2025-2026 University Catalog
Art and Design
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OFFICE: Art North 505
TELEPHONE: 619-594-6511
E-MAIL: artinfo@sdsu.edu
WEBSITE: http://art.sdsu.edu
Undergraduate Information
General Information
Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.
For purposes of exhibition and reference, the School reserves the right to retain for a limited period a selection of each student’s work produced in class.
Impacted Program
All undergraduate majors in the School of Art and Design are impacted. Students may enroll in art courses only to the maximum units allowed for credit towards graduation. Students enrolling in a course beyond the maximum allowable units will be disenrolled.
Majors
The School of Art and Design educates, inspires, and prepares a new generation of artists, craftspeople, designers, educators, and scholars to both thrive as individuals and transform our world collectively. Faculty members support students to become engaged global citizens and active participants in local communities and prepare students to seek, create, or attain meaningful work and professional opportunities in their field.
All undergraduate degree programs in the School of Art and Design require preparation for the major courses in drawing, 2D and 3D design, contemporary art and design practice, and art history of the Western world. Beyond these foundational courses, the curriculum spans contemporary art and design practices through a wide variety of disciplines including drawing, painting, printmaking, book arts, photography, sculpture, ceramics, furniture design and woodworking, jewelry and metalwork, graphic design, multimedia, interior architecture, , art history, curatorial studies, and art education. Through a variety of approaches to teaching and learning, the faculty encourages students to invent solutions, express ideas, imagine possibilities, and interpret the world through historical, cultural, and global contexts. Graduates of the School are creative thinkers and problem solvers who are able to communicate clearly, collaborate effectively, and innovate imaginatively as working professionals in a variety of fields. They may seek to continue their educational experience in post-baccalaureate programs with the goal of teaching and conducting creative research at institutions of higher learning.
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art
This degree program may be used to satisfy some of the application requirements for the single subject teaching credential program at SDSU.
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art, Emphasis in Applied Design
The applied design emphasis trains students in traditional craft techniques and contemporary digital fabrication processes in preparation for industry careers, including professional craft, artisanal, and industrial design and small-scale manufacturing for a variety of three-dimensional products. Graduates of the program also may choose to engage in independent entrepreneurial ventures such as custom-designed furniture fabrication, jewelry design and manufacturing, and fine art ceramics and pottery production.
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art, Emphasis in Art History
The art history emphasis prepares students for careers in visual art. Graduates of the program may become art professionals working in the gallery and museum field (including curation, exhibition design, and museum education) or they may engage in art writing and publishing.
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art, Emphasis in Graphic Design
The graphic design emphasis prepares students for careers in magazine and book design; corporate design; branding; design for film, television, and the recording industry; information design; environmental graphic design; packaging; advertising; interface design for kiosks and the Internet; and type design.
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art, Emphasis in Interior Architecture
The interior and architecture emphasis provides students with a pre-professional orientation supplemented by a strong liberal arts background. Graduates of the program may pursue positions in interior, architectural, or landscape design as well as city planning.
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art, Emphasis in Multimedia
The multimedia emphasis prepares students to pursue positions in interactive and time-based media, such as animation, book arts, gaming, instructional systems, motion graphics, net art, publishing, video and film, and web design.
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art, Emphasis in Painting and Printmaking
The painting and printmaking emphasis prepares students for careers in visual art. Graduates of the program may become practicing artists or art professionals working in the gallery and museum field.
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art, Emphasis in Sculpture
The sculpture emphasis prepares students for careers in visual art. Graduates of the program may become practicing artists or art professionals working in the gallery and museum field.
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art, Emphasis in Studio Arts
The studio arts emphasis prepares students for careers in visual arts. Graduates of the program may become practicing artists or art professionals working in the gallery and museum field.
Graduate Information
General Information
The School of Art and Design offers graduate study leading to the Master of Fine Arts Degree in Art. The objective of this program is to provide the essential theoretical education, technical training, and creative experience necessary for professional activity and college-level teaching in the visual arts. Students in the MFA degree program are supported by dedicated and engaged faculty members with a broad range of research interests, explored through art history, ceramics, exhibition design and curatorial practice, furniture design and woodworking, integrated design, interior and architectural design, jewelry and metalwork, painting and printmaking, photography, sculpture, and socially-engaged practice.
The Master of Fine Arts degree is a 60-unit graduate program. The curriculum, which includes professional seminars and interdisciplinary critiques, provides an opportunity for in-depth study leading to an exhibition of an original body of creative work defended during an oral examination and accompanied by a written report. Candidates in the MFA program are expected to achieve a high level of excellence and distinction in their creative practice.
The School of Art and Design has a diverse range of shared classroom facilities, from computer and digital fabrication labs to traditional art studios, that house a variety of specialized equipment. In addition, there are private or semi-private graduate studios and four art galleries. Regionally, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the San Diego Museum of Art, the Stuart Collection, the Mingei International Museum, and the Timken Museum of Art offer a range of contemporary and global historic art, as well as specialized libraries for research. There are also numerous universities and community colleges with public exhibition spaces, as well as a variety of commercial galleries. All of these venues are convenient to public or personal transportation.
