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Interactive artwork installation in an art gallery.

CalArts’ four-year BFA in Art program challenges you to approach your work with a critical self-awareness and an understanding of the aesthetic, social, and intellectual contexts that inform artmaking in today’s global world. Solid training in critical thinking and a wide range of media prepares you with the tools to develop your own distinctive art practice and push the conventions of contemporary art. 

Installation with lighting component on gallery wall.

At CalArts, we push you to question, explore, and experiment with new ideas and media, preparing you to be a historically grounded thinker as you develop the skills necessary to sustain an independent art practice. 

You’ll begin the BFA Art curriculum with a series of courses in which you’ll investigate various media, art-historical traditions, and theoretical positions, building a critical foundation for understanding and making contemporary art. CalArts’ renowned faculty provides highly individualized instruction and mentoring to guide you as you develop, create, and exhibit independent studio work. Beginning undergraduates have shared studios, and most students in the program have their own studio and solo shows by the third year.

Additional coursework includes a combination of seminars, group critique classes, and independent studies. With the guidance of faculty mentors, you can concentrate on the areas that best serve your personal goals as an artist. Classes, labs, and studios offer opportunities to explore a wide range of media including installation, video, film, writing, performance, painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, digital imaging, sculpture … and undoubtedly something new that no one’s even thought of yet.

In addition to fulfilling Critical Studies liberal arts requirements, Art BFA students are required to pass a mid-residence review in the third year and a graduation review to complete the program and earn the degree.

View our step-by-step application guide to learn more.  

Admission requirements

To be considered for the BFA Art program, you must complete an application and all program-specific requirements, including: a portfolio of images representative of your work, an artist statement, a brief video introduction, and two letters of recommendation. Before applying, please familiarize yourself with the detailed application requirements and resources available to assist you in this important process. 

View detailed admission requirements

Degree requirements

Each CalArts student develops a course of study in consultation with their faculty mentor. The first two BFA years are intended to create a strong foundation for art making and critical thinking; the final two BFA years allow more personal exploration, grounded in one-on-one study, exhibitions or projects, and corresponding reviews.

View BFA Art academic requirements

In addition to work in your specific program, all undergraduate students must complete requirements in general education, which we call Critical Studies. This liberal arts curriculum is designed to enable students to consider aesthetic questions within larger socio-cultural, ethical, and political contexts.  

View Critical Studies requirements 

Minors and interdisciplinary opportunities

CalArts offers students the chance to pursue additional interests alongside your chosen discipline, such as a minor in Digital Arts or Arts Education.

Learn more about minors and interdisciplinary opportunities 

Courses you might take

What courses would you take as a BFA Art student? Browse the courses offered in the School of Art, including opportunities to work in painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, digital imaging, sculpture, installation, video, film, writing, performance, and much more.

Explore the School of Art course catalog

Meet the faculty in the School of Art

The Art School Project Archive, launched in May 2021, offers a window into the diverse and vital work our students are producing at CalArts.

Art installation with two people wearing hazard suits in a transparent structure with debris scattered on the floow.

More School of Art alumni

“Particularly with all the political upheaval right now, we live in a perpetual state of precarity,” says Molly Surazhsky (Art BFA 19), speaking of her installation PPE • People’s Power Enhancement. “I’m hoping these messages resonate with people and create a dialogue–or a gateway to host conversation among people.”

Billboard against a blue LA sky featuring a woman wearing a surgical mask with the words “redistribute wealth.” She holds a small dog and appears against a red, white, and blue backdrop.
  • Performance School of Art

    Music event for CalArts music students and composers.

    Sat, Nov 2 / 5:00 PM

    CalArts Campus

  • Performance School of Art

    Music performance focused on drumming across various School of Music programs.

    Thu, Nov 7 / 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM

    CalArts Campus

  • Lecture / Reading School of Art

    Rita McBride was born in Des Moines in 1960 and lives in Düsseldorf and Los…

    Thu, Nov 14 / 4:30 PM

    CalArts Campus

We got you. Our Admissions team is all about providing the information you need to decide if CalArts is right for you. We’re excited to connect with you for a tour of our legendary campus, a virtual info session, or at one of our admissions events across the country or around the world. Take the next step—we’re here to help.