Master of Fine Arts Syllabus & Subjects 2025

Master of Fine Arts, MFA, is a 2 years postgraduate course that imparts skills as well as knowledge of performing and visual arts. The MFA Syllabus is divided into 4 semesters. The course covers many aesthetic art forms and provides prime MFA subjects including Visual Communication, Applied Arts, Art History, Ceramics, Painting, Sculpture and Printmaking among others. In a nutshell, Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is a graduate-level college degree that students can earn by studying and practicing visual arts, performing arts, design, or creative writing. 

MFA course syllabus includes core and elective subjects. The syllabus and MFA course subjects may vary depending on the educational institute selected by the candidates. Aspirants interested in pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree should be aware that the program does not include a mandatory internship, but rather consists of extensive research and study work over the course of two years. Continue reading to learn everything about the MFA syllabus and subjects.

Some of the most important details about the MFA course is tabulated below to help candidates in selecting their course of study. 

Also Read: Bachelor of Fine Arts

The year-wise Master of Fine Arts syllabus has two parts - a set of elective courses that focuses at introducing job-specific knowledge and skills and a compulsory set of Master of Fine subjects covering all basic areas in arts and literature. Master of Fine Arts (MFA) course is the one meant for the specialisation in the field of Art forms research and fieldwork. The semester wise MFA subjects that candidates generally encounter during the course are as follows:

MFA First Year Syllabus

Here’s a table of all the subjects of MFA first year.

MFA Second Year Syllabus

Here’s a table of all the subjects of MFA second year.

Let’s have a look at MFA Painting syllabus 2025.

MFA Painting First Year Syllabus

The first year MFA Painting course syllabus is captured below:

MFA Painting Second Year Syllabus

The first year MFA Painting course syllabus is captured below:

Year-Wise Syllabus of MFA Applied Arts 

The semester wise MFA applied arts subject that candidates generally encounter during the course are as follows:

MFA Applied Arts First Year Syllabus

The first year Master of Fine Arts (MFA) course syllabus is captured below:

MFA Applied Arts Second Year Syllabus

Here’s a table of list of MFA Applied Arts second year syllabus.

Year-Wise Syllabus of MFA Sculpture 

Check out the syllabus of MFA Sculpture.

MFA Sculpture First Year Syllabus

Here’s a table of list of MFA sculpture first year syllabus.

MFA Sculpture Second Year Syllabus

Here’s a table of list of MFA sculpture second year syllabus.

Year-Wise Syllabus of MFA Photography 

Check out the syllabus of the MFA photography syllabus.

MFA Photography First Year Syllabus

Here’s a table of list of MFA photography first year syllabus.

MFA Photography Second Year Syllabus

Here’s a table of list of MFA photography second year syllabus.

Syllabus for MFA Distance Programs

The MFA course is not only offered through a full-time or regular mode but also online/ distance education from popular educational institutes like IGNOU, Annamalai University etc. An overview of the syllabus for Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Distance courses is captured below: 

MFA First Year Syllabus

Here’s a table with the list of subjects in MFA first year.

MFA Second Year Syllabus

Here’s a table with the list of subjects in MFA second year.

Also Read: Top MA Fine Arts Colleges in India

MFA is a popular PG level course offered at numerous prestigious institutions. Some of the popular MFA course subjects provided by most of the colleges are as follows:

Also Read: College of Fine Arts (CFA), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Optional Subjects

Candidates are offered several MFA Optional Subjects based on the course opted by them. They can select any desired MFA subject based on their respective interests. Check out a few MFA optional subjects offered at educational institutions below:

• Photography
• Creative Painting / Portrait
• Creative Writing
• Computer Animation
• Visualisation
• Acting
• Illustration
• Textile Design
• Filmmaking
• Graphic Design
• Dancing
• Pottery and Ceramics

Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Lab Courses

Both theoretical and practical techniques are adopted to impart knowledge in MFA courses. Provided below are a few MFA lab courses that aspirants encounter in their respective specialisations:

As mentioned above, MFA has various specialisations. Given below are the best MFA specialisations:

Also Read:  Master of Fine Arts: Career Scope, Jobs, Salaries

Most of the colleges accept popular Master of Fine Arts (MFA) entrance exams like CUET PG, LPUNEST etc. to shortlist the deserving candidates. Provided below is the MFA course syllabus for popular entrance exams:

CUET PG: CUET PG entrance exam syllabus includes General Aptitude, Reasoning, English Comprehension, and domain-specific Fine Arts questions.

LPUNEST: LPUNEST entrance exam syllabus includes General Awareness, English, Reasoning Ability, and Fine Arts-related subject knowledge questions.

The topics taught in the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) course syllabus are enough but, to get in-depth understanding and knowledge of subjects, there are certain books that candidates can pick up to enhance their skills and comprehension abilities. Provided below are a few books important for MFA:

Master of Fine Arts (MFA) course delivery methods comprises lectures, dissertations, seminars, workshops, exhibitions and practical work. At the end of every semester of most of the MFA courses, students are required to submit a research project. An aspirant pursuing Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is assessed or judged based on their performance in theory exams, practical exams and  internal assessments. In the final evaluation the following factors are taken into account:

• Class assignments
• End-semester exams
• Internships 
• Research project/ Dissertation
• Exhibition/ Practicals and Viva Voce