Assistantships and Tuition Waivers
Graduate assistantship and teaching associate positions in art and design are available to a limited number of qualified students. Teaching associate positions include part-time tuition waivers. Other tuition waivers and scholarships for out-of-state and international students are also available on a limited basis. Applicants should contact the graduate adviser for additional information.
Admission to Graduate Study
Applicants should submit the CalState Apply application (available at http://www.calstate.edu/apply) along with the nonrefundable application fee between October 1 and November 30 for admission the following fall.
Additionally, all applicants must submit admissions materials to SDSU Graduate Admissions by December 15 at the address below and to the School of Art and Design by January 12 via Interfolio.
Graduate Admissions
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-7416
- Transcripts: Send official transcripts (in sealed envelopes) issued within the last year from all U.S. postsecondary institutions attended;
- Do not send transcripts before submitting the Cal State Apply application as this may result in processing delays.
- If you previously attended SDSU, you need only submit transcripts for work completed since last attendance. If you are a current SDSU student, you are not required to submit an SDSU transcript.
- International documents: Students with international coursework must have the institution send one official language record of all academic coursework and proof of degree. For each document, applicants must also send a certified literal English translation which can come directly from the institution or from a professional certified translator. The translation must contain all information shown on the original language documents;
- English Language Proficiency (for international students only): All graduate and post-baccalaureate applicants, regardless of citizenship whose native language is not English and whose preparatory education was principally in a language other than English must demonstrate competence in English. Those applicants who do not possess a bachelor’s degree from a postsecondary institution where English is the principal language of instruction must submit official TOEFL (http://www.ets.org) SDSU institution code 4682), IELTS (http://www.ielts.org), Duolingo English Test (https://englishtest.duolingo.com/applicants), or PTE (https://pearsonpte.com) results.
Master of Fine Arts Degree in Art
The following admissions materials must be submitted via Interfolio by the January 12 deadline.
- Statement of purpose addressing your professional goals and reasons for selecting the School of Art and Design at SDSU for your pursuit of these goals;
- Artist statement that describes the nature and content of the work shown in the portfolio;
- Digital portfolio of fifteen to twenty images. Presented as captioned images contained within a single PDF;
- Current curriculum vitae or resume;
- Two letters of recommendation from art instructors (or others) who are able to comment on your artistic potential in the area of specialization;
- One copy of unofficial transcripts for all college and university-level institutions attended.
For information regarding the admissions process, visit the school website at https://art.sdsu.edu/apply/.
Master of Arts (Art History) Degree in Art
The following admissions materials must be submitted via Interfolio by the January 12 deadline.
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School of Art and Design application;
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Statement of purpose addressing your professional goals and reasons for selecting the School of Art and Design at SDSU for your pursuit of these goals, what you plan to accomplish at SDSU (in which areas do you plan to specialize), and what your long-range career goals are (1-2 pages);
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Your best term paper, seminar report, or published article (10-15 pages);
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Two letters of recommendation from instructors who can assess your academic performance (you may include one museum reference);
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Current curriculum vitae or resume;
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One copy of unofficial transcripts for all college and university-level institutions attended.
For information regarding the admissions process, visit the school’s website at https://art.sdsu.edu/apply/.
Director: Hebert, Matthew, Associate Professor of Art and Design (B.Arch., University of California, Berkeley; M.F.A., California College of the Arts)
Graduate Program Advisor: Sherman, Sondra, Professor of Art and Design (B.F.A., Temple University; M.F.A., Munich Academy of Fine Art)
Tenured and Tenure-Track:
Buckley, Annie, Professor of Art and Design (B.A., University of California, Berkeley; M.F.A., Otis College of Art and Design)
Ozkal, Arzu, Professor of Art and Design (B.F.A., Bilkent University; M.F.A., State University of New York, Buffalo)
