About Us
Welcome to the College of the Arts!
We are makers, doers and trailblazers – the work of our students, faculty and guest artists encompasses a broad range of visual, performing and arts. Our accredited* degree programs in music, art, theatre, dance and fashion offer students immersive, hand-on coursework throughout their time in the program.
Students experience a curriculum of specialized arts courses within a liberal arts foundation that place emphasis on professional practice and career preparedness. Learning takes place not only in the traditional classroom, but also on stage and backstage, in numerous design labs and shops, in studios, galleries, and beyond. Experts in their fields, our faculty and staff are professional artists, actors, designers, educators, managers, merchandisers, musicians, researchers, and technicians whose work is recognized nationally and internationally. These real-world experiences prepare students to be career ready upon graduation.
Transforming Lives Through the Arts
The college aspires to use its distinctive and innovative resources to engage local and global communities to imagine, create and transform through the arts. Our passion is "transforming lives through the arts!"
*Accreditations by NASM, NAST, NASD, NASAD, American Alliance of Museums
Our Schools
The College of the Arts, previously known as the College of Fine and Professional Arts, was founded in 2006 and is comprised of the School of Art, the School of Fashion, the Hugh A. Glauser School of Music, and the School of Theatre and Dance. Real-world experience is built into our curriculum, students are immersed in hands-on coursework throughout their time in our programs.
Explore our Areas of Study
The KSU Museum
The Kent State University Museum contains important collections of fashion and decorative arts. Its eight galleries feature changing exhibitions of work by many of the world's great artists and designers. Closely linked to the Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman School of Fashion Design and Merchandising at Kent State University, the Museum provides students with first-hand experience with historic and contemporary fashions, as well as costumes representing many of the world's cultures. An extensive collection of American glass, fine furniture, textiles, paintings and other decorative arts combine to give context to the study of design.
The Museum serves both the University and the community through exhibitions, public programs, and research appointments in the collections.
Kent Blossom Arts Summer Programs
The College is also the home of the noted Kent/Blossom Arts summer programs, including the Kent Blossom Music Festival, Porthouse Theatre, and the Kent Blossom Art Intensives. Each summer, Kent Blossom combines visual and performing arts with education, where working professionals come together with talented students to teach, explore and produce great art. These advanced summer study and professional training programs in art, music and theatre are held in conjunction with The Cleveland Orchestra’s summer season at Blossom and emphasize intensive, individualized study with prominent visiting master artists and resident Kent State faculty, also offer public exhibitions and performances to community audiences.
Past, Present and Future
The study and celebration of the arts has been central to Kent State University. Long before art, dance, music, fashion, and theatre were ever housed within the same College, the arts were a significant part of Kent State University’s identity and history. Coursework and extracurricular activities in art, dance, music, and theatre were present at Kent State soon after its founding in 1910 and, rounded out by the later addition of fashion studies, have grown into a powerhouse fixture of the university.
The College of the Arts, previously known as the College of Fine and Professional Arts, was founded in 2006. Now, with more than 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students, and more than 15,000 alumni, the College of the Arts is a center of professional and artistic excellence.