Program Overview

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fibers and Material Studies with Entrepreneurial Studies, offered by the Department of Art, introduces students to a bold, interdisciplinary approach to the exploration of one of the world's oldest and most accessible traditions: working with fibers. Students explore the expressive potential and social meaning of fiber materials as they learn technical skills that prepare them for focused, graduate-level study and a variety of careers.

Tyler Fibers and Materials Studies majors join a close-knit, inclusive community led by a strong, diverse faculty that pushes students to experiment and collaborate. Students learn traditional skills and activate them in a contemporary context, contributing to vital discussions on history, identity, current social issues and more. Through dynamic events and projects such as the annual Wearable Art Show and the Natural Dye Garden, Fibers and Materials Studies majors create exciting conversations with artists and students throughout Tyler.

Students take full advantage of Philadelphia's vibrant fibers community and DIY scene and opportunities to engage global social challenges, working closely with professors to engage in community-based projects that challenge them as critical, reflective participants in a broader creative culture. These experiences prepare Fibers and Materials Studies majors to flourish in top graduate programs and production design careers.

Designed to complement the studio experience with tools to support a studio practice or pursue graduate studies, the Entrepreneurship coursework enhances students' career options. Graduates of this degree program will possess requisite business skills to support themselves as visual artists or entrepreneurs in art and related fields.

Each student moves from a common foundation curriculum that introduces materials and processes and prepares them for success in a range of fields of study. Those who select Art as their major will work side-by-side with majors in Visual Studies, Art Education and Art Therapy. The dynamic exchange of ideas that result from these interdisciplinary conversations spur intellectual risk and drive research-based creative concepts.

Upon graduation, students have the practical skill sets and honed aesthetic for successful careers in studio art, art education and design, as well as attend top-tier graduate programs.