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:
- Twelve credit hours of 1000-level or 2000-level fundamentals studio courses.
- Thirty credit hours of approved related arts courses for majors in Painting, Photography/Digital Media and Sculpture.
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Twenty-one credit hours in approved related arts courses for the major in Graphic Design.
- Twelve credit hours in art history including ARTS 1303 and ARTS 1304 and six credit hours of art history at the 2000-level or above.
- 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 B.F.A. majors.
Fundamentals Courses
Eighteen credit hours total, including twelve credit hours of fundamental studio courses (four 1000-level or 2000-level studio courses) and Art History I and II (ARTS 1303 and ARTS 1304 ) constitute the lower level, foundational courses for B.F.A. majors.
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 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 in Graphic Design.
The term “related arts” is meant to include all intermediate-level courses offered by the school. 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 B.F.A. major courses who have not previously taken the fundamental course in the major, 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.
Admittance to a major is not guaranteed. This process involves a competitive portfolio review of a student’s work and a vote by the faculty of the major. Students are allowed to participate in the competitive portfolio review no more than two times.
B.F.A. Major Courses
Prerequisites for a major vary among the B.F.A. majors. All majors require participation in the competitive portfolio review and formal individual approval by the major faculty.
On completion of junior courses in the major, a review of the student’s progress by the major faculty is mandatory. No student is allowed to continue in the major 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 courses must be approved by the faculty of the major area.
At a minimum, transfer students to the Painting, Photography/Digital Media or Sculpture majors must take one three-credit premajor studio course and the final 27 credit hours in the major. Transfer students to the Graphic Design major must take one three-credit premajor studio course and the final 36 credit hours in the major. Students may not apply any major courses completed more than seven years prior to the graduation semester in fulfillment of degree requirements.
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