Struble, Eva, Professor Art and Design (B.A., Brown University; M.F.A., Yale University School of Art)
Yapelli, Tina, Professor of Art and Design (B.A., Loyola Marymount University [Summa Cum Laude]; M.A., California State University Fullerton)
Castro, Carlos, Associate Professor of Art and Design (B.F.A., Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano; M.F.A., San Francisco Art Institute)
Manley, Adam, Associate Professor of Art and Design (B.A. International Relations and Political Science, State University of New York, New Paltz; M.F.A., San Diego State University)
Quick, Kerianne, Associate Professor Art and Design (B.A. [Cum Laude], San Diego State University; M.F.A., University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
Yu, Yin, Associate Professor of Art and Design (B.S., Shanghai Maritime University; M.S., Southern New Hampshire University; M.S., University of Oregon; Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara)
Avnisan, Aviva, Assistant Professor of Art and Design (B.A., University of Maryland; M.F.A., Brooklyn College; M.F.A., The School of the Art Institute of Chicago)
Caldwell, Avery, Assistant Professor of Art and Design (B.F.A., University of California, Los Angeles; M.Arch., University of California, Los Angeles)
Gopalakrishnan, Chitra, Assistant Professor of Art and Design (B.F.A. École Supérieure d’ Arts Graphiques [ESAG Penninghen]; M.F.A. École Supérieure d’ Arts Graphiques [ESAG Penninghen]; M.F.A., Cranbrook Academy of Art)
Sneed, Gillian, Assistant Professor of Art and Design (B.A., Mills College; M.S., Pratt Institute; M. Phil., Graduate Center, City University of New York; Ph.D., Graduate Center, City University of New York)
Tete, Iren, Assistant Professor of Art and Design (B.S., College of William and Mary; M.F.A., University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
Uhm, Eunice, Assistant Professor of Art and Design (B.A., American University; M.A., The Ohio State University; Ph.D., The Ohio State University)
Additional Faculty:
Siprut, Mark, Associate Professor of Art and Design, Emeritus (B.A., Humboldt State University; M.A., Humboldt State University; M.F.A., University of California, Santa Barbara)
Stringfellow, Kim, Professor of Art and Design, Emerita (B.F.A., Academy of Art College; M.F.A., The School of the Art Institute of Chicago)
Lecturers:
Benzel, Gary M., B.F.A., Art and Design
Brown, James E., B.Arch., Art and Design
Kendricks, Neil, M.F.A., Art and Design
Kim, Ashley, M.F.A., Art and Design
La Quire, Jennette, M.Arch., Art and Design
Luera, Martin, M.F.A., Art and Design
Martin, Nelle, M.F.A., Art and Design
Weeks, Beth, B.S., Art and Design
Whitmore, Tessie C., M.F.A., Art and Design
Williams, Allyson B., Ph.D., Art and Design
Wyss, Scott, B.F.A., Art and Design
Emeritus Faculty:
Berelowitz, Jo-Anne, Ph.D., 1993-2014, Professor of Art and Design
Berg, Robert V., M.F.A., 1963-1992, Professor of Art
Burkett, Richard A., M.F.A., 1989-2017, Professor of Art and Design
Cooling, Janet L., M.F.A., 1984-2008, Professor of Art, Design, and Art History
Couttolenc, Patricia C., M.F.A., 2008-2018, Associate Professor of Art and Design
Dominguez, Jesus Y., M.F.A., 1976-2002, Professor of Art, Design, and Art History
Dumlao, Gerald C., M.F.A., 1977-1998, Associate Professor of Art
Fisch, Arline M., M.A., 1961-1996, Professor of Art [Senate Distinguished Professor]
Hayakawa, Joanne, M.F.A., 1982-2010, Professor of Art, Design, and Art History
Hunter, Lawrence B., M.A., 1963-1989, Professor of Art
Johnson, Hiroko, Ph.D., 2000-2011, Associate Professor of Art, Design, and Art History
Maruyama, Wendy L., M.F.A., 1989-2010, Professor of Art, Design, and Art History
Merritt, Susan C., M.F.A., 1986-2013, Professor of Art and Design
Miller, Allan W., M.F.A., 1963-2004, Professor of Art, Design, and Art History
Moaney, Eric R., M.F.A., M.S., 1968-1998, Assistant Professor of Art
Nakamura, Kotaro, M.A., Professor of Art and Design
Nelson, Kerry A., M.S., 1988-2012, Professor of Art, Design, and Art History
Ollman, Arthur L., M.F.A., 2006-2014, Professor of Art and Design
Orth, Fredrick J., M.F.A., 1965-2001, Professor of Art, Design, and Art History
Perczel, Csilla F., Ph.D., 1970-1990, Associate Professor of Art
Ray, Eugene A., M.F.A., 1969-1996, Professor of Art
Rigby, Ida K., Ph.D., 1976-2006, Professor of Art, Design, and Art History
Roberts-Fields, Gail C., M.A., 1976-2009, Professor of Art, Design, and Art History
Rogers, John J., M.S., 1963-1996, Professor of Art
Shirk, Helen Z., M.F.A., 1976-2005, Professor of Art, Design, and Art History
Wallace, Robert D., Litt. D., 1957-1986, Professor of Art
Programs- Art History Minor
- Art Minor
- Art, Art History Concentration, M.A.
- Art, B.A.
- Art, Emphasis in Applied Design, B.A.
- Art, Emphasis in Art History, B.A.
- Art, Emphasis in Graphic Design, B.A.
- Art, Emphasis in Interior Architecture, B.A.
- Art, Emphasis in Multimedia, B.A.
- Art, Emphasis in Painting and Printmaking, B.A.
- Art, Emphasis in Sculpture, B.A.
- Art, Emphasis in Studio Arts, B.A.
- Art, M.F.A.
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