Degrees

BFA in Visual Art

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Art is a four-year, 120 credit hour degree program. The first year is spent in Foundations where students focus on the development of their creative and technical skills.

After the foundation year, students select five introductory courses from across the eight studio areas; Ceramics, Expanded Media, Metalsmithing/Jewelry, Painting/Drawing, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Textiles/Fibers.

The intent is for students to explore a variety of mediums in order to determine how they would like to focus their advanced studies. In addition, fundamental concepts and strategies of artmaking are reinforced, even as new techniques and approaches from various disciplines are introduced.

Students are required to take 15 hours of Art History, one additional drawing course beyond foundations, as well as the Professional Activities Seminar.

The remaining studio art credit hours can be formed in any way to allow opportunities for students to focus intensely in any one specific studio area or more broadly to work inter-disciplinarily across media. Ten credit hours are capstone courses (normally taken both semesters of senior year): Directed Study I and II in which students work independently on the development of a cohesive portfolio of work that is strong in technique and concept.

BA in Visual Art

The Bachelor of Arts in Visual Art is a four-year, 120 credit hour degree program. The B.A. in Visual Art is a more traditional liberal arts undergraduate degree, requiring only 24 credit hours in Visual Art beyond the Foundations, as opposed to the 49 required by the more art intensive B.F.A. Because of this, students interested in pursuing a double major may find it easier to pair the B.A. with other more traditional undergraduate degrees. Popular double majors in Visual Art include: Visual Art/Psychology; Visual Art/Chemistry; Visual Art/Museum Studies. 

The first year is spent in Foundations where students focus on the development of their creative and technical skills.

After the foundation year, students take their remaining studio courses from Photomedia (in the Dept. of Design) and the Visual Art seven studio areas; Ceramics, Expanded Media, Metalsmithing/Jewelry, Photography, Painting/Drawing, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Textiles/Fibers. Students also take 12 hours of Art History and a foreign language. 

BFA in Ceramics

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics is a four-year, 120 credit hour immersive course of study of the Ceramics medium. 

The first year is spent in Foundations where students focus on the development of their creative and technical skills.

After the foundation year, Ceramics students will pursue instruction on a broad range of approaches and techniques including handbuilding, throwing, slip casting and mould making. Specialized surfaces, like earthenware low temperature majolica, decals, as well as stoneware and porcelain high temperature glazes, and atmospheric firings, such as gas reduction, salt, and wood are fundamental elements of the curriculum. Courses are also available in kiln building, as well as clay and glaze formulation.  

Ten of the major studio credit hours are capstone courses (normally taken both semesters of senior year) in which students work independently on the development of a cohesive portfolio of work that is strong in technique and concept. Students are also required to take 15 hours of Art History. 

BFA in Metalsmithing/Jewelry

The BFA degree is 120 credit hours, 39 required hours in the major. The program is structured around concentrations in progressive skill building, intermixed with conceptual development and knowledge of the history of the discipline. Required courses in the major include introductory jewelry construction, casting, enameling, hollowware, advanced casting and construction, stone setting, and professional practices. Recommended courses are gemology and digital jewelry design I and II. These courses prepare students for their final two semesters of senior studio, where students develop an individual body of work culminating in a BFA exhibition. The BFA program prepares students for various professional directions in the jewelry industry and as independent artists/designers.

BFA in Photography

The BFA degree is 120 credit hours, 39 required hours in the major. Photography students develop strong technical skills, visual language, and personal vision and voice through a variety of studio and seminar courses including digital and darkroom, studio lighting, moving image and sound, alternative and experimental processes, cultural theory and history, and professional practices. The curriculum is supplemented with internships, guest visits, field trips, and extra-curricular opportunities, and culminates with a final portfolio of visual work and contextual statements along with a public gallery exhibition.

BFA in Textiles/Fibers

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Textiles/Fibers is a four-year, 120 credit hour immersive course of study of the Textiles/Fibers medium.

The first year is spent in Foundations where students focus on the development of their creative and technical skills.

After the foundation year, Textiles/Fibers students will pursue instruction on a broad range of textile approaches and techniques including complex weave structures, textile design software and technology skills, sewing, screen printing, fabric and yarn dyeing, felting, quilting, knitting, knotting, bound resist, transfer printing, embroidery, and other techniques depending on interests and coursework. 

