School of Art & Design

We guide aspiring artists and designers to become passionate leaders in the art, design, and graphics industry.
In this Section

Live, Breathe & Succeed in the Arts

The School of Art & Design is an artistic and intellectual community that fosters creative thinking and lifelong learning. We prepare individuals for leadership and professional careers in the areas of visual art and design.

Our faculty guide aspiring artists and designers to build both theoretical and practical foundations, and encourage personal development in art, design, and the humanities. The art and design programs at UW-Stout are unlike any other in the nation.

We Live! We Breathe! We Are! The School of Art & Design at University of Wisconsin-Stout.

The creative skill set our students acquire has a unique balance of fine art, design, history, theory, and innovation—all within a hands-on environment where students have opportunities to apply their education to real-world problems and solutions.

All B.F.A. students take first-year foundation core classes that support advanced coursework. As a student, you’ll benefit from instructors who deliver a vast breadth and depth of experiences as working artists and designers. If you are ready to learn and grow beyond your expectations, this is the art and design school for you.

Studios, Labs & Galleries

SOAD has dedicated studios, labs and galleries designed to accommodate and enhance your program’s learning experience. 

Degree Programs

Bachelor of Fine Arts Degrees

UW-Stout's School of Art & Design—one of the largest public art and design schools in the Midwest—is uniquely positioned to elevate our existing strengths and become the premier applied art and design school in the nation.

We provide state-of-the-art programming that creates hands-on opportunities students, exemplified by projects with the Jim Henson Workshop, Target and Trek Bicycles. Our vision for the next 50 years will enable expanded educational experiences provided by highly skilled faculty using exceptional equipment in high-tech labs. 

The B.F.A. programs are 120 credits, and offer students a solid foundation in liberal arts, art history and fine arts with a balance of design, theory, conceptual and applied curriculum. 

Bachelor of Science Degrees

The School of Art & Design recognizes the need for arts administrators with a refined understanding of how the arts function in society in the 21st century. The arts have the power to shape individuals, engage with current issues, and build communities. To help artists and entrepreneurs achieve these goals, an administrator needs a well-balanced mix of creativity, programming, marketing, community organizing, and collaboration.

Undergraduate Minors

Extracurricular Disciplines

Master of Fine Arts

The M.F.A. Design is a highly flexible, 60-credit terminal degree built on a combination of theoretical and practice-based coursework in design and other fields of study, including but not limited to art, psychology, and business. With a unique focus in applied design, no other regional institution can provide a similar collaborative environment across so many design sub-disciplines. Graduates will have the credentials for a career in higher education and be well-positioned to respond to emerging employer needs in Wisconsin, the region, and around the globe.

Related SOAD Events & Lectures

School of Art & Design Senior Show

Capstone projects by approximately 100 graduating seniors will be on display, providing a chance to talk with the artists and designers.
Continue Reading

Fashion Without Fabric

UW-Stout and the School of Art & Design invite you one of the Midwest's premier unconventional fashion runway shows, Fashion Without Fabric.
Continue Reading

Stout Game Expo (SGX)

Join us at the next Stout Game Expo (SGX) to explore and play student-created video games and tabletop advetures.
Continue Reading

School of Art & Design Speaker Series

The annual SOAD Speaker Series welcomes internationally recognized artists and art professionals to inspire, awe, and challenge our students and community.
Continue Reading

Unspooled Film & Animation Festival

A UW-Stout supported community event showcasing innovative works of film and animation by students and independent producers.
Continue Reading

Art & Design Week

Career Services' award-winning professional development event for students in the School of Art & Design.
Continue Reading
latest animation technology

New Motion Capture Studio

SOAD looks at the present and future of animation and game design, and that’s motion capture.

School of Art & Design

All School of Art & Design News
Global vision, local design: UW-Stout students transform public spaces with murals Featured Image

Global vision, local design: UW-Stout students transform public spaces with murals

Art installations in Italy, Minnesota bring communities together
Camp-Inn kitchen comfort: Industrial design students develop travel trailer solutions Featured Image

Camp-Inn kitchen comfort: Industrial design students develop travel trailer solutions

Necedah-based camping company supports project with real-world application
Fashion and photogrammetry: Communications senior captures couture in 3D Featured Image

Fashion and photogrammetry: Communications senior captures couture in 3D

Student’s apparel collections will premiere at WEAR Fashion Show, May 3