The Ceramics Program offers a comprehensive, interdisciplinary curriculum that incorporates drawing, printmaking, sculpture, architecture, design, and animation using earth materials and other media.

The goal is to explore the dynamic field of ceramics with a broad but critical eye—from cultural objects and traditions to figurative sculpture, functional ware, and scientific and industrial applications—while offering the flexibility to pursue diverse methods of fabrication. Students investigate contemporary theory, materials, and the history of ceramic arts to develop a professional skill set and vocabulary.

The program enjoys a preeminent reputation, with numerous notable alumni who have used the medium to address ideas and issues that exemplify the best of contemporary art; graduates of the program include exhibiting artists, designers, and educators who show their work internationally and manage successful businesses. Our faculty members take diverse approaches to ceramics, creating everything from figurative, myth-based work to abstract, large-scale public commissions and even performance art.

The facilities at Treadwell Hall on the Oakland campus include more than 30 gas and computerized electric kilns in a range of sizes, large slip-casting tanks, a dedicated space for printing decals, and a comprehensive glaze lab.