Course Requirements
A minimum of 72 credit hours, all at the graduate level, is required for the MFA degree.
A. Studio Studies (40 – 52 Credits):
1. A minimum of 23 credit hours in your major studio area.
2. Area Group Critique is required semesters 1 – 5.
3. A minimum of 12 and maximum of 21 credit hours in courses outside of your major studio area, but within the Department of Art or another studio-based program (such as dance, theater, music, architecture) or with affiliated faculty and others approved by your adviser
B. MFA Common Studies (17 – 24 credits):
C. University Studies (12 – 24 credits, maximum 6 credits per semester):
1. A minimum of 3 credit hours in History of Art. Courses must be numbered 5000 level or above.
2. A minimum of 3 credit hours in elective courses within the Arts. This includes academic courses or specialized study numbered 5000 level and above within the Division of the Arts and Humanities, excluding art department coursework.
3. A minimum of 3 credit hours in electives outside the Arts. This includes academic courses or specialized study numbered 5000 level and above in departments outside of the Division of the Arts and Humanities.
4. A minimum of 3 additional elective coursework credits numbered 5000 level or above outside the Department of Art, but, otherwise, within or outside the Division of the Arts and Humanities.
Departments in the Division of the Arts and Humanities:
Advanced Computing Center for Arts & Design, African American & African Studies, Anthropology, Arts Administration, Education, and Policy, Classics, Communication, Comparative Studies, Dance, Design, East Asian Languages and Literatures, English, Film Studies, French and Italian, Germanic Languages and Literatures, History, History of Art, Linguistics, Music, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Philosophy, Spanish and Portuguese, Theatre, 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 in January. It is led and organized by two student representatives who are elected by Art Department 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 in September. It is led and organized by two student representatives who are elected by Art Department 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 Art Dept. 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 Art Department graduate students in the fall, will assist the Graduate Chair in the development of PR, programming and communications related to the exhibition.