M.F.A. in Visual Arts

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Master of Fine Arts degree program in Visual Arts is a strongly studio-oriented professional preparation in the media areas of ceramics, drawing, metal smithing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and mixed media art. Within and outside the visual arts areas there are many opportunities (and encouragement) for balanced study in art history/theory and supporting disciplines.

 

Mission Statement and Program Goals

The mission of the Department of Art and Design’s graduate

M.F.A. program is to provide quality educational experiences to the students that promote critical thinking and creative visual skills based upon the history of art, contemporary trends and theories, and technical skills in the fine art disciplines. Graduates will be prepared to be active artist/researchers who are engaged in a dialogue, which critically examines the larger culture of which the visual arts play an integral role. Graduates will be prepared to enter the professional art world as self-directed practioners/artists, educators, or occupations in art museums and galleries. These goals are accomplished through a curriculum that includes hands-on studio experience and academic seminars as a vehicle for the investigation into visual expression.

 

Goal 1: Students will refine technical skills, with materials, techniques, and equipment specific to the production of their visual art.

Goal 2: Students will refine oral and written skills as a means to communicate the conceptual basis of their visual research and to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the cultural, theoretical, and rhetorical issues in the history of art.

Goal 3: Students will develop skills to refine their critical thinking and the conceptual basis for their art work and contextualize their work within the history of art and/or contemporary trends and theories.

Goal 4: Students hone professional skills as artists needed to promote their creative research and to advance within their chosen careers.

Admission Requirements

Applicants who are seeking admission to Graduate School must meet all of the minimum general graduate school admission requirements identified in the Graduate School Catalog. In addition, the prospective students must fulfill the requirements for admission to the graduate program in Visual Arts.

1. Admission to Approved Status requires a BA or BFA degree with at least 63 semester hours in studio courses plus a minimum of 12 semester hours in art history from a regionally accredited college or equivalent.

2. A cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.75 for all undergraduate work or a GPA of at least 3.0 for thejunior and senior years of undergraduate work (based on A= 4.00).

3. A minimum TOEFL Score of 550 on the paper-based test or 213 on the computer-based test, or for the Internet based TOEFL, a composite score of 79, with minimum scores of 21/30 (Speaking*); 19/30 (Listening); 19/30 (Reading); and 17/30 (Writing) for applicants whose native language is not English. Applicants may also meet language requirements by presenting IETLS scores of 6.5.

*Applicants being considered for Graduate Teaching Assistantships must achieve these minimum TOEFL scores, but have a minimum score of 26/30 on the Speaking subtest.

4. Students who have received a bachelor’s degree or higher from the United States or English-speaking Canada are not required to submit the TOEFL.

5. Twenty (20) clearly labeled color slides (2" x 2" cardboard or plastic mounted) and/or documentation in cd/dvd representative examples of the student’s recent work. The work samples should be submitted to the Department of Art and

Design’s Graduate Committee and accompanied by a list containing the viewing sequence, titles, date of completion, dimension (duration), and media.

6. For students who have earned graduate credit in art or hold an MA degree, a maximum of 15 credits may be accepted towards the MFA degree. Of those 15 credits, up to 6 credits in Art History may be accepted towards the 9- credit art history requirement.

The graduate program in visual arts operates on a rolling admissions basis. Applicants are advised to apply by March 1 for fall admission or October 1 for spring admission. Acceptance as well as financial support is considered pending availability of resources.

Degree Requirements

Students seeking the Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of North Dakota must satisfy all general degree requirements set forth by the Graduate School as well as particular requirements set forth by the Visual Arts Department of Art and Design’s Visual Arts program.

1. The program consists of 60 credits in the following areas:

a. Major Media Area (Ceramics, Painting, Drawing, Metalsmithing, Printmaking, Mixed Media, or Sculpture)  30 credits

b. Art History and Theory 9 credits

c. Electives 18 credits (including at least 12 credits in art)

d. Professional Exhibition 3 credits

Total 60 credits

2. At least one-half of the credits must be at or above the 500-level.

3. A maximum of one-fourth of the credit hours required for the degree may be transferred from another institution.

4. Formal review of the MFA candidate’s work will be conducted by the appropriate faculty at the end of the student’s second and third semesters of the graduate program.

5. Prerequisites to graduation include:

a. Preparation and presentation of a Graduation Exhibition, which will be a formal presentation of creative work.

b. Supplementary exhibition materials including artist’s statement and exhibition announcements.

c. A slide portfolio and/or documentation in cd/dvd of theGraduation Exhibition must be submitted to the Department of Art and Design for its permanent files.

d. Successful completion of Art 510.

 

Residence Requirement

The MFA degree requires at least two semesters, or one semester and two summer sessions taken within a three-year period, in residence.

 

Professional Exhibition

All MFA candidates are required to register for Art 599—Professional Exhibition (three credits). The intention is to give candidates a summary experience as they near the end of their formal training, which will serve as a benchmark in their career development. The presentation and format of the catalog may vary with what the candidate and committee deem appropriate and complimentary to the work to be presented in the exhibition. The artist’s statement may include such things as a critical statement on the candidate’s work, its development, its cultural, philosophical and historical context, and/or reference to the artist’s procedures and techniques.

 

Candidacy for the Degree

Admission of a student to the Graduate School as a degree student in Approved Status implies only that the student has met the minimum entrance requirements and will be permitted to take graduate courses that normally may be expected to lead to a degree. The student has not been admitted as a candidate for a degree. Advancement to candidacy is granted only after the completion of specific requirements and upon the recommendation of the faculty advisory committee. Candidates for the MFA degree will not be permitted to graduate in the same semester or summer session in which they are advanced to candidacy.

Students in Approved Status may be advanced to candidacy for a MFA degree when they have satisfied the following requirements in approximately the following sequence:

1. Completion of the first departmental comprehensive evaluation.

During the course of study, all MFA students will be evaluated twice and recommendations will be made regarding continuation in the degree program. The first evaluation, held near the end of the second semester, is conducted by a committee of three members from the Graduate Faculty of the Department of Art and Design. After formal review of the student’s work, the committee prepares a written summary of the results of the evaluation and a recommendation regarding the continuance of the student. A copy of the evaluation is sent to the Graduate School.

2. Program of Study should normally be approved no later than the beginning of the third semester of enrollment.

3. Completion of a substantial portion of the course work for the degree with an overall GPA of no less than 3.00.

4. Completion of the second formal departmental comprehensive evaluation prior to the end of the semester preceding the semester in which the student expects to graduate (normally the third semester in residence). The evaluation will be conducted by the student’s faculty advisory committee and will consist of a review of the student’s progress toward completion of degree requirements, and a review of plans for the professional exhibition. The results of the evaluation will be filed with the Graduate School and will include a recommendation regarding advancement to candidacy for the MFA degree.

5. Recommendation to the Dean of the Graduate School for advancement to candidacy by the faculty advisory committee.

 

Final Evaluation

The faculty advisory committee will examine and evaluate the student’s performance in the Professional Exhibition, and report the results to the Graduate School on the form titled “Final Report on Candidate” by the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar. The advisor and department chairperson will certify receipt of a copy of the Exhibition Catalog and a slide portfolio and/or documentation in a cd/dvd format of the Exhibition.