Professors: Fink, Fundingsland, Ganje, Jones (Chair), Luber, Miller, Monsebroten (Graduate Program Director), Paulsen, Smith and Widmer

Program Description

The Master of Fine Arts degree program in Visual Arts is a strongly studio-oriented professional preparation in the media areas of ceramics, drawing, metalsmithing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, mixed media, and timebased media arts. Within and outside the visual arts areas there are many opportunities (and encouragement) for balanced study in art history/theory and supporting disciplines.

Admission Requirements

1. The graduate program in visual arts operates on a rolling admissions basis. Applicants are advised to apply by March 1 for fall admission or October 1 for spring admission. Acceptance as well as financial support are considered pending availability of resources.
   
   
2. Admission to Approved Status requires a BA or BFA degree with at least 63 semester hours in studio courses plus a minimum of 12 semester hours in art history from a regionally accredited college or equivalent.
   
   
3. Twenty (20) clearly labeled color slides (2" x 2" cardboard or plastic mounted) and/or additional documentation in cd/dvd representative examples of the student’s recent work. The work samples should be submitted to the Art Department Graduate Committee and accompanied by a list containing the viewing sequence, titles, date of completion, dimension (duration), and media.
   
4. For students who have earned graduate credit in art or hold an MA degree, a maximum of 15 credits may be accepted towards the MFA degree. Of those 15 credits, up to 6 credits in Art History may be accepted towards the 9 credit art history requirement.

Degree Requirements

1. The program consists of 60 credits in the following areas:

   Major Media Area (Ceramics, Painting, Drawing, New Media, Metalsmithing, Printmaking, Mixed Media, or Sculpture)	30 credits
   Art History and Theory	9 credits
   Electives
   (including at least 12 credits in art)	18 credits
   Professional Exhibition	3 credits

   
   
2. Formal review of the MFA candidate’s work will be conducted by the appropriate faculty at the end of the student’s second and third semesters of the graduate program.
   
   
3. Prerequisites to graduation include:
   
   
   1. Preparation and presentation of a Graduation Exhibition, which will be a formal presentation of creative work.
      
      
   2. Supplementary exhibition materials including artist’s statement and exhibition announcements.
      
      
   3. A slide portfolio and/or documentation in cd/dvd of the Graduation Exhibition must be submitted to the Art Department for its permanent files.
      
      
   4. Successful completion of Art 510.

Residence Requirement.The MFA degree requires at least two semesters, or one semester and two summer sessions taken within a three-year period, in residence.

Professional Exhibition. All MFA candidates are required to register for Art 599—Professional Exhibition (three credits). The intention is to give candidates a summary experience as they near the end of their formal training which will serve as a benchmark in their career development. The presentation and format of the catalog may vary with what the candidate and committee deem appropriate and complimentary to the work to be presented in the exhibition. The artist’s statement may include such things as a critical statement on the candidate’s work, its development, its cultural, philosophical and historical context, and/or reference to the artist’s procedures and techniques.

Candidacy for the Degree. Admission of a student to the Graduate School as a degree student in Approved Status implies only that the student has met the minimum entrance requirements and will be permitted to take graduate courses which normally may be expected to lead to a degree. The student has not been admitted as a candidate for a degree. Advancement to candidacy is granted only after the completion of specific requirements and upon the recommendation of the faculty advisory committee. Candidates for the MFA degree will not be permitted to graduate in the same semester or summer session in which they are advanced to candidacy.

Students in Approved Status may be advanced to candidacy for a MFA degree when they have satisfied the following requirements in approximately the following sequence:

1. Completion of the first departmental comprehensive evaluation. During the course of study, all MFA students will be evaluated twice and recommendations will be made regarding continuation in the degree program. The first evaluation, held near the end of the second semester, is conducted by a committee of three members from the Graduate Faculty of the Art department. After formal review of the student’s work, the committee prepares a written summary of the results of the evaluation and a recommendation regarding the continuance of the student. A copy of the evaluation is sent to the Graduate School.
   
