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Crafts - B.F.A.

COLLEGE: College of the Arts
DEPARTMENT: School of Art
211 Art Building
Tel: 330-672-2192
E-mail: msmerce1@kent.edu
Web: http://dept.kent.edu/art
Sean Mercer, Division Coordinator

Resources:

 
DESCRIPTION: The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Crafts prepares students for professional careers in the visual arts by developing technical competency, creative/independent problem solving and conceptual understanding necessary for the challenges of a creative professional practice in their chosen specialization or further study in graduate school. Through study of sophisticated design concepts, mastery of skills and technologies, and critical analysis of historical and contemporary issues, students learn to analyze and evaluate visual art and employ this knowledge toward their own creative practice. This knowledge will culminate in a capstone experience in the form of a senior thesis exhibition; the production of a cohesive body of work which is evaluated by a panel of faculty reviewers. The program is comprised of concentrations in Ceramics, Glass, Jewelry/Metals/Enameling and Textile Arts. Though a student concentrates in one discipline, interdisciplinary explorations are encouraged.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES:
Artists held about 221,900 jobs in 2008. About 60 percent were self-employed. Employment was distributed as follows:

Art directors  84,200
Multimedia artists and animators  79,000
Fine artists, including painters, sculptors and illustrators  23,600
Craft artists  13,600
Artists and related workers, all other  21,500

Of the artists who were not self-employed, many worked for advertising and related services; newspaper, periodical, book, and software publishers; motion picture and video industries; specialized design services; and computer systems design and related services. Some self-employed artists offered their services to advertising agencies, design firms, publishing houses, and other businesses.

Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers held about 52,100 jobs in 2008. About 21 percent of salaried jobs for jewelers and precious stone and metal workers were in retail trade, primarily in jewelry, luggage, and leather goods stores. Another 15 percent of jobs were in jewelry and silverware manufacturing. A small number of jobs were with merchant wholesalers of miscellaneous durable goods and in repair shops providing repair and maintenance of personal and household goods. Although jewelry stores and repair shops were found in every city and in many small towns, most jobs were in larger metropolitan areas.

Textile, apparel, and furnishings workers held 787,500 jobs in 2008.

Many manufacturing jobs can be found in California, New York, North Carolina, Texas, and Pennsylvania. Jobs in reupholstering, shoe repair and custom leatherwork, and laundry and dry-cleaning establishments are found in cities and towns throughout the Nation. Overall, about 11 percent of all workers in textile, apparel, and furnishings occupations were self-employed; however, about 43 percent of all tailors, dressmakers, and sewers and about 29 percent of all upholsterers were self-employed.

(Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)
ADMISSION
REQUIREMENTS:
General Admission for Freshman Students: Students most likely to be admitted and succeed at the Kent Campus are those who have graduated with at least 16 units of the recommended college preparatory curriculum in high school, who have achieved a cumulative high school grade point average of 2.5 or higher (on a 4.0 scale), and whose composite ACT score is 21 or better (980 combined critical reading and math SAT score). For more information on admissions, visit the Admissions website for new freshmen.

Transfer Student: Applicants meeting the general transfer requirement for admission (2.0 cumulative GPA) will receive an art application from the School of Art. A portfolio must be submitted for review.
GRADUATION
REQUIREMENTS:
Minimum 126 total credit hours, minimum 39 upper-division hours. Minimum 2.50 GPA in the major and 2.50 GPA overall required for graduation. Minimum 2.50 GPA overall required for internship. Courses with an FDM prefix must be passed with minimum C (2.00) grade. Students are deregistered from FDM classes when minimum C (2.00) grade has not been attained in the course prerequisite.
LANGUAGE
REQUIREMENT:
None
STUDY ABROAD/AWAY OPPORTUNITIES: Travel to: New York, London and Paris, and Tunisia
Study Abroad in Florence, Italy; Semester in Italy or the Summer Art and Culture trip

There are many Study Abroad/Away Opportunities, for more information contact the Office of Global Education.
PROGRAM FEE:
$100/semester
ACCREDITATION: National Association of Schools of Art and Design
GRADUATE
PROGRAMS:
Crafts (M.F.A), Theatre Studies: Costume Design, Design Technology (M.F.A.), Business Administration (M.B.A.)