This is Bass
Explore key facts about academics, student life, and outcomes at the Bass School.
1975
legacy school founded
This i
Academics
The Bass School offers a variety of programs that blend creativity, technology, and critical thinking. Students have access to small classes, interdisciplinary opportunities, and hands-on learning experiences that prepare them for careers in the arts, humanities, and emerging technologies.
14:1
student-to-faculty ratio
90%
first-year retention rate
71%
six-year graduation rate
#1
in Texas for Undergraduate Game Design
(Princeton Review 2024)
#2
in Texas for Graduate Game Design
(Princeton Review 2024)
#2
in Texas for Animation
(Animation Career Review 2024)
Life at Bass
Students find a creative community where they can collaborate, perform, and explore new ideas in the classroom and beyond – on a stage, in the studio, or while studying abroad.
8
faculty-led study abroad programs
22%
first-gen students
10%
transfer students
27
countries represented
The Dallas difference
From technology and business to sports, arts, culture and entertainment, Dallas thinks and lives big – with big ideas and bold execution. This is where the integrated circuit chip was invented – in 1958 – and drove technological innovations. This is the home of the largest contiguous arts district in the U.S. – the Dallas Arts District – as well as 20-plus Fortune 500 headquarters. This is a city that connects and fuels opportunities. Easily accessible, the Dallas area’s two major airports put it within a four-hour flight from almost anywhere in the U.S.
8
professional sports teams
2
major airports
12+
art museums
180+
miles of urban hike and bike trails
20+
Fortune 500 headquarters in DFW
234
sunny days per year
After graduation
10,700+
Bass alumni
$63,970
average salaries of recent Bass graduates*
*since 2019
$23,846
average debt of UTD graduates
61%
of UTD graduating seniors have no student debt
Innovative creator spaces
At the Bass School, each space is designed specifically for the research and instruction of arts, humanities, and emerging technologies. Students learn in a lecture format in one class and then work in a makerspace in another. Research labs and centers, 2D, 3D, AR/VR and creative practice studios, traditional and media libraries, galleries, and leading-edge and conventional classrooms allow full access to technologies aligned with industry demands.
Outstanding facilities in progress
The Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum is designed to enhance and enrich the arts on the UT Dallas campus by creating a 12-acre cultural district. It is supported by a $32 million gift from the O’Donnell Foundation. Phase I serves as a second location for the Crow Museum of Asian Art, introduces the UT Dallas Art Museums and the Brettell Reading Room, and features a conservation studio, seminar room, museum shop, exhibition corridor, and lecture and event area. Phase II, scheduled to be completed in 2026, will feature a 680-seat performance hall and music building and will seamlessly integrate with Phase I. The structure will include two large rehearsal rooms, solo rehearsal rooms, a percussion studio, classrooms, a recording studio, a student study lounge and spaces for impromptu musical performances.
66,000+
square-foot facility
680
seat planned auditorium
2
large rehearsal rooms
Distinguished faculty
Bass faculty are award-winning scholars, researchers, and artists who are dedicated to student success. They contribute to cutting-edge research, creative projects, and industry partnerships that shape the future of arts, humanities, and technology in DFW and beyond.
$915,000
in annual research and development expenditures
$949,695
in awards received
71
tenure-track faculty
74
non-tenure-track faculty
