Our Location
Welcome to Boston
Locals have been referring to Boston as The Hub for generations, and with good reason. The city is home to 50+ colleges and universities, more than 150,000 students, and a population drawn from every corner of the world. Consistently ranked as one of the most creative cities in the country, Boston is a global center of education, innovation, entrepreneurship, and culture—one that offers countless opportunities for entertainment, exploration, and personal growth.
Living and working in Boston means access to historic music venues, classic and experimental theatre, independent film houses and bookstores, a thriving culinary scene, and miles of biking and walking trails. Idyllic forests, mountains, and the famous oceanfront scenery of New England are just a short trip away.
Two campuses, a world of options
SMFA students have the benefit of full access to two distinct learning experiences: the Boston SMFA campus in the city’s Fenway neighborhood, and Tufts University’s campus in Medford/Somerville.
Boston SMFA Campus:
Home to the majority of our classrooms, student studios, workshops, and our much-loved art store, the Boston SMFA campus is a hub for art-making. Here, you’ll also find the exhibitions and events organized by the Tufts University Art Galleries, the W. Van Alan Clark Jr. Library, as well as our studio resources, production labs, and more.
The Boston SMFA campus is in the cultural heart of the city, next door to the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and close to the Institute of Contemporary Art. Explore the rich landscape of Boston’s 56 museum collections, attend First Friday celebrations in one of the Greater Boston area’s many arts districts, and make connections within a vibrant community of scholars, creatives, and art world insiders from across the globe.
Medford/Somerville Campus:
Just across the river is Tufts’ main Medford/Somerville campus—home to the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering, and The Fletcher School. Sitting on 80 acres a short walk from Davis Square, this campus includes four libraries, athletic facilities, several makerspaces, and 7,000 square feet of gallery space.
The Medford/Somerville campus is where you’ll take some of your liberal arts and sciences requirements. Here you can broaden your perspective by taking classes in psychology, entrepreneurial leadership, civic studies, or environmental science—or any other discipline you'd like to explore. Join a dance troupe or music ensemble, explore the outdoors with Tufts Mountain Club, or find your voice and have your say as a writer or editorial cartoonist for The Tufts Daily. Build your community and plug into an even larger network of peers, faculty, activities, and resources.
However you slice it, two campuses means a universe of opportunities to do what moves you, find inspiration, and make your art school experience uniquely your own.
The ProArts Consortium
Two campuses not enough? SMFA at Tufts works closely with schools and organizations in the Boston area to ensure that our students are able to take full advantage of the array of creative and academic opportunities the Fenway arts community has to offer.
The Professional Arts Consortium (ProArts) allows students to cross-register at seven partner schools:
- Berklee College of Music and The Boston Conservatory at Berklee
- Boston Architectural College
- Emerson College
- Massachusetts College of Art and Design
- New England Conservatory
- and of course, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University
As a SMFA student, you are eligible to take courses at other ProArt member schools. And because students from Consortium schools are also eligible to take courses at SMFA, there are countless opportunities to share ideas and make new connections.