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Full Description

The Master of Fine Art degree in Studio Art is designed to prepare students for careers as independent visual arts through the cultivation and refinement of a successful studio practice. The program emphasizes intensive personal investigation and the development of strong aesthetic and conceptual understanding. In addition to time in their own studio, students have opportunities to enhance existing skills and knowledge by observing undergraduate class demonstrations and critiques.

The M.F.A. is the terminal degree in the studio arts and is a requirement for those who intend to teach visual arts in higher education.

The Studio Art major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Ceramics concentration offers an intense focus on artistic development. Through mentorship and a broad spectrum of course offerings, students work closely with faculty advisors to find their own voice as artists. Studio practice is supplemented with art history seminars, visiting artist lectures, summer workshops and travel study programs to New York City, culminating in a solo M.F.A. thesis exhibition.
• The Drawing concentration draws upon contemporary practices and discourse in the field to prepare students for a life in the arts. Students are encouraged to work across disciplines and techniques in order to develop a body of work that reflects their independent investigations in drawing. Studio practice is supplemented with art history seminars, visiting artist lectures, summer workshops and travel study programs to New York City, culminating in a solo M.F.A. thesis exhibition.
• The Glass concentration is based on the belief that successful creative work results from spending time with one’s ideas and receiving constructive and supportive criticism from faculty and peers. The concentration aims to create an atmosphere where students pursue ideas and engage in an extended scholarly dialogue. While building on the legacy of the American Studio Glass Movement, students are fostered to be leaders in redefining the future of studio glassmaking.
• The Jewelry, Metals and Enameling concentration allows students to build individual research strategies for developing a coherent and distinctive body of work. Investigations of inter-media and interdisciplinary relationships are part of the curricular focus. Students are expected to be conscious of and involved in contemporary practices, discourse and trends, nationally and globally, among the field and within the larger arts/crafts/design movements. In addition to time in their own studio, students have opportunities to enhance existing skills and knowledge by observing undergraduate class demonstrations and critiques. Students are encouraged to use both traditional and contemporary studio practices while having access to an array of metalsmithing equipment, enameling kilns and a digital fabrication laboratory.
• The Painting concentration draws upon contemporary practices and discourse in the field to prepare students for a life in the arts. Students are encouraged to work across disciplines and techniques in order to develop a body of work that reflects their independent investigations in painting. Studio practice is supplemented with art history seminars, visiting artist lectures, summer workshops and travel study programs to New York City, culminating in a solo M.F.A. thesis exhibition.
• The Print Media and Photography concentration aims to strengthen students’ personal vision through emphasis on the conceptual aspects of the printmaking and photography disciplines. Students have access to studios for lithography, etching, relief, silkscreen and digital media, in addition to a darkroom, press room and digital fabrication laboratory. Enrollment is deliberately kept small enough to make possible the faculty mentor/student relationship.
• The Sculpture and Expanded Media concentration encourages proficiency in foundational methods of making-modeling, carving and assembly. The concentration is a springboard for students to learn how to communicate ideas through sculptural works. Although sculpture classes are rooted in the history of object-making, new forms of sculptural practice (installation, time-based practice, sound and kinetic works) are all part of a comprehensive three-dimensional program.
• The Textiles concentration positions textile-making firmly within the contemporary art landscape while encouraging a transdisciplinary approach to studio practice. Students work closely with faculty mentors to nurture their artistic voice and draw upon the significant resources of the textiles program. Individual-making is contextualized by engaging the histories, political meanings and social themes embedded in the discipline alongside the broader art historical canon. The program integrates studio activity, art historical research, summer workshops, travel study to New York City and the culminating M.F.A. thesis exhibition as a means of guiding emerging artists toward an active, public, evolving and sustainable art practice.

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
• Minimum 2.750 undergraduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale
• Official transcript(s)
• Curriculum vitae that includes exhibitions and relevant experience
• Goal statement (250-500 words) indicating applicant's reasons for applying and the motivations for pursuing the degree in the proposed area of specialization
• Artist statement (250-500 words) that describes the major themes in the applicant's work, how the applicant formalizes those themes and the concepts and artists that influence the applicant
• Portfolio of 20 images with title, medium, dimensions and date
• Three letters of recommendation from persons who are in the proposed area of study or a closely related field.
• English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:¹
  • Minimum 79 TOEFL iBT score
  • Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
  • Minimum 58 PTE score
  • Minimum 110 DET score

¹

International applicants who do not meet the above test scores will not be considered for admission.

