Boston University College of Fine Arts


The Boston University College of Fine Arts at Boston University consists of the School of Music, the School of Theatre, and the School of Visual Arts. Each school offers degrees in the performing and visual arts at the undergraduate and graduate level. Among the College of Fine Arts faculty are artists, scholars, and performers. Since the College of Fine Arts is integrated into Boston University, students at CFA may choose courses in the other undergraduate colleges at Boston University. CFA students can also apply for the Boston University Collaborative Degree Program, where students simultaneously earn undergraduate degrees at CFA and in one of 14 undergraduate colleges of the university. The college offers a study abroad program in London, England, and Dresden, Germany. Students can spend a semester at the Royal College of Music, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, or at the Hochschule für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber".
Admission to the College of Fine Arts requires a live or pre-recorded audition for music and theatrical performance majors and a submission of a portfolio for visual arts and technical theatre majors.

School of Music

The Boston University School of Music was founded in 1872, which makes it the oldest degree-granting music program in the United States. The School of Music offers the Bachelor of Music, the Master of Music, and the Doctorate of Musical Arts. All students have the option of concentrating in fields such as performance, music theory and composition, musicology, music education, historical performance, and conducting. The School of Music offers special degrees such as the Performance Diploma and the Artist Diploma. The Performance Diploma is a non-degree program for students who want a continued education in music performance at the post-Masters level.
The School of Music has about 150 faculty members. Some notable music professors include: Edwin Barker, Ann Howard Jones, George Neikrug, Tim Genis, Andre de Quadros, Sharon Daniels, Jerrold Pope, Kenneth Radnofsky and Penelope Bitzas.
The Boston University School of Music has a summer music festival for high school students known as the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. The Boston University Tanglewood Institute is recognized internationally as an outstanding educational opportunity for young artists and is the only program of its kind associated with one of the great symphony orchestras of the world. Here, under the guidance of Boston Symphony Orchestra members, young people devote themselves each summer to an intensive and challenging training session.
Boston University's School of Music is affiliated with several ensembles and organizations that provide an extension of its core programs. Among these are the contemporary music ensemble-in-residence Alea III, the Muir String Quartet, and Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras.
The Boston University School of Music offers online music education options, and by the end of 2007, more than 600 online graduate students were expected to be studying for a Master of Music or Doctor of Musical Arts degree through this College.

School of Visual Arts

Founded in 1954, the Boston University School of Visual Arts offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts and the Master of Fine Arts in areas such as graphic design, art education, sculpture, and painting. Visits from artists and lecturers as well as a widely varied program of exhibitions are offered. Four on-campus galleries—the BU Art Gallery, the Commonwealth Gallery, the 808 Gallery, and the Sherman Gallery—provide exhibition opportunities for graduate students and alumni.
Facilities available to students include a computer lab, a new media room, a welding shop, a wood shop, and painting, drawing, printmaking, and photography studios.

School of Theatre

The School of Theatre at Boston University is a conservatory-style training program emphasizing collaboration and ensemble. The school offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts and the Master of Fine Arts, as well as Artisan Certificates for technical theatre students. BFA degrees are offered in acting, theatre arts, theatrical design and production, stage management, and MFA degrees are offered in design, production, theatre education, and directing.
The School operates four theatre spaces in the College of Fine Arts, as well as the Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre and CFA Production Center, located on BU Campus at 820 Commonwealth Ave. Opened in 2017, the facility houses a state-of-the-art theatre, as well as the School's scene, paint, costume, lighting, and sound shops.

Notable alumni

The College of Fine Arts has produced many students who have become notable in their fields:

Visual Arts