Fine Arts - B.F.A. Download to print

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fine Arts prepares students for professional careers in the visual arts by developing their conceptual understanding, technical competency and independent problem solving at a professional entry-level in their chosen specialization. Through studio critiques and the study of art history, students learn to analyze and evaluate visual art and apply this knowledge to their own creative practice. Graduating students must demonstrate their competence by producing a body of work for evaluation presented in their senior project exhibition. The program comprises concentrations in Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture and Interdisciplinary, the latter of which allows students to combine two media in which to specialize.

Study Abroad/Study Away Opportunities:

• Travel/Study to: New York, Chicago, London and Paris, and Tunisia
• Study Abroad in Florence, Italy; Semester in Italy or the Summer Art and Culture trip
   

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.
(Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)
 

General Admission Information for Freshman Students: Admission Requirements at the Kent Campus: The freshman admission policy at the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon the following: cumulative grade point average, ACT and/or SAT scores, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends.

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago. 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.

Transfer students with more than two studio courses should submit a portfolio of work for proper placement. The director of the School of Art may impose additional requirements considered reasonable and necessary. Transfer credits are evaluated consistent with the state Transfer Articulation Guidelines (TAGs), although each student will be evaluated individually in terms of his or her ability to perform within the program. Transfer students should make every effort to complete admission requirements before the deadlines and to see an advisor in the School of Art for an evaluation of the portfolio and for schedule planning before registration.

For more information about admission criteria for transfer, transitioning and former students, please visit the admissions website.

Minimum 120 total credit hours, minimum 39 upper-division hours. Minimum 2.000 cumulative GPA and a 2.500 GPA in the major. Students are required to plan and execute independently a senior project exhibition that is presented for review to a fine arts faculty committee. The senior project includes a written proposal and an artist’s statement. Students should work closely with their fine arts faculty advisor on all aspects of the senior project.

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Demonstrate high quality in the presentation of the work under review for their senior project
2. Demonstrate understanding of important concepts and ability to apply them as relevant to the work created and exhibited
3. Demonstrate a high degree of design and visual literacy in their work
4. Articulate their individual vision in both written and oral form (thesis statement and oral defense before committee).

National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)

Students enrolled in a B.F.A. program in fine arts must receive a rating of “satisfactory” on selected works exhibited during their portfolio review.