Tyler’s BFA in Metals/Jewelry/CAD-CAM enriches your academic and studio experience, encouraging innovative thinking about the aesthetics, function, and craftsmanship of your creations.
The largest such program in the country, the metals / jewelry / CAD-CAM degree at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University in Philadelphia brings new attitudes, techniques and processes to one of the oldest art forms. Here, you study time-honored techniques and transcend traditions by adding computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing to your skillset.
Tyler offers an MFA in Metals / Jewelry / CAD-CAM. Learn more about furthering your education here.
Tyler’s Metals / Jewelry / CAD-CAM program rises above the rest. It’s the largest in the country. It’s also the only one in the world with an emphasis on CAD-CAM (Computer-Aided Design–Computer-Aided Manufacture) at all degree levels.
Thanks to a seamless blend of handcraft with digital innovations, you gain experience with both jewelry and product design.
Starting with Tyler’s first-year foundations courses, you strategically build key skills and experience the power and inspiration of cross-disciplinary connections with classmates in other studio arts majors.
Tyler’s BFA in Metals / Jewelry / CAD-CAM infuses your academic and studio art experience with fresh ideas about the beauty, use and style of everything you create.
Bring your curiosity and passion to Philadelphia, and work at the crossroads of art, design and technology with faculty-mentors — all practicing artists and leaders in the profession.
Welcome to our community of bright BFA students, who bring backgrounds in fine arts, design, digital fabrication, product design and craft-based practices.
Collaborate in a supportive studio environment. Enjoy solving complex problems. Explore and cross the boundaries of contemporary metal work
The Tyler School of Art and Architecture features its own admissions team, who can provide you with the information you need to make the best decision for your educational and career goals.
Tyler’s BFA in Metals/Jewelry/CAD-CAM (MJCC), recognized with a STEM designation, gives you access to unparalleled metalwork facilities and equipment and to cutting-edge technologies.
If you can imagine it, Tyler provides the spaces, tools and training so that you can make it real.
Throughout your coursework and studio practice, you gain both competence and confidence using traditional techniques and new technologies.
Whether you see yourself as a jewelry designer, a metal artist making other objects of beauty, a creative who reimagines items of utility, or a mix of all metal-work possibilities, your faculty-mentors challenge you to do your best work.
Tyler encourages you to take full advantage of the resources of Temple University. As a large, public research university in a major city, Temple greatly expands your cultural and professional opportunities in ways tiny, stand-alone art schools cannot.
For example, you get the chance to work closely with students at Temple’s Kornberg School of Dentistry on digital dentistry projects.
Also, make Philadelphia, a premier center of jewelry creation with a thriving arts scene, a major influence in your education and artistic development. Our students even exhibit locally.
Make time to explore museums and galleries with your classmates from all the studio arts programs at Tyler. Together, on campus and off, you can push each other to explore artistic concepts and advance your skills using a vast array of media and methods.
Philadelphia, along with your professors’ strong professional networks, provides connections to internships and other opportunities throughout the regional and national metals and jewelry community.
Thanks to the broad base of knowledge, critical-thinking skills and the technological proficiency you gain at Tyler, you graduate ready for a successful career and / or entry into top graduate schools.
The Tyler School of Art and Architecture and the Fox School of Business Management collaborate to offer this undergraduate certificate in Creative Entrepreneurship for artists and other creatives who want to add business skills too.
This program prepares BFA students, with an approved course of study, to qualify for Pennsylvania Teaching Certification in Art, kindergarten through twelfth grade. Students must complete the BFA requirements along with 32 credit hours in education, art education, and specified liberal arts courses. Education-related studies begin in the sophomore year. Students generally take 5 years to fulfill all requirements or the 155 credit degree. All candidates for Pennsylvania Teaching Certificate in Art, K-12 must earn passing scores in the Praxis I and II National Teacher Examinations, Elementary Education: General Knowledge, and the Art Education Examinations.
