Art Degrees Online

This concentration develops fundamental design, drawing and contemporary art practices. Students integrate skills and technology and exhibit their work.

Required course for concentration (12 semester hours):VART 251 Intermediate Drawing 3
VART 252 Intermediate Painting 3
VART 497 Individual Studio Projects 6

Select 9 hours from the following:VART 199 Topic in Art 3
VART 202 Art and Culture Travel Studies 1-3
VART 253 Ceramics 3
VART 254 Figure Drawing 3
VART 301 Advanced Drawing 3
VART 302 Advanced Painting 3
VART 311 Digital Art 3
VART 318 Portrait Photography 3
VART 319 Color Photography 3
VART 320 Alternative Photo Practices 3
VART 322 Sculpture 3
VART 323 Installation Art 3
VART 324 Performance Art 3
VART 360 Film and Photo Visual Culture 3
VART 412 Contemporary Art Practices 2 3
VART 492 Topics in Photography 3
VART 494 Topics in Art 3
VART 495 Directed Study 3
VART 496 Independent Study

Associate in Arts
Major Code – PHTC.AS

Parallels the first two years of most four-year institutions offering a major in Photography. Students must provide for their own use the following equipment: digital camera (of design approved by instructor), light meter, flash unit and tripod.
Program Requirements
General Education Requirements (42 Semester Hours)
Communication – 9 Hours
Speech
ENGL 1301 – Freshman Composition I
ENGL 1302 – Freshman Composition II
Social/Behavioral Sciences – 15 Hours
Social/Behavioral Science
GOVT 2305 – Government of the United States
GOVT 2306 – Government of Texas
HIST 1301 – History of the United States I
HIST 1302 – History of the United States II
Humanities – 3 Hours
Humanities
Fine Arts – 3 Hours
Fine Arts
Mathematics – 3 Hours
Mathematics
Natural Sciences – 8 Hours
Natural Sciences
Lifetime Fitness – 1 Hour
Lifetime Fitness
Major Course Requirements (9 Semester Hours)
ARTS 2356 – Fundamentals of Photography I
ARTS 2357 – Fundamentals of Photography II
DRAM 2366 – Introduction to Film
Recommended Courses (12 Semester Hours)

Students will be advised for other courses based on the university to which they plan to transfer.

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.

Due to the demanding nature of the laboratory photography courses, it may be inadvisable for students to take more than two laboratory courses in the same semester.

Photography majors usually own or have access to a manually adjustable 35mm single-lens reflex camera and hand-held light meter. Most students will want cameras equipped with normal, wide-angle, and telephoto lens by the time they enroll in Pho 112. Students must supply their own film, photographic paper, and other materials. With the accelerating move towards digital photography in the profession, it is increasingly advisable that Photography students own a good quality digital camera. Students are advised to ask the Photography faculty for guidance in selecting any digital equipment. The University has well-equipped darkrooms and studios and provides a limited amount of other equipment for use by students.

Transfer of credit for Photography courses taken at other institutions may be granted by the University as credit for semester hours; however, transfer students wishing to register for Photography courses more advanced than Pho 111 must consult with the Photography faculty unless transferring from an approved two-plus-two program. Permission to enroll in courses more advanced than Pho 111 will be granted only upon the evaluation of a portfolio of the student’s photographs by one or more members of the photography faculty. This evaluation must take place prior to or during the registration period for the student’s first semester at A&M-Commerce. Substitutions for course requirements may be made only with the approval of the department head. Majors must earn a grade of “C” or better in all Photography courses counted towards degree requirements.

Undergraduate
(Full-time = 12 or more credit hours)
Dorm With Parents Independent Off-Campus
Tuition 19,900 19,900 19,900
Room and Board* 8,372 3,825 7,425
Books and Supplies 1,000 1,000 1,000
Transportation 1,200 1,200 1,200
Miscellaneous 900 900 900
Total $31,372 $26,525 $30,425
* Room and board based on residential housing with 21 meal plan

Nursing
(Full-time = 12 or more credit hours. Most nursing students will complete 30 semester hours per year.)
Dorm With Parents Independent Off-Campus
Tuition 25,810 25,810 25,810
Room and Board 8,372 3,825 7,425
Books and Supplies 1,500 1,500 1,500
Transportation 1,200 1,200 1,200
Miscellaneous 900 900 900
Total $37,782 $33,235 $36,835

Masters of Education
(Full-time for Master of Education is 6 credit hours)
2009 – 2010 Tuition $18,977
Minus 25% discount for certified teachers -$4,744
Minus HOPE Teacher Scholarship -$6,000
Minus TEACH Grant -$6,000
2009 – 2010 program cost $2,233

Master of Arts in Teaching
(Full-time for Masters of Arts in Teaching is 6 credit hours; however most students enroll for 12 credit hours)
2009– 2010 Tuition $31,629
Minus HOPE TEACHER Scholarship -$7,800
Minus TEACH Grant -$6,000
2009-2010 program cost $17,829

For artists aspiring to follow in the footsteps of Picasso, Rauschenberg (a couple of the artists found in our own gallery), or Lamar Dodd (a former LaGrange student), there’s the Studio Concentration in Art and Design. Consisting of 42 semester hours for the major or 18 semester hours for the minor, the art program will help you focus your creative energies into one of four different areas: painting or drawing, design or printmaking, ceramics or sculpture, or photography. All along the way, you’ll get feedback during critiques, prepare your works for an exhibition in your senior year, and create an artist statement, a resume, and a slide portfolio. During our Honor’s Day Convocation, you’ll even have the chance to win one of four purchase awards – meaning we’ll buy one of your works to be a permanent addition to our collection.

A Studio Concentration in Art and Design requires 42 hours, including:9 hrs. Art History – ARTD 1109, 1110, 1111 or an Art History elective
9 hrs. Foundation Core – ARTD 1151, 1152, 1153
These courses should be taken during the first-year/sophomore year as they are prerequisites for all studio courses.
12 hrs. Introductory Studio Courses: One course from each of the following studio disciplines:
Painting or Drawing
Graphic Design or Printmaking
Photography
Ceramics or Sculpture
9 hrs. Major Concentration – Three additional courses in one of the above disciplines.
3 hrs. Studio Concentration – ARTD 3351, 3352
42 Total hours

Success in achieving the objectives of the Art and Design concentration will be measured in the following ways:

Completion of each concentration course with a grade of C or better
Exemplary completion of assignments and independent study, and the presentation of work in scheduled critiques.

An Exit or Senior Exhibition of work done in the student’s studio discipline.