VCUarts Qatar is the Qatar campus of the prestigious Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Richmond, Virginia. Established in 1998 through a partnership with Qatar Foundation, they offer students the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in fashion design, graphic design, interior design and painting & printmaking, a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history and a Master of Fine Arts degree in design.
Located in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, VCUarts Qatar is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art & Design, The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. The current student body represents a diverse range of nationalities with students coming from more than 40 different nationalities.
VCUarts Qatar was the first campus established in Education City, and has since been joined by Weill Cornell Medical College, Texas A&M University, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Carnegie-Mellon University, Northwestern University, HEC Paris, and University College London.
In 2010, VCUarts Qatar more than doubled its facilities through a major expansion project. The expansion has allowed for the integration of the university’s undergraduate and graduate programs under one roof, the connection of the research and entrepreneurship offices with curricular programs, and the expansion of technical spaces to support all forms of visualization and research with a media lab, digital fabrication lab, printmaking studios, photography studio, an expanded library and the first materials library in the region.
The University hosts the biennial international design conference Tasmeem Doha and the biennial Hamad bin Khalifa Islamic Art Symposium, attracting globally recognized designers, artists and academics while fostering sustainable, university-community partnerships that enhance the educational, economic and cultural vitality of Qatar.
VCUarts Qatar has substantial involvement with the emerging design industries in Qatar and is a significant catalyst for that growth. They have established themselves as a center of excellence for education and research in art and design.
VCUarts Qatar graduates are pursuing successful careers within the government, nonprofit and private industries in Qatar and around the world. Many of their graduates have gone on to establish their own businesses, thereby contributing to the development of the small and medium enterprise culture in Qatar.
Vision
VCUarts Qatar strives to contribute to the vitality of human, social, economic and environmental development in Qatar and the region through creative innovation, expression and collaboration.
Mission
VCUarts Qatar cultivates a dynamic intercultural environment of diverse research, learning and community engagement that propels the holistic development of exemplary artists, designers and scholars to build vibrant communities and diversified economies.
Values
VCUarts Qatar values collaboration, experimentation, innovation, relevancy and diversity.
DNA
VCUarts Qatar is creative, critical, dynamic, curious and original.
