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California Institute of the Arts

MFA: Graphic Design

School of Art

People gathered around person sitting reviewing poster designs

Contextualized praxis, inclusive pedagogy

CalArts MFA Graphic Design students participate in a vibrant, intimate studio community in a program that has, since its founding, played a significant role in shaping the field of design. Through a combination of coursework, mentorship, critique, and cross-disciplinary exploration, that culminates in a period of rigorous thesis work, designers hone their practical skills while establishing the foundation of history, theory, and broad cultural literacy to sustain a lifelong artistic and professional practice.  

With tracks intended for both experienced designers and those new to the discipline, the curriculum in MFA in Graphic Design program at CalArts is based on the Institute’s critical approach of contextualizing praxis in history, theory, and, and in the Graphic Design program’s inclusive pedagogy. 

Silhouettes of two people standing in gallery space with purple lighting and animations projected onto the walls

MFA Graphic Design End of Year web project class with Roman Jaster. Photo by Rafael Hernandez.

Challenge and contribute to the future of design

MFA Graphic Design

CalArts’ MFA Graphic Design program offers two tracks: a two-year curriculum intended for students with previous design experience, and a three-year option for those new to the discipline. All students are required to pass a thesis review to complete the program and obtain the MFA degree.

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Two-year program

The two-year MFA curriculum focuses on the advanced exploration of form, methodology, and practice, informed by a consciousness of the contexts of contemporary practice, craft, audience, theory, history, and the constantly shifting media environment. Individual critique within a communal studio structure helps designers to develop a personal direction and agenda, intended to influence work beyond graduate school.

The first-year curriculum consists of a sequence of weekly seminars in which research and studio projects are examined and discussed. The second year in residence is dedicated to developing and realizing a major thesis project that contributes to—and challenges—the practice of graphic design in society.

In each of the two years, designers deepen and refine their work through a set of required and elective courses covering subjects such as type design, web design, typography, motion graphics, design theory, and design history. Visiting designers who lead short-term projects are another important aspect of the program, which consciously seeks to broaden the types of experiences offered to students within the focused studio environment.

All students work in residence in communal studios (grouped by year level) that are open 24/7 throughout the academic year, and have access to School of Art facilities and labs.

Three-year program

The three-year MFA in Graphic Design program is for students who do not have a graphic design undergraduate degree, but demonstrate a high level talent and enthusiasm for design and expertise in their given field. Three-year students have successfully completed the program coming from such diverse undergraduate backgrounds as photography, journalism, engineering, feminist studies, biology, and film.

The first year curriculum provides students with a broad set of graphic design skills that will equip them to successfully join the two-year MFA program the following year. This first year is practical and direct. Students are exposed to a variety of formal, conceptual, and process-based models, often using print media as the baseline for teaching these durable skills.

The heart of the program is the Visual Literacy course, a critique class built around a series of structured projects that teach design principles, process, methodology, and skills. Initially, these projects isolate elements of design practice in order to master them (e.g., typography, imagemaking, composition, ideation). As the year progresses, students are increasingly called upon to create more complex designs, assuming responsibility for all aspects of a project: concept, research, content, and form.

Interested in this program?

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

Start your application

Admission requirements

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

Application requirements

Degree requirements (two-year program)

Each CalArts MFA Graphic Design student develops a course of study in consultation with their faculty mentor, and produces a significant project called the Graduate Practice Project during their final year.  

Two-year MFA Graphic Design program requirements

Degree requirements (three-year program)

The three-year MFA program includes a one-year foundational curriculum, called PMFA, to prepare students who do not have an undergraduate degree in graphic design.

Three-year Graphic Design program requirements

Interdisciplinary opportunities

In addition to CalArts’ naturally collaborative atmosphere, the Institute provides several programs of study that can be pursued concurrently with a student’s chosen metier, such as a concentration in Arts Education or Integrated Media.

Learn more about MFA concentrations

Courses you might take

What courses would you take as a student in Graphic Design? 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, and performance.