Browse the list of popular classes in the Metals / Jewelry / CAD-CAM program at Tyler.
Learn digital modeling and prototyping in this foundational course.
Explore complex design solutions using 3D printing and CNC milling.
Gain hands-on experience with using color, and experiment with a variety of materials.
Learn how to use wax carving and metal casting.
This class introduces you to strategies and methods of batch production for jewelry and functional objects.
In addition to learning studio art practice skills and gaining technical fluency with a variety of materials and methods, Tyler’s BFA degree teaches you many transferable skills that make you an effective and sought-after professional.
Tyler’s real-world academic experiences that balance traditional craftsmanship with digital technology gives you a competitive edge and transform you into a talented professional with many transferable skills that help you stand out in any career.
That’s how our alumni have landed jobs with Tiffany & Co, David Yurman and industrial design firms. Our graduates pursue an MFA or other graduate degree and / or begin working in a variety of fields.
Tyler’s Metals/Jewelry/CAD-CAM program fosters an environment that mirrors what it’s like to be a professional artist / designer who serves the needs of individual consumers and for industrial applications.
Work inside the biggest and best equipped metals studio in the country (and the world)! Tyler gives you access to CNC milling, torches, crucibles, 3D printers, laser cutters and welders, electroplating equipment and more.
Your faculty-mentors maintain deep networks with Tyler alumni and other professionals in the field to help you find optional internships and other experiential learning opportunities. such as leading studios, galleries and brands in or near Philadelphia. EXAMPLES HERE
Thanks to the extensive resources of Temple University, you can study abroad and gain international perspectives on craft, jewelry and product design.
Tyler students earn recognition at national and international competitions, including the SNAG Student Exhibition and Pangolin Editions Metal Prize.
Our students attend annual exhibits, conferences and industry trade shows — SNAG, American Crafts Council, Munich Jewelry Week, New York Jewelry Week and NY NOW.
Throughout the year, Tyler hosts talks and workshops with leading figures in the jewelry and product design industries.
Tyler partners with local organizations, offering students the chance to engage with the broader craft and design communities in Philadelphia.
Tyler’s BFA in Metals / Jewelry / CAD-CAM holds federal STEM classification. This opens pathways for interdisciplinary research, grants and extended student visas for international students.
Find inspiration from the variety of work and form created by Tyler’s students. Forget what you think is possible with metal and wearable art. See how both traditional metalsmithing and digital methods help redefine the profession now.
Alumni
Painter
Alumni
John Dillard Student
Alumni
Dive deeper into the innovative projects and diverse talents of our students. Discover a wider range of creative work, from cutting-edge designs to thought-provoking concepts, and see how our Tyler creative's are shaping the world around them.
Gain insights into how this degree program challenges you to grow as an artist and prepares you for professional practice, industrial applications and beyond. Let our faculty and alumni explain the benefits of choosing Tyler for your BFA.
“Many students are drawn to Tyler because they want a contemporary, forward-thinking education that bridges craft, technology and design. Some are interested in traditional metalsmithing, but they recognize the growing importance of digital fabrication and product design in the field. Others come from backgrounds in industrial design or sculpture and seek a program where they can develop a unique artistic voice while gaining technical expertise. They often hope to build careers in fine jewelry, product design, studio practice, digital fabrication or small-scale manufacturing.”
Tyler attracts creative leaders and change-makers to support your generation of metal artists and designers. Meet your faculty-mentors and learn more about their areas of expertise and passions.
Read the latest news from our inspiring community of working artists / faculty, current students and successful alumni.
Join our online community and follow along with our Instagram posts. See photos and learn more about what’s happening in metals at Tyler. Don’t miss the big reveals from our latest exhibitions and studio work!
In addition to Tyler’s specialized admissions team, you’re welcome to contact program leaders.
Assistant Professor and Program Head of Metals/Jewelry/CAD-CAM
dbucci@temple.edu
Associate Professor of Instruction and Interim Program Head
mallory.weston@temple.edu
