Fenway Campus
BFA and Combined Degree students will spend time on both the Fenway and Medford/Somerville campuses. The campuses are separated by five miles, and University shuttles run throughout the day and late into the evening to transport students back and forth. There are also a number of public transportation and rideshare options, as well as late night pick-up services provided by the university.
The Fenway campus, home to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, is jam packed with specialized classrooms, a dedicated arts library, studio spaces, shops, tools, and technologies for students at Tufts to explore. It’s where art students take many of their studio art classes. Centrally located on the Avenue of the Arts in Boston, the Fenway campus sits between the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and our partner, the Museum of Fine Arts, meaning endless inspiration, exhibition opportunities, and professional networks are never far away. Galleries, start-ups, tech firms, and agencies choose to be in Boston to capture the emerging talent of the graduates of 80 colleges and universities located here, and with almost 60 museums in the city, learning extends well beyond the classroom. It’s essential for our art students to be in the center of this buzz, to hone their skills on the Fenway campus, and to encounter groundbreaking art exhibits, public art experiences, top-rated arts districts, and a community of fellow artists the moment they walk out the door.
The Medford/Somerville campus is a hub of undergraduate student life, study, and research at Tufts University. In addition to labs, classrooms, libraries, and common spaces, the Medford campus also includes plenty of additional studio resources for artists. Lane and Barnum Hall offer darkrooms, editing suites, drawing and painting studios, and a stockroom of equipment for students to access. The Aidekman Arts Center hosts major exhibitions by guest artists and students alike. You might even sign up for an art class that meets in the Science and Engineering complex, collaborating with engineers in makerspaces.
Both of these campuses belong to all Tufts students; any student can access the resources of either campus to use equipment, join student organizations or sports teams, or participate in classes. At Tufts you won’t find barriers between disciplines. You’ll find collaborators. Engineers and printmakers, biologists and playwrights, environmental scientists, writers, and installation artists work together to solve problems, build solutions, and forge new connections.
Living
Students in the BFA program spend their first year at Tufts living in our Beacon Street Residence Halls, a series of renovated brownstones (a classic Boston architectural style with hardwood floors, bay windows, vintage fireplaces, and stained glass!) in the desirable Fenway neighborhood. Adjacent to restaurants, grocery stores, and crowd favorite eatery Giggling Rice, living in Boston has its perks. In the Beacon Street Residence Halls, Resident Assistants help our community of artists get to know their new digs, explore the city, and build community. BFA students are also guaranteed housing on the Medford campus for their second year, but it is optional.
Students in the Combined Degree program live on the Medford campus for their first two years at Tufts. There are many options for on-campus housing, including residence halls, wood-frame houses, and themed housing like Crafts House, the Africana Center, Rainbow House, and more. No matter where you end up, you’ll join a tight-knit community of classmates and Resident Assistants.