Your donation to the Arts at Winthrop allows us to maintain and strengthen our nationally accredited programs in dance, design, fine arts, music, and theatre by supporting student scholarships, guest artists, master classes and diverse arts programming.

Your gift, no matter how large or small, can make a significant difference to our students.

The Master of Arts Administration is a low-residency program designed for individuals with experience in non-profit arts organizations who seek to enhance their effectiveness and advance their ongoing careers as arts administration professionals. The 36-hour degree program, spread out over two years of full-time enrollment, emphasizes leadership in the non-profit arts environment. The curriculum also includes theoretical and applied study of sustainability, community engagement, marketing, and arts advocacy. Graduates of the program are employed in all arts fields and many have attained executive-level positions.

The Department of Design manages professional, B.F.A. programs of study in interior design and visual communication design, which includes tracks in graphic design and illustration. Both programs are fully accredited and have the reputation of being among the most respected of these programs of study in the Southeast. The faculty in the department are prominent within their fields, maintain an active presence within the profession, and have gained recognition for their authorship, scholarship, and involvement within their programs of study.

The Department of Fine Arts places a high value on students learning how to work creatively and collaboratively within their communities. The department recognizes the need to understand the ever-changing global environment, the cultural bonds that people share, and how that understanding is reflected in the context of our immediate surroundings. Our programs prepare students for today’s challenges technically, aesthetically, and intellectually. One of our goals is to ignite the art of thinking in all Fine Arts students. Students leave the program with a body of work reflective of professional studio, art education, and art history standards.

Winthrop University Galleries presents up to 18 professional, faculty, and student exhibitions annually and offers accompanying educational programs, visiting artists, and opening receptions to inspire and enrich the lives of Winthrop students, faculty, staff, and regional audiences. Students also gain hands-on experience working as gallery assistants. WUG has enjoyed regional recognition and continues to strive to serve the campus and community by promoting academic excellence and human understanding through visual art and design.

The Department of Music enjoys a long and distinguished history as an outstanding music program. An accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music since 1940, the department boasts a strong faculty of 45 dedicated and caring professors delivering a quality curriculum. Students have an opportunity to perform as a soloist or in 25 renowned ensembles, to teach music incorporating the latest methodologies, and to compose music. Nearly 200 undergraduate and graduate students pursue a quality and varied curriculum in the six degree programs offered through the department.

The Department of Theatre and Dance has served the campus for more than fifty years and offers more than a dozen theatre and dance productions annually, including dance concerts, musicals, full-length dramas, one-acts, and professional productions in collaboration with Shakespeare Carolina each summer. Small class sizes mean individualized attention and that students choreograph/direct a majority of the productions. Winthrop is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance and the National Association of Schools of Theatre.

The Dean's Fund is an unrestricted fund that gives the College of Visual and Performing Arts flexibility to address priorities, develop new initiatives, and provide assistance to students and faculty in the form of scholarships, research opportunities, professional development activities, and travel to academic conferences and workshops.