
Explore UArts
You're about to take your creativity to the next level.
Why Choose UArts?
The Place of Choice
With more than 20 majors, 20 minors, 13 graduate programs and a PhD in Creativity, we're the only arts school in America that makes it possible to work and collaborate across traditional boundaries.
Innovative Education for 145 Years
Established 1876, we're proud of our part in the rich history of arts education in the United States. The University of the Arts we celebrate today now serves as an influential, innovative leader in arts education.
The Coolest City in America
Anchored on the vibrant Avenue of the Arts, our campus is located in the cultural district of Center City--the heart of downtown Philadelphia.

World-Class Creative Facilities
From professional performance venues to state-of-the-art studio space, we invite you to explore our galleries, performance spaces, maker spaces, and more.

Top-Level Faculty
UArts faculty are practicing visual and performing arts professionals who regularly exhibit and perform in some of the world's more renowned venues.

Our Alumni Are Working in Their Fields
For an illustrator, the cover of The New Yorker is the pinnacle in an editorial career. For a recent graduate to receive such an opportunity is unheard of.

University of the Arts alumna Loveis Wise BFA ’18 (Illustration), who graduated in May, has accomplished a professional feat that eludes many illustrators over the entire course of their careers: they were commissioned to illustrate the cover of The New Yorker magazine.
Their illustration, “Nurture,” graces the June 4 – 11, 2018 issue of the publication, which also features a Q-and-A style interview with the Washington, DC-born, Philadelphia-based artist.
“For an illustrator, the cover of the New Yorker is the pinnacle in an editorial career,” said Mark Tocchet, director of the UArts School of Design. “For a recent graduate to receive such an opportunity is unheard of.”
Wise was recognized with UArts’ President’s Award at UArts' commencement ceremony. During their senior year they completed commissioned work—motion graphics, hand lettering, surface design, product design and editorial illustration— for clients as wide-ranging as The New York Times, Vice, Cartoon Network, Buzzfeed, Penguin/Random House books, and Planned Parenthood.
They also recently completed a large-scale mural for The March of Dimes in Washington, DC. In addition, their work was selected for inclusion in the 2017 and 2018 Student Award Competitions at The Society of Illustrators, the leading organization for professional illustrators.
The painting department at the University of the Arts is a community for artistic growth but it is also a home of passion for the arts and a dedicated family.

My experience at the University of the Arts was transformative! The painting department prepared me for not only developing my studio practice and challenging and expanding my ideas of painting and drawing but also gave me the confidence, skills, and knowledge to prepare for graduate school. The painting department at the University of the Arts is a community for artistic growth but it is also a home of passion for the arts and a dedicated family.
See More on Jonathan's Website
Interview | Recent Exhibition in NYC
Jonathan's work has been exhibited in solo exhibitions at Thiery Goldberg, in New York and Lord Ludd in Philadelphia, PA. Recent group exhibitions include Fleisher/Ollman Gallery in Philadelphia, PA; Green Hall Gallery at Yale University, in New Haven, CT; The California African American Museum, Los Angeles, CA; and currently at the V1 Gallery in Copenhagen, Denmark. They are represented in the collections of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Philadelphia; The Wedge Collection, Toronto, CA; and the Woodmere Art Museum in Philadelphia.
In the News
What I appreciate the most about my time in the Writing for Film + Television major is the fundamental understanding of storytelling the staff instilled in me. Not only was the writing process fully immersive and the class size intimate, but breaking down screenplays, novels and even graphic novels on a line-level prepared me for the industry in invaluable and unexpected ways. Being able to speak with authority and confidence in a story meetings is largely the byproduct of my UArts education and the foundation laid by the instructors."
Kevin R. Wright ’12 is a creative producer of Production & Development at Marvel Studios located on the Disney Lot in Burbank California, where alongside his colleagues in the feature film division, he is responsible for creative oversight of projects on the studio’s slate. Kevin is currently Co-Producing the recently announced Loki series for Disney’s upcoming streaming service Disney+. He was Associate Producer on Ant-Man and The Wasp, Senior Manager, Production Development on Captain Marvel and previously served as the Sr. Manager of Production & Development on Doctor Strange, Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War.

Financial Aid
The cost of college shouldn't stop you from pursuing your dream. The following resources are available for students to help pay for their education:
- Grants
- Educational Loans
- Student Employment or Work Study
- Scholarships
- Net Price Calculator
- FAQs
Portfolio and Admissions Requirements
Admission to UArts is contingent on the submission of your creative work through a portfolio, writing sample or in-person audition. This also helps us determine your scholarship eligibility.

Undergrad
Degrees
Majors
- Animation
- Art Education (BFA & MAT)
- Creative Writing
- Dance
- Expanded Drawing & Print Media
- Film & Animation
- Film
- Film Design
- Game Art
- Graphic Design
- Illustration
- Interaction Design*
- Music - Composition
- Music - Instrumental Performance
- Music - Vocal Performance
- Music Business, Entrepreneurship & Technology
- Music Education (BM & MAT)
- Painting
- Photography
- Product Design*
- Screenwriting
- Sculpture
- Theater - Acting
- Theater - Directing, Playwriting & Production
- Theater - Musical Theater
- Theater Design & Technology
*Programs will launch in fall 2023.
Minors
Open to All Majors
- Advertising Practices
- Animation
- Art History
- Art Therapy
- Business
- Creative Writing
- Design, Art & Technology
- Figurative Illustration
- Film & Video
- Film & Media Studies
- Game Design
- History of Visual Arts
- Music
- Music Business, Entrepreneurship & Technology
- Painting and Drawing
- Philosophy and Religion
- Photography
- Print Media
- Screenwriting
- Songwriting
- Studio Photography
- Typography
- Web and Mobile Design
Minors
Open to Related Majors
- Art Education
- Music Education
- Musical Theater
Graduate Degrees
- Art Education (MAT)
- Book Arts & Printmaking (MFA)
- Dance (MFA)
- Education Program Design (MEd)
- Education Technology (MEd)
- Jazz Studies (MM)
- Museum Education (MA)
- Museum Exhibition Planning & Design (MFA)
- Museum Studies (MA)
- Music Education (MAT)
- Music Education (MM)
- Product Design (MDes)
- Theater - Devised Performance (MFA & Certificate)
PhD
- PhD in Creativity