The Art of Understanding

Students establish their own perspective through diverse academic and material studies in the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts (SMFA) combined degree program. After five years, students in this program graduate with two degrees: a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science. They also graduate with a deeper understanding of the world in which they are making art.

Working across subject matters and art mediums, combined degree students develop as adaptable, imaginative, strategic thinkers. Preparing for career paths that look very different today from how they did 30 years ago, students work with academic advisors and faculty mentors to select courses that support their educational and professional goals. They fulfill the foundation, distribution, and concentration requirements of the School of Arts and Sciences and the studio requirements of SMFA. Building bridges between studio arts and liberal arts, students approach questions in creative new ways.

New York City native Daniela Barbera, A22, spent a semester exploring the idea of “a subway citizenship, where people’s lives come together in one space.” She articulates concepts from her classes as an anthropology major through both bookmaking and writing. Her studies include courses on virtual reality, graphic arts, and social approaches to the human experience. About her combined degree, Daniela says, “It’s something that meshes together in such a natural way, and that’s what I think Tufts and SMFA do so well: complementing each other.”

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Photo: Inside the SMFA building at 230 The Fenway, Boston.

SMFA and the SCHOOL OF THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS are trademarks of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and are used by permission.