Museum School’s distinctive Fifth Year Certificate Program offers a strong capstone experience for graduates of the School’s Studio Program.

It’s a full year of intense, independent work, culminating in the highly publicized "Fifth Year Exhibition," which will launch you as a professional artist. You will set your own course, pursue your own vision—but with the full support of the Museum School’s faculty and professional exhibition staff, and with full access to the School’s equipment and resources.

You will also gain valuable teaching skills: each Fifth Year student is awarded a teaching assistantship in the fall and spring semesters as part of their program commitment.

Your Fifth Year work will be presented as a solo show within the "Fifth Year Exhibition," as part of which you will compete for the prestigious Traveling Scholars Awards. Each year, judges award between $80,000 and $100,000 in travel funds; award winners participate in the annual "SMFA Traveling Scholars" exhibition presented at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.