Visual and Performing Arts
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VPA considers graduate student research an integral part of the student experience. Grants are awarded to encourage students to pursue creative opportunities, whether they are exhibitions, conferences, performances, or other professional events.


The College of Visual and Performing Arts offers small financial awards to outstanding and deserving graduate students in music, art, transmedia, design, and communication and rhetorical studies who may need financial assistance to engage in programs, activities, and residencies that can move them forward in their disciplines. Graduate students applying for the financial award must submit a letter of support from their program coordinators. Additionally, if they are requesting travel funds to present their work at a conference, they will have to demonstrate that they have applied for funds with the Graduate Student Organization at Syracuse University. All applications will be reviewed and evaluated by a committee within 30 days after submission. To apply, please fill out the VPA Graduate Student Memorial Scholarships and Fellowships form.

Syracuse University’s  Graduate Student Organization (GSO)  provides a  travel grant  for students traveling for academic and professional conferences. Grant funds are intended to defray the cost of travel for students presenting original work at conferences, exhibitions, performances, and other opportunities. There are multiple deadlines throughout the year; visit the GSO website for more details.

If you are looking for teaching assistantships, hourly assistantships, or employment opportunities, please contact your advisor and/or program coordinator. Many of those awards are distributed by departments and programs, so you should always begin those conversations there.

Each year, approximately eight graduate students in VPA’s M.F.A. programs are selected to participate in the Ginsburg-Klaus Art in Los Angeles Week, also known as Art in LA. Held during spring break, the program provides students with the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles for little to no cost. In order to apply for consideration, students must complete a statement of interest. They must also have a faculty member submit a nomination form.  Deadline to submit is November 13.  Art in LA Application [PDF 3264KB]

An outgrowth of the Ginsburg-Klaus Art in Los Angeles Week, the Turner Semester is a residency program for a small cohort of M.F.A. degree students in VPA. The program allows the students to experience the arts of the West Coast and to live and work in San Pedro (the Los Angeles Harbor area). Contact the Office of Student Success at 315.443.2517 or  vpaosa@syr.edu  for more information.