BA/BFA Dual Degree

Video Description

A silent video shows campus scenes related to the arts:

A student glues the sides of a box together.
A stool with the words “Art Department” stenciled onto it.
An ensemble of dancers on stage.
A double-bassist on a pastoral hillock.
A double-bassist on a pastoral hillock surrounded by people lying down in the grass, dancing; a pond in the background. It is autumn.
Hands grabbing clay from a block of clay.
Clay being formed into a small figurine.
Actors in a play, facing one another, a small flame between them.
Actor in the spotlight of a play, an actor in the background in shadow and out of focus.
Student at a drafting table with a protractor, measuring a piece of wood to be cut.
A laser cutter cutting wood.
Fingers using Dragonframe stop motion software.
Video editing on a computer screen.
Figurines for a stop motion film.
A stop motion figurine being readjusted in the frame of the shot.
Hands holding a series of photographs.
Student drawing on an iPad.
A comic strip.
A student in a museum analyzing a painting. They are amongst a group of students.
A painting of a man in a museum.
The back of a student’s head looking at the painting of a man. There is a group of students in front of them.
A piece of wood being sanded down.
A student wearing safety glasses in a wood shop inspecting a small object.
Black and white paint being mixed in a pan by a large brush.
Black paint being applied to a flat surface.

Why choose between a BA and a BFA? At Oberlin, you can do both with the BA/BFA in Integrated Arts.

Oberlin College has a long history of excellence in the arts, and when you enroll in the BA/BFA dual degree, you’ll experience the rigor of an arts school as well as the well-rounded, interdisciplinary education of a liberal arts college. Oberlin’s five-year program serves as a launch pad for today’s “thinking artists”—who are becoming increasingly important in our 21st-century visual culture.

How the BA/BFA dual degree works

In our dual degree program, you’ll earn two degrees in five years. You’ll complete your BA studies in whatever field you choose—psychology, politics, environmental studies, computer science, etc.—along with ten additional courses across the practicing arts (cinema and media, creative writing, dance, musical studies, studio art, theater) to also work towards a BFA in integrated arts. While traditional BFA programs lock you into a singular course of study, Oberlin lets you dive into your chosen medium while customizing your own form of art practice.

During your first four years on the Oberlin campus, you’ll work with professors and students to develop a proposal for a major project to undertake. In your fifth year, you’ll live and work in nearby Cleveland, Ohio, where you’ll have 24-hour access to private studios, rehearsal spaces, theaters, and production facilities.

The world needs Integrated Arts

We designed this BA/BFA program because we believe painters are better painters when they’ve also studied animation and photography; filmmakers are better filmmakers if they’ve also studied drawing and creative writing—and artists are better artists when they have a grounding in the intellectual ideas their work represents. BA/BFA Integrated Arts students prove that artists are great holistic thinkers and problem solvers, which we need now more than ever.

Studying art at Oberlin pushed me to develop a conceptual framework for making art, grounded in a rigorous liberal arts education. The faculty within the studio art major became trusted mentors, and emboldened me to charge forth post-grad into a career in the arts, something I would not have considered before studying at Oberlin.

Ian Ruppenthal ’20

What makes Oberlin unique?

Oberlin offers a leading undergraduate college of arts and sciences alongside an outstanding professional conservatory of music. You’ll work closely with the faculty to design an educational program appropriate to your individual interests, needs, and long-term goals.

Oberlin holds a distinguished place in American higher education. We were the first college to adopt coeducation and a race-blind admissions policy in the 1830s. Our graduates have gone on to work at the Museum of Modern Art, PBS, Delirio Films, and Cleveland Public Theater.

The work of Oberlin College graduates in the practicing arts has been included in institutional exhibitions like the Whitney Biennial, the Venice Biennale, Made in LA, and Frieze. Oberlin artist alums are commercially represented by Greene Naftali, Lisson Gallery, and exhibit in non-commercial, activist, and community spaces across the country. Our graduates have received grants and honors from Creative Capital, the Guggenheim Foundation, MacDowell Colony, and have earned Emmy, Tony, and Grammy, and Pulitzer awards.

Discover how Oberlin graduates find success

A group of students dance on stage. — "Your Sister in Exile"—A captivating dance-theater piece delving into the genius, madness, and turbulent love of Rodin and Claudel.

