About the College of Fine Arts

Performers wearing caged costumes perform on a stage.

About the College of Fine Arts

The College of Fine Arts educates artists, scholars and future arts educators in a context that emphasizes artistic excellence, advanced technology, cultural range and best professional practices. The college places a high priority on research and the creation of new work through its many divisions and departments, including among others, the Butler School of Music, the Department of Art and Art History, the Department of Theatre and Dance, the School of Design and Creative Technologies, Texas Performing Arts, the university’s arts presenting organization, and Landmarks, the university’s public art program. A comprehensive visual and performing arts college, degree concentrations from the B.A. to Ph.D. are offered in classical music and composition to acting, dance and scenic design to studio art and design studies, as well as the scholarly study of the arts in a broad range of disciplines.

History

For 80 years, the College of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin has provided leadership, regionally and nationally, in the study of visual arts, music, theatre, dance and design. The College of Fine Arts was founded in 1937 when an act of the Texas Legislature restored Fine Arts education to the university curriculum 12 years after Governor Miriam “Ma” Ferguson deleted these programs from the university budget.