The USC Roski School of Art and Design will launch this summer a new five-term Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program that will focus on experimental design and social practices.
In a USC News release, Roski's Dean, Erica Muhl, said the two-year MFA program will be held off campus at the At Mateo complex, an open-air shopping center and creative office space located in the downtown Los Angeles Art District. The complex will offer space for classrooms, studios, conferences and collaborations and will feature state-of-the-art equipment. Students will work with professional artists and designers.
The new program comes nearly three years after a scandal at Roski, in which all seven members in the MFA Art program collectively quit to protest administrative and curriculum changes, according to the LA Times.
Roski's MFA in Art program still exists and reports having 14 first- and second-year students.
Vice Dean of Design Haven Lin-Kirk is optimistic about the upcoming design program. "We have really bolstered our faculty with some of the most important practicing artists today–internationally renowned faculty. So we are doing some incredible work in diversifying the MFA program," she says. "It's a very exciting and robust program."
Lin-Kirk says she is not worried about Roski's past issues and does not believe that USC has been neglecting the MFA curriculum or the students enrolled in their programs. She notes, "We have individuals that are case and point of how successful design can be in a research university."
Correction: A previous version of this post identified Roski's new MFA campus as the Art Mateo complex. It's the At Mateo complex.