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MFA Degree Requirements

Course Requirements

A minimum of 66 graduate credit hours is required for the MFA degree in Art. Requirements on this page are also available in a checklist format: MFA Graduate Credit Checklist. 

A. Studio Studies (31 credits):

  1. A minimum of 6 credit hours in your major studio area
  2. A minimum of 9 credit hours in courses outside of your major studio area, but within the Department of Art. Please note: Faculty advisor approval is required to count independent study work in studio-based programs outside of Art  (i.e. Dance, Theatre, Music, Architecture, etc.) 
  3. A minimum of 11 "flex" credit hours from either within or outside your major area
  4. One credit hour of Area Group Critique is required semesters 1 – 5

B. MFA Common Studies (18 credits):

  1. 12 credits of required Department of Art Seminars; which must include the First Year Interdisciplinary Seminar (Art 6018) in the first semester, Graduate Teaching Seminar (Art 6108) in your first semester of teaching, Research and Writing for Artists (Art 7208) in the fifth semester, and at least one Department of Art Seminar (Art 7108)
  2. One studio Art course 5001 and above 
  3. 3 Thesis credit hours to include: Thesis Advising (Art 7999.01) one credit in fifth semester; Thesis Exhibition (Art 7999.02) one credit in sixth semester, and Thesis Writing (Art 7999.03) one credit hours in sixth semester 

C. University Studies (17 credits, maximum 6 credits per semester):

  1. A minimum of 3 credit hours in History of Art--5000 level or above.
  2. A minimum of 3 credits in the Arts and Humanities*--4000 level or above (Art courses cannot fulfil this requirement)
  3. A minimum of 3 credits outside of the Visual & Performing Arts
  4. A minimum of 8 "other electives"--3 of these hours must be outside of Art 

*Departments in the Division of the Arts and Humanities:
Advanced Computing Center for Arts & Design (ACCAD), African American & African Studies (AAAS), Arts Administration, Education, and Policy (AAEP), Classics, Comparative Studies, Dance, Design, East Asian Languages and Literatures, English, French and Italian, Germanic Languages and Literatures, History, History of Art, Linguistics, Music, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Philosophy, Spanish and Portuguese, Theatre/Film/Media Arts, Women's Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures

Exhibition Requirements

First Year MFA Exhibition Requirements:

The First Year MFA Exhibition is a student-generated exhibition, typically occurring in February. It is led and organized by two student representatives who are elected by Department of Art graduate students in the fall. The exhibition is intended to allow for experimentation, collaboration and/or offer a space to showcase work from the first semester.

Second Year MFA Exhibition Requirements:

The Second Year MFA Exhibition is a student-generated exhibition, typically occurring in August. It is led and organized by two student representatives who are elected by Department of Art graduate students in spring. The Exhibition is intended to allow for experimentation, to showcase new work from the summer, and to aid in the Review and Thesis Committee selection process which concludes at the end of September.

Third Year MFA Thesis Exhibition Requirements:

A public presentation of works demonstrating the achievements in the student’s area of specialization must be arranged as part of the annual, spring semester MFA Group Exhibition. The candidate, in consultation with the Major Advisor of their review committee, is responsible for selecting the content of the exhibition. The exhibition will be laid out by the Graduate Chair (or other Department of Art representative) in consultation with Urban Arts Space staff. Installation and some PR support will be provided by UAS. Two student representatives who are elected by Department of Art graduate students in the fall, will assist the Graduate Chair in the development of PR, programming and communications related to the exhibition.