Caine College of the Arts

Department of Art and Design

The Master of Fine Arts degree is the terminal degree in the visual arts field. The MFA program is designed to allow students to mature to a level of professional competence in the making of art. Related studies augment a rigorous studio program. The prospective student must exhibit both academic excellence and a well-developed personal artistic vision.

Admission Requirements

All applicants are required to have earned a BFA or BS degree in Art or BID degree in Interior Design, or its equivalent, including a minimum of 12 credits of art history.  GPA in art courses must have been at least 3.0 on a 4-point scale.

Degree Requirements

Students must earn 60 credits, to include:

• 42 credits of graduate level studio, including a minimum of 6 credits outside of the declared emphasis area (consult professor before registering),
• 3 credits of ART 6900  Graduate Seminar: Professional Practices (required for studio arts disciplines; optional for graphic design and interior design students in the case that a related course, more specific to their area of study, be taken in its place at the recommendation of the students Thesis Advisory Committee)
• 3 credits of ARTH 6755: Contemporary Art: 1989 to the present  
• 3 credits of additional Art History (6000 level), area specific theory, or theory-related credits outside the department as advised by the Thesis Advisory Committee
• 3 credits of ART 6910: Graduate Interdisciplinary Critique  
• 3 credits of ART 6970: Research and Thesis  
• 3 credits outside the Department of Art and Design as specified by the supervisory committee

Students must pass a first-year review at the end of the first year of completion of study (12-24 credits). The MFA thesis is a visual presentation, the equivalent of a written dissertation in other disciplines. The thesis exhibition is the single most important feature of the MFA program; the culmination of three or more years, of intensive study in a single discipline. The student must also submit visual documentation of the thesis, in the form of a digital image portfolio.

The MFA program is a resident program; it is not possible to complete the requirements for graduation by correspondence. Students must complete a minimum of four semesters in residence as full-time students. For students not serving as graduate assistants who are otherwise employed on campus, 9 credits per semester is the minimum for full-time status. (12 credits is considered a maximum.) For students employed on campus, full-time status is dependent upon the number of hours per week that the student works. For instance, for a graduate student who is employed on campus for 20 hours per week (.50 FTE), 6 credits is considered full time. Students in their last semester who require fewer credits to complete their Program of Study may also be considered full-time. A minimum of five semesters is thus required to complete the 60-credit program; most students require three years.