Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree Programs

College of Architecture and the Arts:
With an enrollment of over 25,000 students, the University of Illinois at Chicago is the largest university in the Chicago area. Located just west of Chicago's Loop, UIC is a vital part of the educational, technological and cultural fabric of the city. It is also one of the country's top research universities and over the years has attracted an impressive amount of award-winning faculty. According to U.S. News & World Report, UIC is one of the most diverse and affordable universities in the US. UIC is a "best buy," according to Barron's Best Buys in College Education.

UIC’s location in the heart of Chicago provides a resourceful backdrop for students and a natural draw for top faculty. Students use the city as their library by studying well-known Chicago architecture, visiting museums and attending performances. Many faculty members are drawn to UIC because they are prominent members of Chicago’s arts scene and performance groups.

Location and Facilities:

Students in the college have unlimited access to multiple studios, practice rooms and performance areas specific to their discipline. Due to the dynamic nature of the curriculum in architecture or the arts, the studio often becomes a student’s second home. The college prides itself on the unique community that students develop while working in the studio environment.

Performing arts students find a similar experience in their time spent at the UIC Theater and music practice rooms. While many dramatic productions take place on campus, choral groups often travel off-campus to perform for groups locally and across the nation.

• The City Design Center examines the study and practice of design in the public interest. The center focuses on the urban environment, including fi xtures, furnishings, buildings, streets, plazas and parks that together create the overall form of the community.
The center provides opportunities for students to learn and
gain hands-on experience through work on actual projects with community clients, such as the Chicago Housing Authority and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Through these projects, students from design disciplines like architecture and industrial design make linkages among theory, practice and social interests while learning about each others’ related professions.

• Gallery 400, a center for art exhibition at UIC, was founded in 1983 to publicly exhibit and support innovations in contemporary art, design and architecture. Today, gallery 400 has grown into a nationally recognized arts presenter of acclaimed exhibitions, lectures, artist residencies, workshops, symposia and publications.
Serving as a showcase for engaging art and architecture
exhibitions, Gallery 400 is an essential complement to academic programs in the College of Architecture and the Arts. It gives UIC students the opportunity to interact closely with visiting critics and artists.

• The Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, part of the College of Architecture and the Arts, is a National Historic Landmark and memorial to social work pioneer Jane Addams, her innovative settlement house programs, and the neighborhoods they served. Restored by UIC in the mid-1960s, the mansion and residents’ dining hall are an important campus destination. Hull-House attracts more than 11,000 visitors annually and hosts a lecture series on Chicago radio station WBEZ