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Boston: School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Tufts University

Funding modalities and framework conditions

Name: School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University
Location: Boston, USA
Name of the department: School of the Museum of Fine Arts
Study focus: Animation, digital media, drawing, film and video, graphics, painting, performance, photography, sculpture, VR
Accommodation: self-organized
Link to the university/department: School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University
Funding amount: 700⁠ ⁠€ from the Erasmus programme (monthly), travel allowance, if applicable. Social Top-up
Link to the travel advice of the Federal Foreign Office: USA und German Consulate General Boston
ASA stay: in the Fall Term (end of August to end of December)
HFBK application deadline: in the winter semester

Students must take out suitable health, liability and accident insurance and register with the crisis prevention list of the Federal Foreign Office “Elefand” of the Federal Republic of Germany in order to participate in the exchange.

Experiences of participating students + –

Theo Huber, stay in 2022

The “assignment structure” was one of the main differences to my previous study experience and I liked it so much that I quickly decided to extend my study stay there. Fortunately, this was not a problem and I stayed until the end of March (instead of just the end of December). […] I used the time in Boston to consciously devote myself to other media than my main focus—painting. The university is not organized into classes and its open structure makes it very easy to work across different media.

Matthis Frickhöffer, stay in 2022

Some of my expectations were fulfilled, other circumstances were new and surprising, but to say it up front: I had a fantastic time that I wouldn’t want to miss.

The opportunity and openness of the professors to offer individual discussions and critiques outside of the seminar structures is what I have benefited from the most in the last six months—apart from the community and warmth of my fellow students.

My next trip to New England is already planned.

Alexandra Tretter, stay in 2020

I had never heard of the SMFA before and Boston was not a place I was drawn to. However, after extensive research, the city and its surroundings soon became a dense network of cultural and historical highlights, beautiful landscapes and incredibly nice people. Boston is a relatively small city with a huge density of academics and almost village-like neighborhoods, which makes it easy to feel at home. SMFA is a very small university and therefore an ideal place to study abroad, as you get in touch with your fellow students relatively quickly. An absolutely positive surprise and definitely to be recommended if you want to spend a semester abroad in the USA and not in a megacity like New York or L.A.

My stay in Boston and at SMFA was a really great experience that I would do again at any time and can absolutely recommend to anyone. Not only did I meet a lot of nice, relaxed and interesting people here, but my time there also helped me in my work and gave me perspectives that I would otherwise have missed.

Tips & tricks for the semester abroad (as of summer semester 2023)

It’s all about the money (!?) Theo Huber:
If you have several options, it is of course worth choosing something close to the university. Many SMFA students live in Jamaican Plain or the surrounding neighborhoods. There are few really “scary corners”, one is certainly the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Blvd—it is better not to take a flat here.
Average room prices are currently around $850–1200.
With a rather frugal lifestyle for me, I spent an estimated $1800–2000 a month.

Alexandra Tretter:
My time in Boston was financially challenging and the search for housing was quite time-consuming; on-campus housing, organized by Tufts University, is a cost-effective alternative to the open market. You usually end up in Somerville, which is relatively far away from SMFA, but right on the Tufts campus—and in very beautiful Somerville.and in very beautiful Somerville.
How do I get from A to B and back to my accommodation? Theo Huber:
Boston has a fairly well-developed public transportation network by American standards, although it is quite slow and unreliable by German standards. Unfortunately, there is also no semester ticket. So I got myself a bike in the first week (craigslist) and was able to cover most of the distances.

Alexandra Tretter:
My tip: definitely buy a monthly pass for public transport: it’s cheaper and much less stressful than buying a ticket from a machine every time.
Good to know! What should I bear in mind at the university? Alexandra Tretter:
The classes at the SMFA are significantly smaller than at the HFBK. There are also a maximum of 10 students in the studio courses, which makes it much easier to work together and build trust within the class and you can immerse yourself in a protected atmosphere much more quickly.
Where and how can you experience art and culture(s)? Theo Huber:
Of course, it’s great that you can be in New York in four hours. Here’s a recommendation: “SeeSaw” is an extremely great app that is very helpful for finding your way around the New York gallery landscape.
Dia Beacon: great museum in upstate New York for minimal art and the like.Mass Moca: very large and great museum in western Massachusetts.Montreal: I found it very nice to spend a weekend in Canada as a contrast. However, the bus ride takes quite a long time; better by car if possible.
Cape Cod: very beautiful, a bit like Sylt, only more pleasant.
Hiking: go hiking in Vermont, Western Massachusetts or New Hampshire in the fall.

Alexandra Tretter:
SMFA is quite far away from the campus of Tufts University and just around the corner from the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, where students have free admission and can get great inspiration during free classes.
Another absolute recommendation: the New England Conservatory of Music regularly offers free classical music concerts in a beautiful concert hall. Just check the website and book!