Boiler Plates

Mason Gross School of the Arts is a vibrant community of artists and scholars committed to pursuing excellence, innovation, and inclusivity. Its mission is to create socially relevant art, foster diverse programming and curricula, cultivate community partnerships, and advance the arts through teaching, creative activity, advocacy, and research that contributes to the public good. Comprising 998 undergraduate and graduate students across programs in music, theater, dance, filmmaking, and art & design, Mason Gross is housed within Rutgers–New Brunswick, a premier Big Ten research university that serves some 50,000 students and is the flagship campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

Last updated 7/13/2022 by Jason Geary and Rebecca Cypess

The Department of Art & Design at Mason Gross School of the Arts seeks to cultivate a diverse community that values visual literacy, critical dialogue, experimentation, and the skills necessary for sustaining a creative life as artists and designers. Central to its vision is engaging in interdisciplinary research and embarking on collaborations within Rutgers and beyond, leaving an imprint on the global arenas of contemporary art and design. Studio arts training is offered in design, drawing, media, painting, photography, print, and sculpture. The department offers five degree programs: a bachelor of arts, a bachelor of fine arts in both visual arts and design, and a master of fine arts in both visual arts and design, as well as a minor in art. Mason Gross Galleries, a 4,200-square-foot space, showcases up to 10 student exhibitions per year—all free and open to the public.

Last updated 8/14/2024 by Jackie Thaw

The Dance Department at Mason Gross School of the Arts fosters excellence at the intersection of dance performance, creative achievement, and research. As professional artist-educators, Dance faculty ensure expert direction in all three areas of the curriculum: movement practices (classical/traditional, contemporary fusion, African diasporic, and somatics), performance and choreography, and theoretical studies, with a focus on cultivating a community of high-caliber, collaborative, and multidimensional dance artists. The department offers five degree programs: bachelor of fine arts, bachelor of arts, master of education in dance, a dual bachelor of fine arts/master’s in dance education, and a bachelor of fine arts with a concentration in dance science. Students have opportunities to audition for and perform with the department’s outreach program, University DanceWorks. In addition, they may collaborate with professional companies and choreographers in residence and participate in master classes with notable industry professionals.

Last updated 8/13/2024 by Gerald Casel

The mission of the Music Department at Mason Gross School of the Arts is to develop well-educated professional musicians who have a deep historical, cultural, and theoretical understanding of all aspects of music. With access to the resources of a music conservatory situated within a nationally ranked research university, students receive broad training and preparation for the dynamic 21st-century world of the performing arts. The Music Department’s faculty include internationally known scholars, world-class teachers, and principals and members of the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, and the Mingus Big Band, among other distinguished ensembles. Students are enrolled across the department’s seven degree programs: bachelor of music, bachelor of arts, master of music, master of arts, artist diploma, doctor of philosophy, and doctor of musical arts.

Last updated 7/10/2024 by Amanda Eubanks Winkler

Rutgers Arts Online delivers high-quality arts education anywhere, anytime, online to the Rutgers community and students around the globe. As the largest online program at Rutgers University, Rutgers Arts Online offers courses in music, dance, theater, and visual arts. All courses are authored and taught by professional practitioners who are not only educators but industry experts.

With a mission to provide educational opportunities to participants of all ages and ability levels and to build community through the arts, Rutgers Community Arts offers comprehensive year-round educational opportunities for precollege and adult students. Students interact with distinguished New Jersey teaching artists to develop their practice and appreciation of the arts through programs in dance, filmmaking, music, design, and visual arts. Courses of study are available for beginners, enthusiastic amateurs, and those with professional training.

Rutgers Filmmaking Center offers a conservatory-style program within a Big Ten research university dedicated to nurturing the next generation of filmmakers. Our bachelor of fine arts degree emphasizes the discovery and development of students’ artistic voices by fostering learning opportunities in fiction, documentary, and experimental filmmaking. This comprehensive approach equips students with a wide array of cinematic tools, ensuring they gain proficiency across all aspects of filmmaking, including screenwriting, producing, directing, cinematography, editing, and post-production. Throughout the four-year program, culminating in the direction of their thesis films, students work alongside professional filmmakers as they immerse themselves in diverse cinematic traditions and practices.

A standout feature of our program is the Documentary Film Lab, a professional production hub that collaborates with scientists, artists, researchers, and community leaders to produce impactful documentary films. Our Lab offers students hands-on experience in professional documentary production, with opportunities to work on films while earning academic credit. Since its inception, the Lab has produced over two dozen films, and in some cases, student-led teams have traveled to locations such as Antarctica, Greenland, Thailand, Italy, and beyond.

Situated near the NYC metro area, Rutgers Filmmaking Center students benefit from prime access to internships with leading entertainment companies, hands-on production opportunities, and valuable post-graduate connections. Alumni have been accepted into prestigious graduate programs such as Oxford University, New York University, AFI, and Columbia University.

Updated 8/15/24 by Patrick Stettner

The Mason Gross School of the Arts Theater Department combines intensive studio classes, innovative academic curricula, and a diverse season of productions in a wide range of styles and approaches, to provide students with in-depth training and practice in theater. Guided by master teachers and accomplished professionals, the department offers a bachelor of fine arts degree for actors, designers, stage managers, and technicians, and a master of fine arts program in playwrighting, as well as a bachelor of arts through Rutgers University’s School of Arts and Sciences. We are committed to developing theater artists of the highest caliber who are prepared to join the profession and be a part of the next generation of practitioners and innovators.

Last updated 8/2/2024 by David Gordon