Explore Art at MSU Denver

The Department of Art at Metropolitan State University of Denver is a vibrant, diverse environment full of options for students interested in pursuing a degree in a creative field.

Whether you are interested in being a professional artist, designer, educator or researcher, you will learn traditional methods of art production and research as well as innovative approaches to art and design.

Art students are analytical, critical thinkers who use their creativity daily. They work independently and collaboratively to develop thoughtful responses to the world around them, and emerge as artists, designers, educators and scholars.

The Auraria Campus is a stone’s throw from the heart of downtown Denver’s art museums and Performing Arts Center, the Santa Fe Art District and MSU Denver’s Center for Visual Art, so students are tapped into Denver’s creative economy. Our graduates have become curators, archivists, art installers and entrepreneurs, and have gone on to graduate schools at Virginia Commonwealth University, Columbia University, Goldsmith’s University, London and more.

No matter what your ultimate career goals are, the degrees in the Department of Art at MSU Denver offer you the flexibility of diverse options so you train to become an innovative creative professional. And MSU Denver is the most affordable four-year university in Colorado, so you won’t be burdened under a mound of debt.

The mission of the Department of Art at MSU Denver is to provide a challenging and supportive learning environment for students who aspire to professional practice in visual art, art education, art history, and design.

To achieve this mission, we:

• Encourage critical thinking through examination and analysis of contemporary and historical modes of cultural production;
• Guide students in expressing their own creative visions through practice-based research in traditional and contemporary media;
• Value and respect the transformative power of creative expression;
• Strive to produce distinctive, significant, and thought-provoking art, design, and research in diverse disciplines;
• Embrace social and cultural diversity to foster an atmosphere of mutual respect;
• Engage in the cultural life of our communities, providing students opportunities for personal growth and professional development;
• Deliver unique art education to Denver and the surrounding communities through programming and exhibitions at the Center for Visual Art and on the Auraria Campus.

Here’s where an art degree from MSU Denver might take you:

• Commercial Design and Graphics
• Environmental Design and Architecture
• Education
• Business
• Crafts
• Entrepreneurship

Fine arts offer an array of possibilities for art graduates. Graphic designer, museum curator, art teacher, jewelry designer, photographer, illustrator, and many more.