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Tyler School of Art & Architecture
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Painting Degree

Let Tyler open your eyes to new ways of seeing life as a painter and new places for your paintings to live, communicate and inspire.

Cross-Disciplinary Means More Opportunity 

Many people harbor preconceptions and old ideas about what it means to be a painter. However, contemporary painters do so much more thanks to cross-disciplinary thinking and creativity.  

Your faculty-mentors at Tyler also open your eyes to new ways of seeing your work and new places for it to live, communicate and inspire.  

From canvases and multimedia art to graphic novels and large-scale installations, you learn to push the boundaries of art’s place in spaces and communities.  

Whether you’re a first-generation college student, come from a family of artists or other creatives, or bring other life experiences, Tyler welcomes you to rediscover yourself and your expression through paint.  

student painting, two people talk behind her canvas

Further Your Education 

Tyler offers an MFA in painting. Learn more about furthering your education here.  

Graduate Program

One of the Few 

The painting degree program at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University is one of few remaining in Philadelphia — following changes in the studio art educational landscape.  

 

Real Art School, Real You 

Through continuous improvement along with its long lineage in the painting discipline, Tyler adds extra clout to your BFA in painting. 

 

A Tyler painting student and professor in a classroom.

At the same time, choosing a respected public university means you can earn an affordable degree with access to world-class facilities and the opportunities that come with it. In other words, you get a lot for your tuition dollars.  

Tyler’s BFA in painting focuses on the knowledge, technical skills and other strategies you need to make studio practice your career as a painter. With support from your faculty-mentors, you explore and hone a variety of techniques to experience how different methods build your persona and creative expression as an artist.  

Self-discovery and self-expression live side by side here.  

Get Answers and Help

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.  

Explore Your Future

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting

The BFA in Painting at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture focuses on studio practice as a career.  

By taking both studio and seminar courses, you learn a range of skills and concepts essential to artistic development and self-exploration. Your faculty-mentors encourage you to investigate and hone a variety of painting techniques. They challenge and support you as you develop a personal vision of your work and life as a professional artist. 

Each semester, Tyler exposes you to a wide variety of contemporary and cross-disciplinary viewpoints.  

Frequent visits to museums and galleries in Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington, D.C., complement what you learn in class and via your own studio practice.  

With an overlay of changing issues and critical thinking, you learn to infuse your work with deeper meaning and complex context.  

Because painting demands a lot of emotional and social labor, Tyler actively fosters a close-knit artistic community — for support, inspiration and even wellness.  

Consider your study abroad options in Rome or Tokyo as well. Sometimes, it’s good to get out of your head and even out of the country to gain fresh perspectives.  

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Creative Entrepreneurship Certificate

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.  

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Art Education Concentration

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.

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Professional Skills

In addition to learning core studio art practice skills and gaining technical fluency with painting methods and materials, Tyler’s BFA in painting degree teaches you professional skills that convey the confidence required as working artist. 

Students smiling.
  • Research 
  • Deep background in materials and methods 
  • Critical thinking  
  • Problem solving  
  • Verbal and visual communication skills 
  • Public speaking 
  • Exhibition planning and design 

Painting Careers  

Graduates from Tyler’s BFA in painting experience professional success after graduation in a variety of fields. Yes, you leave with exceptional technical skills, but you also pick up many other professional skills that make you an asset on the job and as a working artist in the community. Our painting degree graduates pursue an MFA or other graduate degree and / or enter a variety of fields.  

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Painters in Action 

Tyler’s painting degree program fosters an environment that mirrors life as a professional artist. We build community and share opportunities to support your personal development.  

an empty painting studio

Studios With Natural Light 

Work inside large, top-floor studios with floor-to-ceiling windows and northern light. Among Tyler’s exceptional assets, spaces and technical support, you’ll find the supplies and tools to complete paintings of all sizes.  

See Details

A visiting artist at Tyler.

Visiting Artists 

Tyler hosts visiting artists and lecturers throughout the year. Bringing leading national and international artists to campus enriches your academic and studio experiences. 

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A student walking outside in japan.

Study Abroad 

So much innovative work happens on the inside. That’s why it’s good to get outside of yourself and your studio — and even out of the country to Rome or Tokyo. 

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A girl with bangs smiles in the foreground, while another girl stands behind her. Both are gazing off to the left.

Artists of Color Collective 

Students at Tyler celebrate community and connections through student groups, centered on chosen artistic media and life / cultural experience.  

a hand dipping a paint brush into paint on a pallet

Tyler Painting Guild 

Connect with your classmates and peer artists through the Tyler Painting Guild. This student-run organization creates broader connections with artists on and off campus. 

Student Work

See how your future classmates at Tyler use various painting methods and materials to create pieces with impressive impact.

PaperMill People by Dominique

PaperMill People

Dominique Student

Image of the exterior entrance to the Tyler School of Art and Architecture building on Main Campus

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Alumni

Image of the exterior entrance to the Tyler School of Art and Architecture building on Main Campus

WCC test publication

Alumni

Image of the exterior entrance to the Tyler School of Art and Architecture building on Main Campus

WCC test publication

Alumni

Image of the exterior entrance to the Tyler School of Art and Architecture building on Main Campus

WCC test publication

Alumni

Explore Student Work

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.

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Painting Community Spotlight  

At Tyler, you join a community of classmates, alumni and faculty-mentors who contribute their influence and thought-leadership to your academic and studio art experiences. Let them explain the strength and benefits of earning your painting BFA here.  


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Meet the Faculty

Tyler attracts faculty members with their own professional practice and deep knowledge in art theory, concepts and research. As mentors as well as professors, they teach both interdisciplinary thought and practice in their work supporting your artistic growth. Meet your professors and learn more about their areas of expertise and passions.  

Meet Professors

Profile type
  • Gerard Brown sitting on a stool and looking at the camera.

    Gerald Brown

    Associate Professor

  • Mark Thomas Gibson looking at the camera.

    Mark Thomas Gibson

    Program Head of Painting and Associate Professor

  • Philip Glahn looking at the camera.

    Philip Glahn, PhD

    Associate Professor of Aesthetics and Critical Studies

  • Simona M. Josan-Barkley smiling at the camera.

    Simona M. Josan-Barkley

    Curriculum Coordinator and Associate Professor of Instruction

  • Odili Donald Odita

    Professor

  • Mark Shetabi looking at the camera.

    Mark Shetabi

    Associate Professor

  • Jessica Vaughn smiling at the camera.

    Jessica Vaughn

    Associate Professor

Tyler Painting News 

Read the latest news from our inspiring community of working artists / faculty, current students and successful alumni. 

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Tyler Painting Events

Please visit Tyler’s campus in Philadelphia in person. We’d love to meet you and show you our exceptional spaces for you to learn and paint and experiment. Our admissions team and student ambassadors host tours most weekdays at 1 pm. For many students, a campus visit solidifies their decision to apply to Tyler. We hope to see you at these additional events — on and off campus.  

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A canvas with the word "painting" written on it.

Connect on Instagram 

Join our online community and follow along with our Instagram posts. See photos and learn more about what’s happening in painting at Tyler.

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Program Contacts 

In addition to Tyler’s specialized admissions team, you’re welcome to contact the painting degree program leadership.  

Mark Thomas Gibson 

Associate Professor and Program Head of Painting 

mark.gibson@temple.edu 

View Mark’s Profile