Mumbai, June 2025 – The Dr. Shantilal K. Somaiya School of Art, a cutting-edge new venture in the arts at Somaiya Vidyavihar University (SVU), a prestigious private university in Mumbai, was officially inaugurated today. This ambitious program’s core is the introduction of two groundbreaking Master of Arts courses in Art History & Visual Studies and Art Criticism (Art Writing & Criticism), both of which are intended to train the next generation of art historians, critics, curators, and interdisciplinary researchers. 

The news was delivered at a ceremony held on the SVU campus in Vidyavihar. The event was attended by students, senior faculty, Vice-Chancellor Prof. V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai, and Chancellor Shri Samir Somaiya. Chancellor Somaiya highlighted the university’s history of fusing tradition with modern ideas in his speech. He described the founding of the school, including how his grandfather had previously been questioned for founding an arts college in a desolate area, and said that the goal was always “Vidya Vihar,” a location for intellectual and social development that was thought to be as significant as Socrates himself. 

The two new MA programs stand out in a number of respects. India’s first reported MA program in Writing and Art Criticism combines theoretical and practical methods to critical writing, covering a variety of formats from conventional long-form essays and journalism to text-based installations, digital platforms, podcasting, and trans-lingual reflections. The curriculum integrates multilingual frameworks, such as Euro-American, Indian, and South Asian writing traditions, with a focus on translation and even the integration of AI-assisted writing tools. 

The MA in Art History & Visual Studies, on the other hand, takes a similarly broad and interdisciplinary approach. Students are immersed in traditional art historical approaches while being encouraged to experiment with coding, digital archiving, and modern visual media. Both programs are designed to help students develop creative answers to Indian and international art practices, allowing them to pursue hybrid careers in academic research, museums, cultural journalism, curatorship, criticism, consulting, and new media. 

The School is founded on SVU’s history of inter-school cooperation and cross-disciplinary interchange. The School, which is intended to be a porous hub where disciplines like the humanities, technology, new media, sociology, and business interact, is located on a vast urban campus. To promote a combination of theory, practice, and public-facing experimentation, the infrastructure is being designed to support this vision: large art collections, studios equipped with contemporary technology for performance and media, digital labs, and venues for community involvement are being developed. 

For the 2025–2027 academic year, enrollment is now available for both MA tracks. The courses are two years long, but their adaptable design allows for several entry and exit sites. Students who finish just the first year are eligible to apply for a postgraduate diploma and may choose to finish a full Master’s degree later. The annual tuition is 175,000 INR, with scholarships available that cover up to 75% of the cost depending on financial need and academic performance. Any bachelor’s degree is necessary for admission; an entrance exam is not required. Acceptance is determined by academic achievement and a face-to-face meeting. 

The value of industry preparedness for its graduates is emphasized by SVU. Students will get practical instruction through well-integrated mentoring with reputable critics, curators, and art writers. As part of the learning process, the university plans to form alliances with museums, galleries, cultural NGOs, art fairs, and events to establish internships and cooperative programs. 

University officials emphasized Mumbai’s position as India’s cultural center, a vibrant metropolis where various artistic activities, from grassroots groups to large-scale exhibitions, come together, when discussing the new options. The School is purposefully situated to immerse students in these vibrant ecosystems. In addition to fostering creative abilities, the programs aim to develop a model for arts education that is critical, interdisciplinary, socially conscious, and globally engaged. 

As a result, the Dr. Shantilal K. Somaiya School of Art embodies SVU’s concept of arts education at the crossroads of cultural practice and intellectual rigor. The School aims to produce graduates capable of leading in cultural policy, arts journalism, scholarly research, curatorial domains, and creative industries both in India and abroad by offering programs that cover criticism, history, writing, and digital media, as well as by integrating languages, AI, and practice. 

Applications will still be accepted through July 2025. The admissions office can be reached by email, and the university’s official website can be used by prospective students to request comprehensive syllabi, scholarship requirements, and details about campus tours. 

The School of Art guarantees to strengthen SVU’s position as a thriving intellectual center as it starts this next chapter in its over 80-year history. This center will embrace the changing language of art, criticism, history, and new media in a world culture that is changing quickly.