursue graduate work in fine arts, education, or expressive therapies, set up shop on your own, or apply your talents to curation or arts administration, support from our

Center for Career Equity, Development & Success

The Career Center will help you explore career options, plan your path, and land your dream internship or job. You’ll find practical help, like how to write an effective résumé or LinkedIn profile, along with valuable connections to leading employers and successful alumni. A specific Career Community for Humanities and the Arts provides events and information tailored just for our students.

Success after Suffolk


Here's a sampling of recent graduates’ current job titles and employers.

Artist
Megan Walsh Art
Gallery Attendant
Carpenter Center for Visual Arts
Retail Salesperson
Artist & Craftsman Supply
Interior Designer and Assistant Project Manager
Lazzoni
Assistant Manager
Blick Art Materials
Junior Registrar
Gazelli Art House
Ceramic Studio Assistant
School of the Museum of Fine Arts
Junior Project Manager
Iconic Design Studio
Learn more about our Career Community

Continuing Education

Our students can be found completing graduate programs at institutions such as Yale, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI), and Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt).

Questions? Get in touch!

Randal Thurston

Randal Thurston

Professor & Department Chair of Art & Design

Email [email protected]

Send a Message

Stories from the Studio Art Community

A Window to the World

Elevating the T

The Life of an Artist

Taking Art Public

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