Art Degrees Online

The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Studio program provides students who have an undergraduate degree with an opportunity to expand their work in a large professional fine arts school environment. The two-semester program is designed to help students develop their artistic vision and technical proficiency and produce a strong body of work for the purpose of graduate admissions.

Applicants to the program may be international students requiring a year of intensive studio work typical to the United State’s educational system before beginning an MFA program, individuals with a BA or BS who need an additional year of studio experience to prepare a portfolio, or individuals with a degree in art who wish to pursue work in a medium different from their undergraduate major.

The curriculum combines the tutorial aspects of graduate school with the formal course work of an advanced undergraduate program. Students supplement their studio work with two art history classes, a one-semester post-baccalaureate seminar (or equivalent studio work), and an optional studio seminar. Completion of the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Studio does not guarantee admission to the School’s Master of Fine Arts in Studio program. Credits taken while a post-baccalaureate student cannot be counted toward an MFA in studio degree at the School should you later be accepted into that program. See the MFA in Studio program for faculty.

Participating departments include art and technology studies; ceramics; fiber and material studies; film, video and new media; painting and drawing; performance; and visual communication.

Interior architecture, printmedia, photography, and sound departments do not offer this certificate. Additionally, the studio areas of designed objects, and design for emerging technologies do not offer the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Studio.

PNCA’s Master of Fine Arts in Visual Studies is a 60-credit, two-year program that is multi-disciplinary and mentor-based. The flexible character of this kind of program allows students to work within a singular discipline (traditional painting, for example) or to pursue a combined practice that bridges disciplines and media. This generalist structure compliments PNCA’s educational philosophy of supporting independent inquiry and encouraging cross-disciplinary dialog. Our students also benefit from a dynamic national and international roster of visiting artists and designers.

Graduate work at PNCA offers motivated students the opportunity to work closely with professionals from the faculty and arts community. In our mentor-based program students are connected with a studio practioner who provides one-on-one support and guidance for their disciplinary practice. Mentors are chosen to match the focus and concerns of the individual student. The mentor relationship provides the backbone of our program, and participating faculty and community members bring diversity, richness and depth of experience to our MFA candidates.

The MFA facilites at PNCA provide private studio spaces as well as a shared community environment. While graduate students engage in independent studio investigation they also meet as a group for critique seminars and on-campus activities. The critique seminar class allows students to engage in ongoing critical dialog around their own work and the work of fellow students. This class combines critique, readings, and a visiting artists program that emphasizes intellectual investigation into the language of visual studies.

To receive information or updates on the MFA in Visual Arts , please contact the Admissions Office at admissions [at] pnca.edu, or fill our inquiry form.

Since its founding in 1909, PNCA has continued to evolve into a leader in innovative programming that connects students to the world through fine art and design education. In addition to the mentor-based MFA in Visual Studies, the College’s programs include a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Communication Design, Illustration, Intermedia, General Fine Arts, Painting, Photography, Printmaking and Sculpture. Located in an award-winning campus in the heart of the Pearl district, PNCA is actively involved in Portland’s cultural programming through exhibitions and a vibrant public program of lectures and visiting artists.

In today’s marketplace, many corporate and educational positions require advanced degrees. The Master of Fine Arts in Photography Program at Brooks Institute is designed to expand the knowledge of students’ undergraduate learning experiences. This Photography Program allows students the opportunity to benefit from higher technical, aesthetic and practical knowledge while enhancing their pursuit of occupations requiring graduate education.

As a student, you will have access to a comprehensive curriculum encompassing the entirety of the photographic art industry. Fostering critical thinking, creativity and professional excellence, this Master of Fine Arts in Photography Program can help each student discover his or her potential. This program provides an experimental learning environment that allows students the opportunity to stay abreast of technological, aesthetic, business and societal changes while integrating personal, professional and social responsibility.

The Master of Fine Arts in Photography degree program is designed to be completed in two years; however, a student may take up to three years to complete the program. Upon graduation, students should be able to:
Create and exhibit a coherent body of photography / imaging art
Utilize a multitude of electronic and traditional resources to develop and execute effective research strategies
Describe the business, research and academic practices of the photographic field
Design activities that develop and enhance an understanding of photographic techniques, creative executions, and the intellectual aspects of the field of photography as an art form
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of contemporary aesthetic issues through oral and written forms
Communicate in writing and orally in a clear, effective, and professional manner within the academic and business photographic fields
Describe and articulate the business, research, and academic practices and developments of the photographic arts
Demonstrate the ability to synthesize knowledge and skills gained in courses and individual research in a culminating document
Communicate in written, oral and visual forms clearly, effectively and professionally within the academic and business photographic fields

The Department of Art offers programs leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and the Master of Fine Arts. The department is committed to creative research that investigates the relationship between inquiry and practice and how this dynamic manifests itself in contemporary and historical approaches to cultural production in a continually changing world.

The two-year program provides graduate students with the opportunity to explore studio production and theoretical work in a flexible structure that encourages individual development within an interdisciplinary context. The department stresses the importance of a rigorous understanding of the conditions in which art is produced. Students are exposed to methodologies of inquiry that foster innovative and problem-solving skills necessary for artistic development and creative production.

The program’s internationally accomplished faculty are actively engaged in a range of disciplines and areas that include art and cultural theory, art history, film, video, sound, architecture, digital media, print media, photography, performative studies, painting, spatial arts and related courses in the Humanities, Sciences and Engineering. A significant number of the permanent faculty hold joint or affiliate appointments with other departments such as the Media Arts & Technology graduate program, History of Art and Architecture, Asian American Studies, Comparative Literature and Film Studies. The department also maintains affiliate appointments with current faculty in History of Art and Architecture, English and German & Slavic Studies.

