Graduate Program Overview
Department Head: Professor Carolyn Cardenas
Graduate Program Coordinator: Associate Professor J. Daniel Murphy, Ceramics
Specializations: Ceramics, Drawing, Graphic Design, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture
Degree offered: Master of Fine Art (MFA)
Master of Fine Art
The Master of Fine Art degree is the terminal degree in the visual arts field. The MFA program is designed to allow students to mature to a level of professional competence in the making of art. Related studies augment a rigorous studio program. The prospective student must exhibit both academic excellence and a well-developed personal artistic vision.
MFA Degree Requirements
Students must earn 60 credits, to include:
- 43 credits of graduate level studio art as determined by the student in consultation with his or her major professor, including a minimum of 6 credits outside of the emphasis area,
- 6 credits of Graduate Seminar,
- 2 credits of Graduate Interdisciplinary Critique,
- 6 credits outside the art department as specified by the supervisory committee, and
- 3 credits of Research and Thesis, which concludes with an MFA thesis exhibition and an oral defense. The MFA thesis is a visual presentation, the equivalent of a written dissertation in other disciplines. The thesis exhibition is the single most important feature of the MFA program; the culmination of at least two years, and often three or more years, of intensive study in a single discipline. In conjunction with the thesis exhibition, a student must submit bound, illustrated thesis documentation and an adequate selection of slides.
The MFA program is a full time resident program; it is not possible to complete the requirements for graduation by correspondence. The program is predicated on the assumption that students will live in Logan; candidates must complete a minimum of four semesters in residency. Nine credits per semester is considered full-time graduate enrollment; 12 credits are considered a maximum. A minimum of five semesters is thus required to complete the 60-credit program; most students require three years.