Explore the School of Art course catalog 

Meet the faculty

At CalArts, faculty and students are collaborators, teaching, learning, and working together as members of our community of artists.

What will you make?

Student projects

Here are 175 projects by 65 designers on CalArts’ 2024 End of Year Show to get you inspired.

graphic image with elongated house icon on top of typography

Freeze Shi (MFA1) Weirdcore: The Unfamiliar Familiar.

Some of our alumni

  • Anne Burdick (MFA 92, BFA 91): book designer, chair of Graduate Media Design, Art Center College of Design
  • Denise Gonzales Crisp (MFA 96): graphic designer, writer, professor of graphic design at North Carolina State University College of Design
  • Cameron Ewing (MFA 07): creative director, Facebook
  • Jessica Fleischmann (MFA 01): graphic designer; principal, Still Room
  • Jens Gehlhaar (MFA 97): creative director, Logan & Sons
  • Barbara Glauber (MFA 90): principal, Heavy Meta; cofounder of The Smoking Gun
  • Hilary Greenbaum (MFA 06): graphic designer, writer, design director of the Whitney Museum of American Art
  • Sibylle Hagmann (MFA 96): type designer, Kontour
  • Peter Kaplan (MFA 03): graphic designer, design director of Museum of Arts and Design
  • Yasmin Khan (MFA 05): graphic designer, Counterspace
  • John Kieselhorst (MFA 96): chief design officer and founding partner, Made Movement
  • Mark Kulakoff (MFA 04): motions graphics designer
  • Deborah Littlejohn (MFA 94): graphic designer, professor of graphic design at North Carolina State University College of Design
  • Kevin Lyons (MFA 96): founder and creative director of Natural Born
  • Ian Lynam (MFA 04): creative director; design scholar, writer; principal, Ian Lynam Design.
  • Geoff McFetridge (MFA 95): graphic designer, artist, founder of Champion Graphics; Cooper Hewitt National Design Award
  • Penny Pehl Moore (MFA 04): cofounder and creative director, Tenderling
  • Masato Nakada (MFA 11): cofounder and creative director, The Happening
  • Kali Nikitas (MFA 90): graphic designer, chair of MFA graphic design and communication arts, Otis College of Design
  • Tanya Rubbak (MFA 07): graphic designer, assistant chair of graphic design, Otis College of Design
  • Jesse Lee Stout (MFA 10): BFA 02), video designer, L.A. creative director of Moment Factory
  • Jon Sueda (MFA 04): founder and creative director of Stripe, chair of MFA graphic design at California College of the Arts
  • Jae Hyouk Sung (MFA 03): founder and creative director of IMJ, professor of visual communication and design, Kookmin University, Seoul
  • Andrea Tinnes (MFA 98): type and graphics designer, founder of font and graphics label typecuts
  • Daryn Wakasa (MFA 10): motions designer, art director, filmmaker

More School of Art alumni
Teal Gile, now a senior design manager at Nike, shares her experience as a BFA Graphic Design student at CalArts.

“I felt inspired by the work of the faculty—all of whom became my mentors. There’s a definite rigor to the program—a level of excellence that is insisted upon. Faculty are relentless in their pursuit to get students to excel, and to do work they didn’t think possible. They’re hard on you, in the best way. I think that process of examining my own work, critically, as well as the work of the team I have here at the Whitney, is one that I use every day, and contributes to the success of everything we do.”

Portrait photograph of Hilary Greenbaum
View Hilary’s work

Gallery

Paris 2024 >>> Los Angeles 2028

CalArts may not have any varsity sports teams, but that doesn’t mean we can’t participate in the Olympics. To celebrate the 2024 Paris Games, the City of Paris and Los Angeles County partnered to present a poster-design competition featuring students from both cities. The winning entries, including four by CalArts graphic design students, were on view in Paris on the banks of the Saint-Martin canal throughout the 2024 Olympic Games.  

Illustration of two relay runners passing a baton, seen from above with the test: Paris 24 Los Angeles 28

Design by Vesper (Yuhuan) Ji (Art MFA 25).

Want to learn more?

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.