Bachelor in Visual and Performing Arts (Bachelor's)

Applications for the Jan 2027 intake are open until Dec 15, 2026. Tuition is Tuition for the 2025-2026 academic year is $22,500 per year for full-time students..

The programme is a full-time on-campus Bachelor of Arts in Art offered by Milligan University. It combines studio art practice with art history and critical thinking, emphasizing technical skill and personal artistic development within a Christ-centered context.

Focus areas include Studio Art, Art History, Visual Communication, Design Principles, Aesthetic Analysis, Creative Expression.

The programme requires 120 credits, with 36 credits in major-specific courses including studio art and art history, and the remainder in general education and electives.

Graduates pursue careers as professional artists, art educators, gallery and museum staff, or freelance artists.

Applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalent. A minimum GPA of 2.5 is required. Submission of official transcripts and a portfolio of artwork is required for admission.

The programme totals about 120 credit hours. On-campus, full-time, four years. For international students, tuition is above the median for US programmes. The institution admits about 70% of applicants.

Milligan University is located in northeastern Tennessee, surrounded by views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and close to opportunities for outdoor recreation. The campus offers a residential college experience within a Christian community, where faith is part of academic study, campus ministries, and relationships among students. The university was named for its founder’s favorite teacher, reflecting the importance placed on faculty in the institution’s identity. Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan has prepared men and women for ministry since 1965.

Academic choice spans more than 100 majors, minors, pre-professional degrees, and concentrations across the arts and humanities, Bible and ministry, business and technology, sciences and allied health, and social sciences and education. Undergraduate students complete a required core curriculum designed to provide a broad foundation for lifelong learning and further study. Graduate studies, professional licensure programs, certificates, and seminary education extend the range of pathways available.

Classes are structured around faculty contact, with a 9:1 student-faculty ratio and no graduate assistants teaching courses. The Office of Student Success provides academic and non-academic support. Milligan’s Christian formation emphasizes thinking and acting from a biblical perspective, experiential learning, and service. International students should expect a close-knit setting: one student from Norway described the transition as challenging but found the community’s hospitality helpful. Financial aid is available to students, and the university promotes affordable education.