Mar 28, 2024  
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog [Not Current Academic Year. Consult with Your Academic Advisor for Your Catalog Year]

Art, B.F.A.


Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts  > School of Art  > Art, B.F.A.

Students seeking the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree must fulfill the 42-hour university core curriculum, complete 3 hours of electives and complete 81 credit hours in studio art and art history courses as follows:

  1. Twelve credit hours of 1000-level or 2000-level fundamentals program studio courses.
  2. Thirty credit hours of approved related arts courses for studio major concentrations in Painting, Photography/Digital Media and Sculpture.
  3. Twenty-seven credit hours in approved related arts courses for the studio major concentration in Graphic Design.

  4. Twelve credit hours in art history including ARTH 1380  and ARTH 1381  and six credit hours of art history at the 2000-level or above.
  5. A minimum of 57 credit hours must be earned in 3000- or 4000-level studio courses.

Students should refer to the recommended courses of study for each of the four specific studio majors.

Fundamentals Courses

Twelve credit hours (four 1000-level or 2000-level studio courses) and Art History I and II (ARTH 1380  and ARTH 1381 ) constitute an acceptable fundamentals program for studio major concentrations.

Related Arts Courses

A basic prerequisite for any related arts studio course is completion of 12 credit hours of fundamental studio courses. A minimum of 30 credit hours in related arts courses is required for the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in Painting, Photography/Digital Media and Sculpture. A minimum of 27 credit hours in related arts courses is required for the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in Graphic Design.

The term “related arts” is meant to include all intermediate-level courses offered by the school. These courses are taken after fundamentals courses and before junior-level major concentration courses. Students must have completed the fundamental course in a discipline before they take an intermediate level course in that discipline or have specific consent of the instructor. Related arts courses can include any art history course at the 2000 or higher level, any course approved by a major program’s faculty that is offered by another department, and any 3000-4000-level art or design studio course.

Exception: Students wishing to begin work in studio concentration courses who have not previously taken the fundamental course in the concentration, should take the corresponding 1000-level or 2000-level course, which can be petitioned for related arts credit.

Normally, students are expected to complete a minimum of 12-15 credit hours of related arts courses, including at least one 3000-level premajor studio course in the same discipline as the intended major, before applying for admission to the major concentration.

Admittance to a major concentration is not guaranteed. This process involves a competitive portfolio review of a student’s work and a vote by the faculty of the major concentration. Students are allowed to participate in the competitive portfolio review no more than two times.

Studio Major Concentration Courses

Prerequisites for the major concentration vary among the studio majors. All major concentrations require participation in the competitive portfolio review and formal individual approval by the major faculty.

On completion of junior courses in the concentration, a review of the student’s progress by the major faculty is mandatory. No student is allowed to continue in the major concentration until formal approval has been granted by the major faculty. Students must have an approved degree plan on file in the Art Office before they begin their senior major program. Any substitutes for junior or senior major concentration courses must be approved by the faculty of the major area.

At a minimum, transfer students must take the final 30 credit hours of the Bachelor of Fine Arts program, including one three-credit pre major studio course and a full 27 credit hours in the Graphic Design major concentration or 36 credit hours in the Painting, Photography/Digital Media or Sculpture major concentration. Students may not apply any major concentration courses completed more than seven years prior to the graduation semester in fulfillment of degree requirements.

Studio Majors


Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Studio Art - Concentration in Graphic Design


Art History (12 hours)


Required Courses

Recommended Course

Fundamentals (12 hours)


Related Arts (21 hours)


Required Courses - Major Concentration (36 hours)


Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Studio Art - Concentration in Painting


Required Courses - Art History (12 hours)


Fundamentals (12 hours)


Related Arts (30 hours)


Required Courses

Recommended Courses

Required Courses - Major Concentration (27 hours)


Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Studio Art - Concentration in Photography/Digital Media


Required Courses - Art History (12 hours)


Fundamentals (12 hours)


Related Arts (30 hours)


Recommended Courses

Required Courses - Major Concentration (27 hours)


Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Studio Art - Concentration in Sculpture


Required Courses - Art History (12 hours)


Fundamentals (12 hours)


Related Arts (30 hours)


Required Courses

Recommended Courses

Required Courses - Major Concentration (27 hours)