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester
  • Application deadline: February 1

Applications submitted by this deadline will receive the strongest consideration for admission.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Demonstrate advanced professional competence in studio art as exemplified by depth of knowledge and achievement of a significant body of work.
2. Write and present orally the historical and cultural contents of art production.
3. Demonstrate advanced skills of aesthetic judgement and assessment, as well as integration/synthesis and independent thought.
4. Discuss contemporary art making and relevant issues.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

¹

Students may take studio art electives through graduate studio, cross-discipline, seminar-style courses, travel study and/or independent study both within and outside of their declared concentration.

²

General electives may be taken outside the School of Art.

³

Students' thesis may comprise an installation or a series of collective works, in addition to a written thesis. The written thesis must document and substantiate the visual works through historical context, process or other theoretical premises. Students must present an oral defense of the works to a faculty committee, in addition to mounting the installation and preparing the written thesis.

Ceramics Concentration Requirements

¹

ARTS 55080, ARTS 55090 and ARTS 55095 may be used to fulfill concentration electives with approval from a faculty or academic advisor.

²

Maximum 6 credit hours of ARTS 55090 may be applied toward the M.F.A. degree.

Drawing Concentration Requirements

¹

ARTS 55080, ARTS 55090 and ARTS 55095 may be used to fulfill concentration electives with approval from a faculty or academic advisor.

²

Maximum 6 credit hours of ARTS 55090​ may be applied toward the M.F.A. degree.

Glass Concentration Requirements

¹

ARTS 55080, ARTS 55090 and ARTS 55095 may be used to fulfill concentration electives with approval from a faculty or academic advisor.

²

Maximum 6 credit hours of ARTS 55090​ may be applied toward the M.F.A. degree.

Jewelry, Metals and Enameling Concentration Requirements

¹

ARTS 55080, ARTS 55090 and ARTS 55095 may be used to fulfill concentration electives with approval from a faculty or academic advisor.

²

Maximum 6 credit hours of ARTS 55090​ may be applied toward the M.F.A. degree.

Painting Concentration Requirements

¹

ARTS 55080, ARTS 55090 and ARTS 55095 may be used to fulfill concentration electives with approval from a faculty or academic advisor.

²

Maximum 6 credit hours of ARTS 55090​ may be applied toward the M.F.A. degree.

Print Media and Photography Concentration Requirements

¹

ARTS 55080, ARTS 55090 and ARTS 55095 may be used to fulfill concentration electives with approval from a faculty or academic advisor.

²

Maximum 6 credit hours of ARTS 55090​ may be applied toward the M.F.A. degree.

Sculpture and Expanded Media Concentration Requirements

¹

ARTS 55080, ARTS 55090 and ARTS 55095 may be used to fulfill concentration electives with approval from a faculty or academic advisor.

²

Maximum 6 credit hours of ARTS 55090​ may be applied toward the M.F.A. degree.

Textiles Concentration Requirements

¹

ARTS 55080, ARTS 55090 and ARTS 55095 may be used to fulfill concentration electives with approval from a faculty or academic advisor.

²

Maximum 6 credit hours of ARTS 55090​ may be applied toward the M.F.A. degree.

³

Maximum 6 credit hours of ARTS 55300 may be applied toward concentration requirements.

⁴

Maximum 9 credit hours of ARTS 55314 may be applied toward concentration requirements.

⁵

Maximum 9 credit hours of ARTS 55351 may be applied toward concentration requirements.

Graduation Requirements

• Maximum 6 credit hours of travel study courses may be applied toward the M.F.A. degree.
• Maximum 42 credit hours of graduate studio courses may be applied toward the M.F.A. degree from the studio arts electives, general electives and concentration electives.

• No more than one-half of a graduate student’s coursework may be taken in 50000-level courses.
• Grades below C are not counted toward completion of requirements for the degree.

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)