   
2. Program of Study should normally be approved no later than the beginning of the third semester of enrollment.
   
   
3. Completion of a substantial portion of the course work for the degree with an overall GPA of no less than 3.00.
   
   
4. Completion of the second formal departmental comprehensive evaluation prior to the end of the semester preceding the semester in which the student expects to graduate (normally the third semester in residence). The evaluation will be conducted by the student’s faculty advisory committee and will consist of a review of the student’s progress toward completion of degree requirements, and a review of plans for the professional exhibition. The results of the evaluation will be filed with the Graduate School and will include a recommendation regarding advancement to candidacy for the MFA degree.
   
   
5. Recommendation to the Dean of the Graduate School for advancement to candidacy by the faculty advisory committee.

Final Evaluation. The faculty advisory committee will examine and evaluate the student’s performance in the Professional Exhibition, and report the results to the Graduate School on the form titled “Final Report on Candidate” by the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar. The advisor and department chairperson will certify receipt of a copy of the Exhibition Catalog and a slide portfolio and/or documentation in cd/dvd format of the Exhibition.

Courses

501. Sculpture. 1 to 6 credits. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Extensive work and study in three dimensional form, media, and methods. Repeatable to 30 credits.

510. Art History: Issues in Contemporary Art. 3 credits. Examines issues in contemporary art relevant to practicing artists. Addresses current intellectual debates around the work of contemporary artists and issues relevant to artists working in a regional setting. Examines the institutional context of contemporary art practice, such as exhibitions venues and funding for professional artists.

511. History of Art: Graduate Seminar. 1 credit repeatable to 2 credits. Offered S. Explores the theoretical basis for integrated concepts and methods of critical analysis in the visual arts. The course is intended to help students become aware of the major critical perspectives of the discipline and practical issues related to careers in the fine arts. Methodological, critical, and professional projects will be completed by students in the course.

520. Painting. 1 to 6 credits. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Individual research and experimentation in painting. Repeatable to 30 credits.

530. Drawing. 1 to 6 credits. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Experimentation and elaboration to drawing skills and techniques, both innovative and traditional. Emphasis on individual exploration. Repeatable to 30 credits.

537. Graduate Co-op Education. 1-4 credits. Prerequisite: Graduate standing: approval of Departmental Advisor/Coordinator, with student on file with the Co-op Ed. Office prior to registration, and written permission from the student’s VA graduate committee. An elective opportunity in the VA graduate program toward the MFA to participate in an apprentice experience in one’s selected field of concentration.

540. Printmaking. 1 to 6 credits. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Individual research and experimentation in printmaking. Repeatable to 30 credits.

550. Ceramics. 1 to 6 credits. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Individual instruction and experimentation in Ceramics. Repeatable to 30 credits.

560. Metalsmithing: Jewelry and Small Sculpture. 1 to 6 credits. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Exploration of historical, traditional, and innovative jewelry and small sculpture techniques using non- ferrous metals, gems, and other materials. Repeatable to 30 credits.

570. Mixed Media. 1 to 6 credits repeatable to 30. Prerequisites: Permission of instructor. Individual instruction and experimentation in mixed media.

573. Timebased Media Arts. 1 to 6 credits repeatable to 30. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Individual research and experimentation in time-based and media art practice through video, animation, media installation, performance, and/or interdisciplinary art.

581. Workshop. 1 to 6 credits. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Special emphasis and encouragement in the use of new materials. Primary course objectives are to be accomplished by bypassing traditional techniques and establishing new approaches to problem solving. Repeatable to twelve credits.

590. Individual Research. 1 to 9 credits. Research and creative experiences within a specific area of interest in the Visual Arts and emphasis on refinements of aesthetic applications of techniques and media. By permission of instructor. Repeatable to twenty- two credits.

599. Professional Exhibition. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Permission of student’s Graduate Committee. Artist statement, preparation, design, installation, and catalog of solo show.

410. History of Art: Selected Topics. 3 credits.

412. History of Art: 20th Century. 3 credits.

413. History of Graphic Design. 3 credits.

416. History of Art: Renaissance and Baroque. 3 credits.

417. History of Art: Museum Studies Practicum. 3 credits.

419. History of Art: Late 18th through the 19th Century. 3 credits.

423. History of Art: 20th and 21st Century. 3 credits.

424. History of Art: Non-Western Traditions. 3 credits.

490. Individual Research/Special Projects. 1 to 6 credits.