Ten of these hours are capstone courses (normally taken both semesters of senior year) in which students work independently on the development of a cohesive portfolio of work that is strong in technique and concept. The textiles/fibers Senior Studio is a designated workspace in which seniors are the only occupants. The department furnishes the studio with the tools and equipment each senior needs for their individual projects (loom, print table, sewing machine). Each student is also required to take 15 hours of Art History. 

BFA in Art History

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in History of Art is a four-year, 120 credit hour degree program combining a 30-hour concentration in the history of art with 30 hours of studio art training to serve students interested in both the history and the making of art.

History of Art BFA. majors learn how to investigate and analyze the aesthetic characteristics, meaning, and function of works of art, and to place works in historical, cultural, and stylistic contexts. Students gain a general knowledge of the monuments and principal artists of all major periods of the past, with an emphasis on the art of the 20th- and 21st- centuries and gain a sophisticated understanding of what can be learned about different cultures and time periods through the study of art.

Of the 30 History of Art credit hours, students must enroll in the introductory, year-long survey; at least one course in either ancient or Medieval art history; one in either Renaissance or Baroque art history; one in modern art history (19th- or 20th-century European or American art, or the History of Photography); and two courses in non-western art history, at least one of which must be in East Asian Art.

Of the 30 Visual Art credit hours, students must enroll in 12 credit hours of Foundations. The remaining studio art credit hours may be taken from across the seven studio areas; Ceramics, Expanded Media, Metalsmithing/Jewelry, Painting/Drawing, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Textiles/Fibers.

Minor in Visual Art

The Department of Visual Art offers a Minor in Visual Art. This track creates a space for non-major students who wish to explore their artistic interests alongside their academic pursuits and professional goals within the stimulating and creative climate of the School of the Arts.  Visual Art Minors are not required to submit a portfolio for admission. 

Because studio courses are sequential, students are advised to declare a Minor by the first semester of their Junior year to allow for adequate time to complete the Visual Art Minor.

The Visual Art Minor is 18 hours or 6 courses, (12 hours at the JR/SR level). Students complete a Foundations course, such as, ART 101: Drawing I, and an introductory concentration course out of the eight (8) art areas we offer (Drawing, Painting, Ceramics, Expanded Media, Metalsmithing/Jewelry, Printmaking, Sculpture, or Textiles).  After taking a Foundations and concentration course, students will complete the Minor by taking 12 hours of studio elective at the 300+ level within their concentration area.  Students are encouraged to concentrate in one art area to attain the proper number of JR/SR hours.

Minor in Photography

The Minor in Photography emphasizes visual literacy, critical thinking, and creative and professional practice. Successful candidates will cultivate an advanced visual language in support of their major studies and exit the program with a working technical and conceptual grasp of photography as an expressive and communicative medium. The Photography Minor consists of 18+ hours total of photography coursework, 12 of which must be at the 300+ level. Students must take either digital or darkroom foundations (PHOT 200 or PHOT 205) before advancing to 300+ level PHOT courses. Please see the linked Minor Requirements for more information.

Visual Art Education Program

Visual Art Education (VAE) is a high quality program emphasizing a balance of studio, art history, and education courses taught by experts in their fields. 

In collaboration with the School of Education, VAE provides advanced level students with classroom and teaching experiences in area schools and community settings. Visual Art Education graduates are well prepared to be successful art educators and have a very high job placement rate.

MFA in Visual Art

The Master of Fine Arts in Visual Art is a three-year, 60 credit hour degree program emphasizing individual growth through independent work in an atmosphere of ongoing critical discussion. As a graduate student, you receive a rigorous studio and academic experience. Each week you meet with your fellow graduate students and faculty from a variety of studio areas in Graduate Seminar to participate in critiques, discussions and presentations.

Students frequently take independent studies with a number of Visual Art faculty offering a diverse and specialized learning experience. Each student receives their own studio space conducive to the creation of work in their area(s) of specialization; Ceramics, Expanded Media, Metalsmithing/Jewelry, Painting/Drawing, Printmaking, Sculpture or Textiles/Fibers

Students gain teaching experience, as well as financial support, through graduate teaching assistantships that are often available. Graduate students are eligible for numerous annual scholarships given to exemplary students at all levels of study through the Department of Visual Art.

The final departmental requirements to complete thesis work are a general oral examination, an exhibition, and a thesis folio of the exhibition. The thesis folio shall include a statement written by the candidate concerning the work, which has been approved by their Thesis Committee, and a visual record of the exhibition. The department reserves the option of selecting and retaining one example of each graduate student’s work. Upon enrolling, the student automatically accepts these requirements and conditions.