Now more than ever, the world needs people who can solve problems, think creatively and boldly articulate their ideas. You already possess these skills. But at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, you’ll refine, practice and apply your talents in studios, with clients and through research to prove what a trained creative mind can do.
The impact of creative careers
Imagine Philadelphia without its history, murals, neighborhoods and museums. Or Chicago without its skyline. Or your living room without the prints, photographs and textiles that enliven your space.
The creative industries are an economic juggernaut accounting for about 5.2 million jobs in the United States and generating upwards of $1.1 trillion annually (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis).
We are also the sector that compels people to think, change, hope and delight in their surroundings. And that makes us very important indeed.
Tyler’s secret “sauce”
Cross-disciplinary discovery. World-renowned faculty who are practicing professionals. A supportive creative community. Real-word experiences. Small, interactive classes plus access to the vast resources of Temple University and the city of Philadelphia. This is the juice that animates our goal of helping you make a difference in the world through creative practice.
Explore Tyler’s academic programs
The Tyler School of Art and Architecture offers more than 40 undergraduate and graduate programs in art, design and the built environment, disciplines that lead to creative and emerging careers.
Stack a minor or certificate onto your degree – and résumé
Augment your major with a minor or certificate in an area that complements your degree program or adds different skills. Tyler offers minors in everything from Art to Sustainable Food Systems and UX/UI as well as certificates in Creative Entrepreneurship, Historic Preservation and Environmental Sustainability.
Visit Temple University’s Career Center
We can’t stress this enough, visit Temple’s Career Center your first year at Tyler. Not only can they help with the mechanics of your eventual job search (résumé/cover letter writing, interviewing, networking, etc.), but they can also help connect you to internships, part-time jobs and career choices you didn’t know exist.
Tyler Career Coaches
Want insider career intel? Reach out to Tyler’s Career Coach:
Anh P. Nguyen
Professional Programs Administrator
Architecture Building, Room 130
215-204-9135
Tyler Outcomes
Here are some of the jobs and careers Tyler graduates have developed:
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Associate Curator of Photography, Art Institute of Chicago
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Brewmaster and Co-Founder of the award-winning Victory Brewing Company
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Associate Dean at Yale University
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Professor of Practice and Director of the Arts Management track in Art History at Tyler School of Art and Architecture
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New York Times bestselling children’s book author
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U.S. Presidential portrait artist, Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton
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Senior Vice President of Shopoff Realty Investments
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Co-founder and Principal of PZS Architects, LLC
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Director of Community Impact at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
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Landscape Architect and Associate at OLIN
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Executive Director of UC Green Cooperative Community Greening
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Director of Interpretation and Innovation at the Michener Art Museum
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Art Teacher at Deep Roots Charter School
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Program Manager for Innovation Management at the Office of Innovation and Technology (OIT) for the City of Philadelphia
A business sprouted at Tyler
Amirah Mitchell
(BS ’21, Horticulture)
As a Tyler undergraduate, Amirah Mitchell (BS ’21, Horticulture) planted the seeds of her future business, Sistah Seeds, which grows and distributes culturally important seeds from West African, African American and Afro-Caribbean sources, developing her business plan and working at local farms, True Love Seeds and Greensgrow Farms. Temple University recognized her with a 30 Under 30 Award in 2022 for work promoting seed keeping and prioritizing the needs of Black and brown farmers.
It started with ancient temples
Yostina Yacoub
(March ’24, Architecture)
Yostina Yacoub (March ’24, Architecture) took the awe she experienced as a child exploring the ancient Egyptian temples of Luxor, where her grandparents lived, and transformed it into undergraduate degrees in architectural engineering and an international Fulbright Scholarship she used to attend Tyler.
Encouraged to think across disciplines, she wrote an original thesis that looked at how ancient Coptic architectural themes could be reinterpreted in America. She currently works as a researcher at VAES.ai, helping to refine AI software that maximizes sustainable design in the construction industry.
Portrait of an artist
Jeffrey Meris’
(BFA ’15, Sculpture; MFA ’19 — Columbia University)
Jeffrey Meris’ (BFA ’15, Sculpture; MFA ’19 — Columbia University) first semester at Tyler was challenging. Born in Haiti and raised in the Bahamas, he felt like he was falling behind artistically. He credits Professor of Sculpture Karyn Olivier with helping him acquire the tools to grow as a creator.
“This was really the first time that I realized that my artistic practice could be whatever I wanted it to be,” said Meris. “I didn’t have to think about art as this limited thing that happens in a white cube or within a sterile environment.”
Today, he is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist and recent recipient of the 2025 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Visual Arts. His work involves materiality, installation and performance to explore the power of ecology and embodiment for healing and liberation.