Western Carolina University - School of Art and Design

Whether your creative passion lies in the studio arts, graphic design, interior design, or a blend of art history and studio arts, Western Carolina University’s School of Art and Design will provide you with the skills necessary to launch your passion into your dream profession. We believe that your education should be as individual as YOU are! You will combine your chosen discipline’s concepts and theories with hands-on experiences that offer collaborative studio projects, improved creativity, enhanced critical thinking, project development, community engagement, as well as mastery of technique and craftsmanship. Our smaller studio class sizes offer you an exceptional opportunity to work closely with our dedicated faculty, as they bring to the classroom a commitment to the process of innovation and skill building, as well as a wide range of experience as makers, designers, collaborators and researchers. Your learning environment will include cutting-edge art and design studio facilities, the on-site Fine Art Museum with four gallery rooms, dedicated critique rooms, a 1000-seat theatre in the John W. Bardo Fine & Performing Arts Center and a robust visiting artist program with internationally recognized artists and designers.

Western Carolina University is located in the beautiful Southern Appalachian Mountains of Cullowhee, North Carolina. Our 600-acre mountain campus is surrounded by one of the most biodiverse regions in the state that provides students unparalleled learning and adventure opportunities, as evidenced by being awarded the ‘Top Adventure College’ title for the fifth time.

Our 600-acre mountain campus offers you housing in one of our many newly constructed dormitories and as WCU continues to grow, there are a multitude of construction projects slated for future campus improvements. Furthermore, The State of North Carolina established the NC Promise Tuition Plan to increase access to a quality university education by reducing student tuition costs to $500 per semester for in-state students and $2500 for out-of-state students. Additional fees and costs still apply on top of reduced tuition. To help further lighten your expenditures, the School of Art & Design offers you robust opportunities for scholarships. If you're looking for a university ready to fight as hard for your success as you are, WCU and the School of Art and Design is the place for you!

All programs in the School of Art and Design are by admission only through Acceptd, and the BFA Program with emphases in Studio Art and in Graphic Design require digital images of your artwork to be uploaded for Portfolio Review. This admission deadline for all program applications is July 1st of each year. Please apply early to give yourself the best chance for admission. By selecting a program in the upper left-hand corner of this screen, you can find additional information about each specific program of study. It's important to note that there are two separate application processes: one for the School of Art and Design through this platform and one for WCU. This program requires that you be accepted to both the School of Art and Design and WCU and acceptance into one does not guarantee acceptance into the other. The annual WCU Scholarship Application deadline is February 1st and you can begin applying for scholarships after completing your WCU application process. Awarded scholarships are for the following academic year.

Questions about the School of School of Art and Design? Please reach out to any of the following persons: