College of the Arts

Wm. Robert Bucker, Dean

Sue Taylor, Associate Dean

Lincoln Hall 349

503-725-3105

www.pdx.edu/the-arts

  • B.A., B.S.—Architecture, Art Practices, Art History, Film, Graphic Design, Music, Musicology/Ethnomusicology, Music Theory, Theater Arts
  • B.F.A.—Art Practices
  • B.M.—Composition, Jazz Studies, Music Education, Performance, Vocal Studies
  • Certificate in Dance
  • Minor in Architecture; Art History; Dance; Design Management*; Drawing, Painting, Printmaking*; Film Studies; Graphic Design; Jazz Studies; Music; Music History; Photography*; Sculpture*; Time Arts*; Theater Arts (* indicates minors not available to Art Practices majors or Graphic Design majors)
  • Secondary Education Program in Art Practices, Music, Theater Arts
  • Graduate Certificate in Public Interest Design
  • M.A., M.S.—Music, Theater Arts
  • M.M.—Conducting, Jazz Studies, Performance
  • M.Arch—Architecture (2-year and 3-year tracks)
  • M.F.A.—Contemporary Art Practices

The College of the Arts prepares talented students for creative careers and lifelong enrichment through intellectual discovery and myriad cultural experiences. Students are challenged to see their work within the artistic and critical traditions that provoke their own creative thinking and to seek interdisciplinary approaches and collaboration in both local and global contexts. Located on the Park Blocks in downtown Portland, the College joins the Portland Art Museum and Portland Center for the Performing Arts in the heart of the city's cultural district. Within blocks of the College, theaters, galleries, professional studios, and design and architectural firms provide a stimulating environment in which our students develop through interactions and internships. The combination of a celebrated faculty and a professional arts community creates exciting undergraduate and graduate programs with rigorous standards in all four Schools within the College—Architecture, Art and Design, Music, and Theater and Film.

Degree Maps and Learning Outcomes

Admission requirements

Differential Tuition

Fine and Performing Arts Courses

Undergraduate program

School of Architecture

School of Art and Design

School of Music

School of Theater and Film

Admission requirements

Policy on admission to undergraduate programs

Students may declare the major at any time after enrolling at Portland State University, with the exception of Music, which requires admission immediately. Subsequently, students must be admitted formally to all degree programs in architecture, film, graphic design, theater arts, and the BFA in Art Practices before they will (1) be allowed to enroll in restricted upper-division courses offered by the program and (2) be graduated from that program. Students apply for formal School admission one to two terms before completing all eligibility requirements. Specific application deadlines, criteria for admission and applications are available on respective School websites.

Students transferring from other institutions who want to be admitted formally to a specific degree program must:

•    Meet all eligibility requirements.

•    Apply for admission to PSU.

•    Have one copy of their transcripts sent to the Office of Admissions.

•    Apply for program admission to the school of choice (including, if requested, one copy of their transcripts sent to the School of their choice).

Please see individual School websites for more specific admissions information.