How F&M Does the Arts

Music, literature, painting, dance, film — and so much more! When you study the arts at F&M, you’ll explore the countless ways in which we express our creativity and imagination as well as the impact artistic expression has in our world.

At F&M, studying the arts and making art go hand in hand. Classes in history, criticism, and theory deliberately weave into practice, and you’ll have ample opportunities in and out of class to perform, choreograph, compose, curate, and publish. You’ll immerse yourself in a campus tailor-made to incubate artists, studying and creating in world-class facilities, including our stunning Winter Visual Arts Center, our collaborative Writers House, the inspiring Phillips Museum of Art , the main-stage Roschel Performing Arts Center, and more. 

Perform, Compose, Direct

Act in a play. Perform your favorite composition. Critique a classic film. Then take it a step further. You’ll have opportunities to work one-on-one with our renowned arts faculty to make and polish your own creative work — writing novels, composing symphonies, choreographing evening-length dance pieces, and directing plays and films.

The arts at F&M are also about community, and you’ll have the opportunity to curate your own exhibitions and productions, edit and publish your own magazines, contribute to F&M’s annual Emerging Writers Festival, and even attend professional performances in nearby cities like Philadelphia and New York.

Explore experiential learning at F&M

Careers in the Arts

After graduating from F&M, many of our students pursue graduate studies in the arts at leading programs around the world. Some publish acclaimed novels, some write and direct on Broadway or in Hollywood, some choreograph the innovative dance of today. Other students leverage the skills they’ve gained from the arts — creativity, communication, collaboration, and innovation, among others — in careers in publishing, film and television, the museum field, education, marketing, business, and more. Our graduates prove that arts-related degrees open doors to countless careers.

Explore success beyond F&M »

See Arts at F&M in Action

May 30, 2024

English Grad Writes Next Chapter as Anatolia Fellow

With an F&M English degree in hand, Rohail Spear ’24 is ready to write his next chapter. It starts in Greece, where Spear will spend 10 months as an Anatolia Fellow.

May 23, 2024

Ten Faculty Earn Tenure, Promotion

At its May meeting, the Board of Trustees unanimously endorsed the recommendations of the Professional Standards Committee and the Provost, granting four F&M faculty tenure and promotion to associate professor, while six others were promoted to full professor.

May 7, 2024

Student Explores Food in Italian Slow-Food Culture

Franklin & Marshall College senior Jonathan Izzo combined his twin passions for his family’s Italian heritage and for sustainable food systems to cap his academic career.