Art Major, Studio Art, BFA

The BFA degree requires 82 hours in art and is considered the professional degree in art. The BFA in Studio Art is divided into areas of emphases, which provide the individual student’s focus for their program.  The Art and Design Department offers emphases in Drawing and Painting; Graphic Design; Printmaking; Photography; and Ceramics.  All emphases in the BFA in Studio Art programs share the same requirements in General Education Curriculum and Art Core but vary in the Major Courses requirements (see below).

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 degree, “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 other Studio Art emphases) 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 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.