Students are given the opportunity to work one-on-one with faculty who are involved in a wide range of research practices. In conjunction with an intensive curriculum which includes theory, studio critique seminars, professionalism, a range of directed media research courses, and the department’s visiting artist lecture symposia, the study program provides graduate students with direct exposure to professional artists who visit individual graduate students’ studios.

The department wishes to attract motivated students who will benefit from interaction with a diverse and challenging faculty in an environment that offers focused research within a compelling natural setting while gaining exposure to the opportunities presented in the urban centers of Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Master of Fine Arts Degree

The graduate program leading to the M.F.A. degree is a 60 semester-hour degree program comprised of 18 hours in the major, 12 hours in art history, 24 hours of related arts, and six hours of graduate seminar. Candidates for the Master of Fine Arts degree are encouraged to complete all course work for the degree within three years to ensure the sustained concentration requisite to the achievement of quality work at the graduate level. Students must complete the degree program within five years. Additionally, students are required to complete one academic year in residence during the course of their degree program. This residency is defined as 18 semester hours comprising a minimum of nine semester hours taken in two consecutive semesters.

Throughout the program of study, student will be evaluated on a regular basis. A progress review is required during each semester of enrollment in the graduate program.

Upon completion of all course work for the degree, all graduate students present their work in a thesis exhibition at the Blaffer Gallery, with accompanying photographic documentation. The creative work and supporting documentation will represent the visual thesis. In addition, students must produce a written thesis, normally in the first semester of the final year of work for the degree, and pass a comprehensive oral examination conducted at the time of the Thesis Exhibition. The examination will cover students’ knowledge of their major discipline, of art history, and of related areas of art.

Admission Requirements
Applications will be considered from those who have completed a four-year Honours BA or BFA or equivalent with a B average (75%) or better.
Applicants will be required to complete an application form, provide 20 slides of recent work, a short statement of intention and a resume. In addition, an example of an upper level 8-10 page paper, preferably in art history, is required, as well as transcripts and three letters of recommendation.
Proof of competency in English (if applicable). A score of at least 600 is required in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) [250 on the computerized version]. (See Academic Regulations – English Language Proficiency Certification for other acceptable tests of English.)
Applicants without a degree or formal academic qualifications, but showing exceptional promise ,may be recommended for admission only in exceptional circumstances. Such prospective applicants should contact the Fine Arts graduate advisor prior to submitting their application.

Full-time students will require five consecutive terms to complete this program, which begins in the fall term. It is expected and required that students reside in the Waterloo area during their period of active enrollment and make regular use of the studios provided.

The Fine Arts Department offers an MFA program on a part-time basis to a limited number of students. Part-time students are not eligible for Teaching Assistantships, Scholarship support, or the Shantz Summer Internships. The part-time MFA program takes a minimum of 6 terms to complete; the maximum is 15 terms. Please contact the Fine Arts Graduate Officer for further details.

The Fine Arts Department offers graduate courses leading to the Master of Fine Arts Degree (MFA). The program is in studio art and its areas of specialization are:
Drawing
Painting
Sculpture (including ceramic sculpture)
Computer Imaging

The MFA degree is intended to lead students to a thorough mastery of both material and conceptual skills, and is used as a guarantee of professional competence in the visual arts. It is accepted as the final degree in studio art, and is now generally required for those intending to teach in this field at university level. It implies professional mastery of at least one medium, as well as a thorough grounding in art history, and an understanding of contemporary critical issues. It provides the time and circumstances to develop one’s work in individual directions and also requires the successful completion, exhibition and defence of a coherent body of work in a comprehensive solo exhibition. The seminar course includes the writing of a major research paper in the first year, while the thesis exhibition will be accompanied by an extended artist’s statement. As it serves as a requirement for teaching art, a supervised opportunity to learn to teach will be provided.

Program Overview

The Master of Fine Arts in imaging arts emphasizes a broad interpretation of photography as an art form. It is rooted in the belief that the study of imaging as a fine art can be enhanced by the study of imaging as an applied art, as a liberal art and as a technical art.

The master of fine arts program in imaging arts emphasizes a broad interpretation of photography as an art form, with the intention of inspiring and nurturing the individuality of each student as a creative, productive person. The program encourages graduate study in photography and related media as a means to personal, aesthetic, intellectual and career development.

The MFA curriculum provides a flexible pattern of study that is continually sensitive to the needs of each student, building upon the strengths that each individual brings to the program. Successful completion of the program enables a student to seek careers in education, museum, or gallery work, or as a self-employed professional. THIS PROGRAM REQUIRES FALL (SEPTEMBER) ENTRY WITH AN APPLICATION DEADLINE OF JANUARY 15.

The nurturing environment in which creative visual artists use the ever-expanding photographic medium characterizes Barry University’s photography programs. Emphasis is place upon creativity and originality, encouraging the students to develop portfolios possessing the same diversity and uniqueness as each of the artists creating them.

Individuals who have advanced skills in photography and who enjoy the challenge of stimulating creative and technical photographic activity should consider pursuing a graduate degree in photography from Barry University. Barry University offers two graduate degrees in photography, the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and the Master of Arts (MA).

The MFA degree is the standard academic credential needed to teach photography at the university level. This program requires a minimum of 66 credit hours to complete as well as a written thesis and a solo thesis exhibition.

The MA requires 36 credit hours to complete and an exhibition of your work.

We invite you to explore our web pages to find out more about our programs.