Studio Art and Design (B.F.A.)
The B.F.A. is a four-year degree divided into two parts: the preprofessional program (freshman and sophomore years) and the professional program (junior and senior years). Majors are eligible to apply for the professional program when they have completed the art core, are in the process of completing the 200-level art course requirements, and have earned a minimum 2.75 GPA. Applications for the professional BFA program will be requested each semester; students must be admitted to the professional BFA through the review process before being admitted to ART 490 and ART 495. Transcripts and a portfolio of the student's art work must accompany the application. Students accepted into the professional program must complete 15 credits of 300-level studio courses with at least 6 of the 15 credits in one sequential studio area and 12 credits of art history before enrolling in ART 490 and ART 495. Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.75 and receive a grade of 'C' or better in the 300- and 400-level art courses. Students may reapply for entry into the professional program any semester after their sophomore year.
Computer Equipment: Beginning with the first year of the program, all art and design students are required to have their own laptop computer and appropriate software for use in their courses. Please refer to the College of Art and Architecture’s website for specifics.
Required coursework includes the university requirements (see regulation J-3); the art core; and a studio emphasis (all the 200-level and 300-level courses in a specific studio area) in graphic design, interaction design, painting, sculpture, printmaking, or photography/digital imaging; and:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Art Core | 15 | |
| Major Requirements | 59 | |
| Total Hours | 74 | |
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ART 205 | Visual Culture | 3 |
| ART 407 | New Media | 3 |
| ART 410 | Professional Practices | 2 |
| ART 490 | BFA Art/Design Studio (12 credits required) | 12 |
| ART 495 | Critical Art Writing Seminar | 3 |
| Select 6 credits of Art History Electives with advisor approval: | 6 | |
| History and Theory of Modern Design | ||
| Ancient & Pre-Modern Art | ||
| Modern Art and Theory | ||
| Contemporary Art and Theory | ||
| History of Typography | ||
| Visual Studies | ||
| Pictures and Power: Photography, Politics, and American History | ||
| Select 15 credits from the following 200-level Studio courses: | 15 | |
| Life Drawing | ||
| Digital Tools | ||
| Introduction to Graphic Design | ||
| Introduction to Typography | ||
| Painting I | ||
| Sculpture I | ||
| Printmaking I | ||
| Ceramics I | ||
| Introduction to Interaction Design | ||
| Introduction to Experiential Design | ||
| Understanding Photography | ||
| Select 15 credits from 300-400 level Studio courses: 1 | 15 | |
| Graphic Design: Concepts | ||
| Graphic Design: Studio | ||
| Intermediate/Advanced Painting | ||
| Intermediate/Advanced Sculpture | ||
| Intermediate/Advanced Printmaking | ||
| Intermediate/Advanced Ceramics | ||
| Interaction/Experiential Design: Concepts | ||
| Interaction/Experiential Design: Studio | ||
| Digital Imaging | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Faculty Directed Internship | ||
| Total Hours | 59 | |
Courses to total 120 credits for this degree
- 1
At least 6 credits must be taken in one studio area for a Studio Emphasis, i.e., ART 330; no more than 6 credits in one studio area may be counted toward this requirement.
No more than a combined total of 9 credits of the following courses may be applied toward a B.F.A. degree: ART 404, ART 488, ART 497, ART 498, and ART 499.
| Fall Term 1 | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| ART 100 | Introduction to Art: Why Art Matters | 3 |
| ART 111 | Drawing I | 3 |
| ART 121 | Integrated Design Process | 3 |
| ENGL 101 | Writing and Rhetoric I | 3 |
| Mathematical Ways of Knowing Course | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Term 1 | ||
| ART 112 | Drawing II | 3 |
| ART 122 | Art & Design Process | 3 |
| ENGL 102 | Writing and Rhetoric II | 3 |
| COMM 101 | Fundamentals of Oral Communication | 3 |
| Scientific Ways of Knowing Course | 4 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Fall Term 2 | ||
| ART 205 | Visual Culture | 3 |
| 200-Level Studio | 3 | |
| 200-Level Studio | 3 | |
| 200-Level Studio | 3 | |
| Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing Course | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Term 2 | ||
| 200-Level Studio | 3 | |
| 200-Level Studio | 3 | |
| Art History Elective | 3 | |
| Humanistic and Artistic Ways of Knowing Course (Non-Art) | 3 | |
| Scientific Ways of Knowing Course | 4 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Fall Term 3 | ||
| 300-Level Studio | 3 | |
| 300-Level Studio | 3 | |
| 300-Level Studio | 3 | |
| Art History Elective | 3 | |
| Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing Course | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Term 3 | ||
| 300-Level Studio | 3 | |
| 300-Level Studio | 3 | |
| American Diversity Course | 3 | |
| Upper Divison Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Divison Elective | 2 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Fall Term 4 | ||
| ART 407 | New Media | 3 |
| ART 490 | BFA Art/Design Studio | 6 |
| ART 495 | Critical Art Writing Seminar | 3 |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Term 4 | ||
| ART 410 | Professional Practices | 2 |
| ART 490 | BFA Art/Design Studio | 6 |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
The degree map is a guide for the timely completion of your curricular requirements. Your academic advisor or department may be contacted for assistance in interpreting this map. This map is not reflective of your academic history or transcript and it is not official notification of completion of degree or certificate requirements. Please contact the Registrar's Office regarding your official degree/certificate completion status.
- Students should acquire and possess the ability to think, speak, and write clearly and effectively, and to communicate with precision, cogency, and rhetorical force.
- Students should acquire and demonstrate technical mastery, capability to produce work and solve professional problems independently, and a coherent set of artistic/intellectual goals that are evident in the work.
- Students should demonstrate a broad working knowledge of various aesthetic issues, processes, and media and their relationship to the conceptualization, development, and completion of works of art and design within various specializations.
- Students should demonstrate competence by conceiving and creating a body of work for evaluation in a major area of study using design principles and technical skills to support work in the student's particular specialization.