Art Education Major, BFA

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Students are required to meet with their faculty advisor to schedule classes and discuss degree requirements, see Section 10.4.

The B.F.A. in Art Education program provides professional training and studio art experiences preparing one for teacher licensure in art for grades K-12. The B.F.A. in Art Education is also approved by the Mississippi State Department of Education and accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), thereby enabling graduates to satisfy the certification requirements for the State of Mississippi in Art Education. The BFA degree requires 82 hours in art, a C or higher in all coursework, and is considered the professional degree in art.

All incoming students who wish to enter either the BA or BFA programs of study will begin with a PRE designation until they apply for and successfully complete the Portfolio Review. The designations (“PRE-Art Education” for those intending to pursue Art Education, “PRE–Fine Arts BA” for those intending to pursue the BA, “PRE-Fine Arts Graphic Design” for those intending to pursue the Graphic Design emphasis, and “PRE-Fine Arts Studio Art” for those intending to pursue Studio Art) serve to aid in advising and denotes what area of study the student is interested in pursuing. Freshman art students will apply after completing or in the semester in which they will complete their foundation art courses (ART 103 , ART 104 , ART 105 , ART 106 , ART 195 ). Students who have transferred all equivalent foundation courses listed above from other institutions will complete one full semester of coursework at The W before applying to Portfolio Review.

Portfolio Review:

All PRE designated art students are required to submit a portfolio of work from foundation art courses to be reviewed by the art faculty. This review is essential to gauge student’s potential for success, evaluate their mastery of fundamental skills, and provide an opportunity for reflection through self-assessment, all which are necessary in order to face the challenges of upper-level coursework.

Students will be notified during the semester in which they are eligible for the Portfolio Review and will be given more complete instructions at that time. If deferred, students are allowed to reapply only once to pass the Portfolio Review, and this reapplication must be in the student’s next semester at the W.