About Art & Design
Buffalo State offers the most comprehensive, relevant, and affordable visual arts undergraduate education in Western New York.
With a campus museum, two in-house galleries, including a student-run gallery, a state-of-the-art Tech Hub, and direct access to the internationally renowned Buffalo AKG Art Museum, students enjoy exceptional hands-on learning and exhibition opportunities.
Graduates of each of our degree programs and four concentrations leave with both a rock-solid foundation in art and design fundamentals and extensive practical experience with the advanced technology essential in today’s art world.
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Degrees Offered
Art and Design, B.A.: Together with basic instruction in drawing, design, new technology, and art history, this program provides students with the opportunity to study a wide range of visual arts media, including four concentration options—ceramics, metals jewelry, painting, and photography.
Art and Design, B.F.A.: Offers a selection of program concentrations for the visual arts student—ceramics, graphic design, painting, and photography—and prepares students for advanced studies, graduate studies, or for beginning careers as professional designers and artists.
2
On-campus galleries
4
Degree programs
5
Concentrations
20
Average class size
Who Hires Our Students?
Professional artists are creative problem solvers with a wide breadth of career possibilities. Here are some of the most common:
• Advertising Creative Director
• Advertising Designer
• Airbrush Artist
• Animator
• Animator (Film)
• Architect
• Art Conservator
• Art Critic
• Art Dealer
• Art Director
• Art Gallery Owner/Assistant
• Art Museum Curator
• Art Supply Retailer
• Art Teacher
• Art Therapist
• Art/Craft Librarian
• Billboard Artist
• Biological/Medical Illustrator
• Calligrapher
• Cartoonist
• Catalog Illustrator
• Ceramic Artist
• Ceramicist
• Clothing Designer
• Color Consultant
• Commercial Art
• Concept/Storyboard Artist
• Costume Designer
• Courtroom Artist
• Courtroom or Police Artist
• Curator
• Decorator
• Design Consultant
• Digital Illustrator
• Display Designer
• Display/Exhibition Planner
• Drafter
• Exhibit Designer
• Fabric Surface Designer
• Fashion Designer
• Fashion Illustrator
• Freelance Designer
• Furniture Designer
• Gallery Director
• Graphic Designer
• Graphic Designer
• Historic Preservationist
• Illustrator
• Industrial (Product) Designer
• Industrial Designer
• Interior Designer
• Jeweler
• Jewelry Designer
• Lab Technician
• Layout/Paste-up Artist
• Lithographer
• Magazine/Book/Newspaper Illustrator
• Makeup Artist
• Manufacturing
• Mechanical Artist
• Medical Illustrator
• Model Maker
• Multimedia Artist
• Museum Curator
• Outdoor Sign Letterer
• Package Designer
• Painter
• Photographer
• Photojournalist
• Pottery Designer
• Product Designer
• Prop/Special Effects Designer
• Public Relations
• Publishing Layout Specialist
• Publishing/Printing
• Restorer
• Sales Representative
• Sculptor
• Set Decorator
• Set Designer
• Sign Printer
• Studio Artist
• Technical Illustrator
• Textbook Illustrator
• Textile Designer
• Trademark Designer
• Video Game Animator
• Visual Merchandiser
• Weaver
• Web Designer
• Wedding or Family Photographer
• Woodworker
Anne Frank Project: a social justice festival that uses storytelling, performances, and art exhibits as a vehicle for community-building, conflict resolution, and identity exploration.
Student Art Sale: an annual event from which students keep 75 percent of their sales and gain valuable exposure.
Visual Arts Board: a student organization dedicated to uniting Buffalo State’s visual arts community.
Coalition for Ceramic Designers: a student club that invites nationally known ceramic artists as guest speakers, hosts kiln firing events, and presents work in local galleries.
Because undergraduate research is considered by many to be one of the most powerful ways for students to learn, the process is just as important as the outcome. Undergraduate research is an opportunity to apply what you have learned in class to solve real-world problems, as well as to learn things that you might not typically cover in class.
In addition, art education students have found research and internship opportunities through organizations like the Burchfield Penney Art Center, which is located on campus, and has docent positions open to students.
Program Highlights
Art and Design Tech Hub
This lab and classroom houses state-of-the-art equipment required for digital fabrication, 3D printing, vinyl design, laser cutting, and more.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration
The Art and Design Department consistently collaborates with the Fashion and Textile Technology Department, the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium, and other entities, simulating real-world job opportunities.
Galleries and Museums
The Burchfield Penney Art Center is housed on our campus, and the internationally renowned Buffalo AKG Art Museum is just across the street. Our campus is also home to the Czurles-Nelson Gallery and the Margaret E. Bacon Gallery, which is fully student-run.