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Studio Art MFA

60 credit hours

Admission Requirements

  • Fulfillment of requirements for general admission to the University.
  • Successful completion of a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art degree. Students of exceptional merit, who have earned a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art or a Bachelor of Science in Studio Art or Design (or the equivalent), will also be considered contingent upon faculty approval. Students without either a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art or Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art who have significant studio art experience must request a special review.
  • Submission of a portfolio of the applicant’s creative work for review by the art and design faculty. The portfolio should include representative examples of works in varied media as well as a fuller selection of works in the studio area proposed for concentration. The portfolio should consist of a minimum of twenty works presented in high resolution digital format.
  • A two-page essay indicating goals and expectations for graduate school.
  • Three letters of recommendation from professionals who can speak to the candidate’s academic prowess and serious intent.
  • Conditional admission to the graduate program in studio art, based on the evaluation of undergraduate preparation or determined at the time of the portfolio review, requires the successful completion of specified coursework prior to full admittance to the graduate program. Undergraduate credit will be awarded for courses completed during the conditional status and is not applicable toward the graduate degree.
  • Full admission to the graduate program in studio art requires the endorsement of the art and design faculty involved in the candidate’s portfolio review.
  • Candidacy is conditional until full candidacy is recommended by the art and design faculty after the mid-program review (27 credits).

Admission Deadlines

  • All application materials for fall admission must be received by the previous April 1.
  • All application materials for spring admission must be received by the previous November 1.

Degree Requirements

  • Thirty-six credit hours of studio art in area(s) of concentration.
  • Six credit hours of studio art courses outside the area(s) of concentration.
  • Twelve credit hours in art history or art criticism.
  • ART 50000 Research Methods in Art
  • ART 60000 Directed Thesis (and Exhibition)
  • Satisfactory completion of an oral review and defense after twenty-seven credits. The oral review and defense is presented to the student's thesis committee, which must consist of three art faculty members. Each student is responsible for inviting faculty to serve on his or her committee and for inviting one of the committee members to serve as the chair.
  • Satisfactory completion of an oral review and defense of the graduate exhibit and thesis conducted by the student’s thesis committee, which must consist of the same three art and design faculty members who conducted the oral review and defense after twenty-seven credits. Exceptions may be granted by the Art and Design Department chairperson.
  • Presentation of recent work at two scheduled graduate critiques each semester the student is enrolled.
  • Completion of graduate studies with a minimum grade point average of 3.0.
  • At least fifty percent of the degree must be completed in stand-alone graduate courses.
  • Forty-eight hours of credit must be earned in regularly scheduled classes unless special arrangements are approved by the Art and Design Department chairperson.
  • No more than nine hours of approved transfer credit at the graduate level may be included in meeting the degree requirement of sixty hours.
  • All graduate students in studio art must surrender one work approved by the faculty from their thesis exhibition.