MA in Global Arts and Cultures in Providence United States | Rhode Island School of Design

Today's art and cultural landscape confronts pressing challenges stemming from rapid global flows of people, data, and goods, the transformation of work and social interactions into quantifiable metrics, and ongoing political and environmental upheavals. RISD's Global Arts and Cultures (GAC) MA program engages with critical contemporary questions where globalization meets creative practice. Combining humanities-based critical theory with examinations of visual arts, design, performance, and literature, participants explore creative processes and their complex relationships with structures of authority and change.

This MA program equips artists, designers, architects, and those pursuing careers in cultural institutions, creative sectors, advocacy, governance, business, or academia with robust theoretical grounding. Students develop cultural and political fluency to engage diverse publics, contribute to contemporary discussions, and operate within worldwide networks. The program structure fosters analytical thinking while supporting personalized research initiatives. Foundational courses examine current theoretical conversations, interdisciplinary research approaches, and thesis development, while electives cover global art and design history, literary studies, performance, and material culture. Working closely with advisors, students produce original thesis projects through rigorous research, critical interpretation, and inventive written and visual presentation methods.