VCUarts recently announced the creation of two new departments which has sparked questions and concerns across our community from students and faculty to alumni and families. We want to address those concerns directly and clearly.
We are creating two new departments. The Department of Fine Arts—housing Craft/Material Studies, Painting + Printmaking, and Sculpture + Extended Media—and the Department of Theatre + Dance, bringing together both of those disciplines.
First, the most important facts:
- All academic majors remain the same.
- All degrees remain the same.
- Our faculty are not changing.
- Courses and degree requirements remain the same.
- Faculty positions have not been eliminated as a result of this reorganization.
This is an administrative restructuring, not an academic one. The name of the department is changing, but what happens in students’ academic programs and curriculum is not changing.
Is my major being eliminated?
No. Craft/Material Studies, Painting + Printmaking, and Sculpture + Extended Media remain exactly as they are — as distinct majors with their own curricula, faculty and identity. They are now grouped under a shared administrative home called the Department of Fine Arts. Similarly, Theatre and Dance programs will remain the same and will be one academic unit — the Department of Theatre + Dance.
Was this decided without input?
The reorganization was shaped by input from faculty, leadership and staff across the School of the Arts. Over the years, our students have voiced their desire for greater flexibility between departments and programs. We wanted to create a structure that responded to their current and future needs.
We recognize that some may have wanted broader or earlier communication, and we value that perspective. We are committed to enhancing transparency going forward. In that vein, we are establishing new, structured channels for broader dialogue to ensure that future communications are timely, proactive and inclusive of our entire community.
Why is this happening at all?
There are real, practical reasons behind this change — not budget cuts or administrative convenience.
Grouping Craft/Material Studies, Painting + Printmaking, and Sculpture + Extended Media under one department creates the opportunity for transdisciplinary work that defines leading fine arts programs. Students who want to work across these areas will now have a clearer, more supported path to do so.
It also matters for visibility. A department called “Fine Arts” is immediately recognizable to prospective students, their families and faculty candidates searching for positions. Many leading arts schools across the country are structured this way — as a single Fine Arts department housing multiple majors. This signals depth and cohesion to the outside world while leaving the distinctions between disciplines intact.
The new Department of Fine Arts is based on a model with a proven track record, updated for where VCUarts is headed. This new organizational structure will better position the school within the creative landscape in higher education.
Similarly, Dance + Choreography and Theatre are coming together as the Department of Theatre + Dance. As with Fine Arts, majors, degrees, courses and faculty remain unchanged. This pairing is also designed to deepen creative exchange between two disciplines with natural affinities and sets both programs up for a strong future in the new CoStar Center for Arts and Innovation (CCAI), which opens in fall 2027.
What is the CCAI and why does it matter?
The CoStar Center for Arts and Innovation is a new facility slated to open in fall 2027 that will bring many of VCUarts’ programs together under one roof for the first time. Right now, VCUarts students and faculty are spread across more than 19 buildings on campus. The CCAI is designed to bring many of the performing arts together, and the new departmental structure is part of aligning the school organizationally before that physical transformation takes place.
What stays exactly the same?
Everything that directly affects students’ academic path:
- All five majors: Craft/Material Studies, Painting + Printmaking, Sculpture + Extended Media, Theatre, and Dance.
- All Masters of Fine Arts degrees
- The Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees and the name on the diploma
- All degree requirements and course offerings
- Students’ faculty, advisors and staff
- Students’ academic timeline to graduation
VCUarts has made a deliberate commitment that no student’s path to their degree would be disrupted by this change.
Questions?
We understand this news raised concerns, and we want to keep the conversation open. Review the Frequently Asked Questions or reach out directly to your department advisor or the Dean’s office.
