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ASU School of Art ranks 22 in new college rankings


March 16, 2012

The ASU School of Art in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts was ranked 22nd among graduate schools of fine arts in the U.S. News & World Report annual rating of the nation’s best colleges and universities.

Three of the School of Art’s programs were recognized among the nation’s highest ranking specialties with the much-lauded printmaking program ranked as No. 5. Ceramics was ranked seventh and photography as 11th.

“This is a big leap for our overall fine arts program, from 30th last year to 22nd,’’ said Adriene Jenik, professor and director of the ASU School of Art. “It’s great that the incredible efforts of our faculty and staff in supporting and fostering high quality programs is being recognized, along with the talents of our alumni,’’ Jenik said.

Ceramics and printmaking also moved up in the rankings: ceramics from 17th to seventh and printmaking from seventh to fifth. U.S. News & World Report ranks private and public college and university fine arts graduate programs every four years.

The ASU School of Art ranked in the top five of public university fine arts schools on the publication’s prestigious 2013 list and is the only Arizona graduate program of fine arts to be listed in the top 25.

Similarly, the ceramics, photography and printmaking programs were each in the top five of their specialty areas among public universities and the only programs in the state to be recognized among the elite of the elite in those categories.

“We are pleased by this recognition of our faculty and staff’s commitment to excellence and the achievements of our alumni,” said Kwang-Wu Kim, dean and director of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. “This acknowledgement is validation of our national standing and the high caliber of our graduate programs in the School of Art.”

The recent ranking underscores the ASU School of Art’s status as one of the largest and most respected public schools in the country. The comprehensiveness of the program offers a range of specialties equaled by few other institutions.

True to the Herberger Institute spirit of crossing boundaries and transdisciplinary teaching, faculty from different disciplines team-teach some art courses. Course structures encourage students to develop programs of study that explore a range of artistic specialties. This provides the opportunity to grow more freely as an artist, exploring creativity fully while developing artistic identity.

The ASU School of Art offers programs not only in ceramics, photography and printmaking but in drawing, fibers, metals, intermedia, painting, sculpture, wood, art education, art history and museum studies.