Photo credit: Thomas Hill ’24

Why Cleveland?

Cleveland, Ohio, is home to a rich scene of art, music, theater, and architecture—including the world-renowned Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Cleveland Orchestra. Local organizations like the CIA Cinematheque, SPACES, Dobama Theater, Zygote Press, Sculpture Center, the Print Room, and Morgan Conservatory create a world-class arts community with the accessibility of a smaller city.

Our well-connected faculty will help you find the best outlets for your creative efforts during your fifth year, and because your entire cohort will intern at these local organizations, the Cleveland art scene will both inspire and nurture your work in countless ways.

Group of students pose outside museum on steps. — During orientation, Oberlin first-year students explore the city of Cleveland and discover the incredible offerings nearby, such as the Cleveland Museum of Art. Renowned for its global collection of over 61,000 works, the CMA offers free admission to the public.

Photo credit: Scott Shaw

New take on an ancient craft

Eva Sturm-Gross ’22 is a Brooklyn-based artist and woodworker originally from Vermont. Gross’s prints and sculptures have been exhibited nationally, including at the Ohio Museum of Craft and the Kent Museum. She received fellowships and work opportunities from Haystack Mountain School, Penland School of Craft, and Vermont Studio Center, among others. Rooted in traditional materials, her work explores creative exegesis and theological frameworks in contemporary contexts. She is the creative director of Gashmius Magazine and teaches woodworking at Bien Hecho Academy in Brooklyn, NY.

Explore Eva’s work

Artist chisels a wooden sculpture in a studio.

Illustration meets activism

MJ Robinson ’14 is an illustrator, cartoonist, and multidisciplinary artist crafting imaginative worlds inspired by nature, folklore, and the everyday strange. As an educator and community organizer, they nurture creativity and advocate for social justice, focusing on racial and environmental justice, LGBTQIA2S+ well-being, and prison abolition. MJ has worked as an illustrator for a range of institutions, including Oberlin College, Rhode Island State Council for the Arts, and the city of Providence, RI. MJ was the editor of the RISD Museum’s Anti-Racist Work Plan and the artist/data analyst of the PVDx2031: A Cultural Plan for Culture Shift, City of Providence Arts, Culture, and Tourism Department.

Explore MJ’s work

Smiling person controls puppet playing drums.

Education through creation

Virginia Wagner ’08 is a Brooklyn-based visual artist and writer exploring the tension between nature and human construction through found and repurposed materials. With a background in literature and painting, her work spans animation, installation, and graphic novels. Virginia has received commissions from Guggenheim Works & Process and National Geographic. Her work has been included in exhibitions at Catherine Clark Gallery, Radiator Gallery, Google Headquarters, PPOW Gallery, and has been featured in the New York Times, Hyperallergic, and BBC Radio. She is a full-time lecturer of painting and drawing at Purchase College and is the co-founder and editor of Painters on Paintings.

Explore Virginia's studio

BA/BFA Integrated Arts Curriculum

Students pursuing the BA/BFA program complete the following:

Any major during first four years along with general education requirements
10 courses across the practicing arts (creative writing, cinema and media, dance, studio art, musical studies, theater), including an integrated arts workshop during the fourth year
Summer experiential learning/internship between fourth and fifth years
Summer studio program in Cleveland between fourth and fifth years
Eight courses in integrated arts during your fifth year

All students have internships at arts organizations in Cleveland during the fifth year, immersing your cohort in the vibrant arts scene across the city.

Frequently Asked Questions

While other schools may make you choose between a BA or BFA, Oberlin lets you earn both in just five years. This will give you a more customized and well-rounded undergraduate experience.

Students must apply to this program no later than the fall semester of their junior year. To be considered for acceptance, students must be on track to finish the required credits, and must submit the portfolio for review.

Oberlin does not currently offer a BA in integrated arts. This program lets you earn a BFA in integrated arts in tandem with a BA of any major. There is no standalone BFA degree available.

The awarded degree will appear as a Bachelor of Arts in your completed major, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Integrated Arts. (For example: a BA in computer science and BFA in integrated arts, or a BA in theater with a BFA in integrated arts).

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BA/BFA Dual Degree

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