Visual and Critical Studies: Graduate Overview

The Department of Visual and Critical Studies’s Master of Arts (MA) program is designed for students interested in the scholarly and creative investigation of the production, dissemination, and impact of visual images, objects, experiences, and practices. With the visual as a starting point, you will use multiple methods of critical investigation to study the interactions between visual phenomena and their historical, disciplinary, and social contexts.

Combining Studio and Critical Practices

A unique aspect of the Master of Arts (MA) in Visual and Critical Studies program is its option of combining studio and critical practices within the context of the field of Visual and Critical Studies. A flexible curriculum allows students to choose from a variety of courses in art history, liberal arts, film criticism, and studio practices.

Diverse Faculty

The artists, designers, critics, writers, and scholars who teach in the program take a variety of approaches and come from diverse fields, including history, performance, art history, film, video, new media, visual communication, sociology, political science, sculpture, anthropology, and literature, among others. They share a common interest in understanding the cultural and social meanings of visual experience.

Visiting Artists

SAIC's MA in Visual and Critical Studies program also brings a wide range of visiting artists and scholars to campus. Recent visitors have included:

• Artist/writer Nico Dockx
• London-based design group Åbäke
• Theorist Hillary Chute and artist/writer Alison Bechdel
• Essayist and Poet Hatto Fisher
• Cultural Historian Anne Higonnet
• Anthropologist and Historian Christopher Pinney
• Cultural Theorist Zahid Chaudhary
• Journalist Judith Levine
• Community Artist Dan Peterman
• Japanese Cultural Historian Julia Thomas
• Critical Theorists Irit Rogoff, David Roediger, and Cheryl Johnson–Odim
• Designers Cheryl Towler Weese and Sam Landers

Interested in learning more?

Continue to explore the Visual and Critical Studies websiteto learn more about our curricular offerings, faculty, students, alumni, and more or visit the MA in Visual and Critical Studies degree program section to get detailed information about the program or schedule a tour.

Interested in learning more about how you can apply?

Visit the graduate admissions website or contact the graduate admissions office at 800.232.7241 or gradmiss@saic.edu.