臺北市立大學創立於西元1895年，係從芝山巖國語學堂、歷經國語學校、師範學校、女子師範專科學校院、臺北市立師範學院、臺北市立教育大學等漸續改制，並於2013年與臺北市立體育學院合併成為綜合性大學，歷史逾百年。期間啟蒙黃土水、陳澄波、廖繼春、李石樵、李梅樹、郭柏川等著名的臺灣畫家，也培育出許多台灣近代藝術家與藝術教育工作者。
視覺藝術學系成立於1989年，承傳過去堅實藝術基礎與資產，規劃一系列扎實的藝術創作與藝術理論專業課程，培養學生美感知能與創造能力，並進行國內外藝術學術交流活動，闊達師生視野。創立以來培育無數藝術創作者與藝術教師，遍佈臺灣各學校作育英才。著眼時代趨勢脈動，本系目前以培育具藝術創作能力、藝術應用能力與專案執行能力與藝術理論涵養之「都會藝術產業人才」為宗旨，並有以下四大教育目標：
教育目標
- 透過循序漸進之藝術專業課程，來促進學生創意力之啟發、視覺思考力之增進、美感力之養成。
- 以扎實藝術創作能力為底蘊，佐以藝術理論深入探究，漸次引導學生朝向專業藝術創作、媒體創意應用兩大領域進行深造，提供藝術 專案執行訓練課程，培養學生藝術整合專業能力。
- 提供跨領域創意應用，與職前準備系列課程，以開拓藝術領域產學合作契機，鼓勵學生進行專業實習，並協助學生進行職涯規劃，以 強化學生進入職場的競爭力。
- 提供跨域藝術治療與藝術教育專業橋接課程，為學生將來進一步完成師資培訓成為專業藝術教師、或繼續就讀本系藝術治療碩士班， 以取得專業藝術治療師證書而準備。
專業課程
提供視覺藝術創作、媒體創意應用、藝術理論、藝術專案執行等四大領域專業課程。前兩年以藝術創作為本，藝術理論為輔，後兩年則依學生興趣分流，以專業藝術創作或媒體創意應用兩大領域進行深度訓練，並佐以藝術專案執行訓練與職前準備課程，讓學生具備：
- 視覺藝術創作表現之能力
- 藝術史和藝術理論之知識與研究能力
- 媒體設計與創新運用之能力
- 活用藝術於生活和跨域結合之能力
- 藝術專案策劃與統籌執行之能力
畢業進路
就業—
藝術創作人才（專業藝術家、藝術工作室、公共藝術專案承接）/ 媒體創新應用人才（視覺設計師、文化創意產業工作者、互動媒體設計師、藝術展演活動專案執行）/ 藝術教育人才（學校視覺藝術教師、社會教育視覺藝術教師、專業畫室教師、美術館教育服務專業人員）/ 藝術行政專業人才（藝術行政、藝術評論、藝術仲介與服務、策展工程專業、公眾藝術推廣）
升學—
學生畢業後可申請國內外藝術相關研究所就讀深造。歷屆畢業生曾順利申請到英、美、德、法、日本等國頂尖的美術、設計、插畫、互動媒體、版畫、藝術教育、藝術管理等專業研究所，多名學生更獲入學獎學金補助。此外，本系亦設有視覺藝術碩士班，學生可以藉由藝術創作或特定研究專題，更了解學術研究方法，進而增進資料整理及思辨分析能力，為未來成為高階藝術創作與研究人才奠定基石。
Department of Visual Arts, University of Taipei, was founded in 1988, of which the predecessors were Zhisanyan Japanese School of 1895, Municipal School , and Women’s Municipal College . The Department has numerous outstanding alumni, such as Huang Tushui, Chen Chengpo, Liao Jichun, Li Shiqiao, Li Meishu, and Guo Bochuan, who made great contributions to the visual arts in . The history of the Department is more than one hundred years, and the Department provides numerous links to visual arts sources in . In addition, the Department has long focused on cultivating school teachers of fine arts, and many of them teach all over Taiwan.
In order to catch up with the current trends of the world, the Department has adjusted its development goals. The undergraduate program aims at cultivating outstanding artists by integrating studio creation with art theory. The Department offers courses in six areas of concentration: painting, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, new media and art theory. The Department not only dedicates in training students’ artistic creation but also encourages students’ creative potentials, so that the students will develop competence in diversity in art creation.
Established in 1997, the Graduate Program is divided into two groups, studio art-major and theory-major. The Graduate Program aims at cultivating distinguished artists and academic research fellows. According to their interest and career plans, the studio art-major graduate students endeavor to pursue artistic creation, and then apply the artistic creation to cultural creativity industries. The theory-major graduate students undertake to study advanced art history and relevant art theory, and then engage in art management or pursue academic studies in art history. Since1999, the Graduate Program of Continuing Education has been set up to provide the school teachers with the opportunities of professional development.
The Department takes up the responsibilities for visual art education and arts promotion. The Department not only offers diversity in courses, but also encourages diversity in visual thinking, to cultivate outstanding artists and academic research fellows. Moreover, the Department catches up with the current trends of the world and enlarges the scope of international vision to assist students in developing competence in the complex environments and in developing diversity in art creativity.