明尼苏达大学建于1851年，是美国中部声誉很好的公立大学，全校约有5万名学生，比较特别之处在于该校的中国学者相当多，在1979年就成立有中国文化研究中心。常简称为明大

此公立大学共有好几所分校，艺术科系则在主分校，也就是Twin Cities双城分校﹙双城：明尼亚波里市与圣保罗市﹚, 双城分校常简称为UMTC

另外三个主要分校为Duluth德卢斯分校、Crookston克鲁克斯顿、Rochster罗彻斯特分校、Morris莫理斯分校；后者莫里斯分校也有艺术系，在公共艺领域挺知名的，预计在2007春季提供全美独家的公共艺术硕士班。

主要课程：

双城分校艺术学院 Twin Cities

此艺术系以纯艺术为主，含大学部和研究所。大学部为四年制，提供艺术学士(BFA)和文学士(BA)二种学位。研究所http://artdept.umn.edu/grad/ 为小班制，修业时间为三年，提供艺术硕士(MFA)学位。每年招生，除素描与油画主修收三至四位研究生外，其它主修都只收二至三位研究生。系上一定提供所有研究生包含教学助理及其它奖助学金机会(但学杂费不一定能全额补助)，研究生会有教学机会(对将来找教学工作有益)，系所内也鼓励研究生与学校内其它系所(理工农医等)进行跨领域的创作。

ART-UMN提供MFA学位在六个领域。分别是：
Ceramics陶艺
Drawing & Painting 水彩与油画
Photography 摄影
Printmaking 版画
Sculpture 雕塑
Time & Interactivity 时间与互动﹙特别的﹚此主修需要念三年，而且每年收得学生很少，研究方向在于了解科技的历史，还有当代艺术评论和实践的各种议题，讲求跨领域的互动与对话。

城分校设计学院
http://www.cdes.umn.edu/
这是UMN所有分校中唯一的设计学院，主修挺广的，从平面设计、服装设计、住宅研究、室内设计到建筑与景观建筑。硕士学位的主修则如下分类：
(1)Architecture 建筑
(2)Design, Housing, and Apparel 设计、住宅、服装
这一大类下面又分为五种：
–Apparel服装
–Design Communication设计沟通
–Housing Studies住宅研究
–Interactive Design互动设计
–Interior Design室内设计
(3)Landscape Architecture 景观建筑
申请这个设计学院都需要GRE的成绩喔！申请截止日是1月15日。
[+]西岸艺术区 West Bank Arts Quarter (WBAQ):
http://www.artsquarter.umn.edu/
有点不好翻啊! (本来翻成西区艺术角, PCHEN帮我改成西岸艺术区) , 常简称WBAQ, 此学院包含位于明尼亚波里斯市西岸校区的音乐系，艺术系，舞蹈系，和戏剧系四个系所组成的艺术小区。经常有跨系所的课程和艺术创作。

戏剧与舞蹈学院(http://theatre.umn.edu/index.php)中提供有下列硕士课程
(1)MFA Design/Technology 设计与科技的MFA
(2)MA/PhD in Theatre Historiography 戏剧编史的MA和PHD
[+]莫理斯分校艺术学院
http://www.morris.umn.edu/academic/art/
这个学院有下列主修：
Painting，Drawing，Ceramics，Sculpture，Printmaking，Foundation，Digital Imaging

学习费用：
2007-2008年，明尼苏达大学州外研究生一学期学费约为$8419﹙以6-14学分来估算﹚。因此一学年的学费约为$8419×2=$16838。不过如果你是念建筑主修，学费「卡」贵哩！一学期以12-17学分来估算，要$13090，所以一学年的话就是$13090×2=$26180。

双城分校艺术学院 Twin Cities
Graduate School Office of Admissions
University of Minnesota
309 Johnston Hall
101 Pleasant Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0421
准备下列文件另寄给系上。
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Art
E201 Regis Center for Art
405 21st Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
A, 数字光盘作品集：内要有20张作品的影像，不能只寄一张作品光盘，要附上另一张备份，每张影像不要超过5MB大小，最高分辨率至少要有1600 pixel以及140ppi。建议档案格式为tif文件或Jpg最佳分辨率文件。系上除了影像文件之外不会review你附上的任何东西，包括网站、powerpoint或是任何创作。
檔名命名也有规定喔，详细要上去看。版画主修的另要附上原作。而「时间与互动」主修的可以附上其它型式的作品，如幻灯片、DVD、URL、VHS等。
B. 回邮信封
C. 一页的技巧/求学叙述：这个蛮特别的，系上讲说只能一页，写出你的艺术技巧有哪些，兴趣，还有为什么选UMN来念，想念什么？
D. 三封推荐信
E. 申请者数据表：这是系上自己做的PDF表，主要就是确保你阅读后知道自己要交哪些申请文件，并签名填上基本数据。
F. 学校成绩单﹙复印件可以﹚

网友PCHEN的就读心得
阿福注: 我会登这一所大学, 是因为PChen在2007年的6月主动写信给我推荐他们学校的, 跟他信件往返后, 觉得UMN是一所不错的大学, 所以颇花了一些时间整理学校数据放上来, 底下是PCHEN响应我的一些问题
The Department of Art offers two degree options for undergraduates: the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA). MFA program is a three-year program. The following areas of concentration are available: Ceramics, Drawing and Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Time and Interactivity. Its Ceramics is ranked as top 10 by US News:(link) But other areas are also strong.
Professor Diane Katsiaficas, director of undergraduate, is my BFA advisor, and she is very nice and good at teaching and guiding students to find their directions. If you have any question regarding to your application to BFA or MFA, feel free to ask her.
Its MFA program: All entering students are offered guaranteed support, which includes Teaching Assistantships and fellowships.
The MFA program provides an educational environment in which promising and engaged artists explore their potential through studio practice and critical dialogue. Peers, visiting artists and critics, along with a vital faculty of working artists, generate dialogue through informal meetings, seminars and tutorials.
While studio practice is at the core of the curriculum, the program exposes students to a broad range of artistic strategies and modes of critical thinking through courses in art theory and history, as well as pertinent University-wide electives.
Minneapolis ranks among the top cities in Urban Environment Report.(link) Though the winter is long (4 - 6 months), but it is not that bad when you really live here, especially, winter is not as cold as ten years ago.
The traffic is ok. There are campus buses circulating around three campuses.
There are many art activities in campuses and twin cities. Weisman Art Museum (http://www.weisman.umn.edu/), Bell Museum of Natural Historyat at East Bank campus, Katherine E. Nash Gallery (http://nash.umn.edu/) within the Art Department, etc., not to mention Walker Art Center, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minnesota Museum of American Art, etc. around the Twin Cities.
There are many Taiwanes students (graduates and undergraduates). For graduate programs, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Department of Educational Psychology, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, etc. ranks among the top graduate programs in US.
Ping-Yao Chen (pchen@cs.umn.edu)