the school of art is committed to making available the best possible faculty, curriculum, facilities, and experiences for a professional education in the studio arts, graphic design, art education and art history. on both the undergraduate and graduate levels, the school seeks to prepare students for careers in the visual arts and to enrich the cultural lives of all university students. additionally, the school recognizes its responsibility to serve as a cultural resource for the community, state, and nation.

the school of art, fully accredited by the national association of schools of arts and design, was established in 1893 and its first graduate degree was conferred in 1932. as an academic department of the university, the school of art is a subdivision of the college of arts and architecture and is allied with the school of architecture, school of film and photography and the school of music.

the school's faculty is composed of practicing artists, designers, and scholars, each teaching in the particular discipline of his or her professional involvement. the regular faculty is augmented by graduate teaching assistants, adjuncts and by visiting artists/scholars who are part of an active program of lectures, workshops, and critiques supported by the national endowment for the arts, the montana arts council, the associated students of montana state university, and the monts speakers program. the helen e. copeland gallery located in haynes hall, and the waller-yoblonsky gallery located in the melvin graduate art studios, display continuous exhibitions covering all aspects of the visual arts.