Art Degrees Online

The Bachelor of Art degree is less comprehensive then the B.F.A but still contains the essential core photography courses in both studio and history. This degree permits students with strong interest in other subject areas to pursue multiple minors without extending their four year college residency. Upon completion of the B.A. degree students will posses a basic vocabulary and technical proficiency in using both analog and digital technologies. This degree includes the study of a variety of processes and genres of photography. Students receiving this degree will be conversant in the history photography, its major artists and movements and contemporary issues and ethics.

Both Photography degree paradigms share the same basic courses in studio and history. The liberal arts core remains the same as well. The B.F.A degree requires application for admittance at the end of your sophomore year. By working closely with your advisor your freshman and sophomore years you can make an informed decision in on which degree path is the best fit for you to pursue.

Foundation Year
course title Fall Spring
FD101-102 Visual Elements 3 3
FD101-102 Basic Drawing 3 3
FD111 3-D Design 3 *
FD112 Time Arts 3 *
LA 121-122 English Composition 3 3
LA125-126 Art & Design in Contemporary Society 3 3
Total credits 15 15

Sophomore Year
course title Fall Spring
PH271 Beginning B&W Photo 3
PH272 Beginning Color Photo (Digital) 3
IM201 Theory and Practice 3 *
Studio Elective * 3
AH217 History of Photography 3
MTH101 Mathematics 3 *
AH 211 Art Hist:Paleolithic-Gothic 3
AH212 Art Hist: Renaissance- WWII 3
SCI223-224 Natural Science 3 3
Total credits 15 15
* Can be taken Fall or Spring

Junior Year
course title Fall Spring
PH371Intermediate Photo (B&W) 3
PH372 Intermediate Photo 3
PH373 Alternative Photo & Contemporary Practices 3
PH374 Studio Lighting 3
Studio Electives 3* 3*
Art History Elective (300-level) * 3
MTH101-102 Mathematics 3 *
Liberal Arts Elective * 3
Total credits 15 15
IM301 Theory & Practice 3 *
* Can be taken Fall or Spring

Senior Year
course title Fall Spring
PH471 Advanced Photography 3
ND401 Professional Practices 3
PH472 Photography Thesis 3
ND402 Thesis Research & Writing 3
Studio Electives 6 6
LA325 Literature Seminar * 3
LA321 Social Science Seminar 3 *
Total credits 15 15

Interdisciplinary Art & Design Studies (IADS) provides students with an opportunity to explore and obtain an expansive vocabulary within multiple disciplines. Its focus is interdisciplinary with a choice of concentration within one discipline. Areas of program concentration unique to IADS are Advertising Design, Fashion Design at Parsons Paris, Museum Gallery Studies, and Teaching Artist.

What differentiates this program from a major field of concentration such as a major in graphic design or photography is a shift in focus from discipline specific to overall breadth and interdisciplinary experience. Consequently, students will be exposed to a greater variety and range of disciplines taking fewer courses in any one area of concentration. Students will not identify their area of concentration until the end of their sophomore year. Students will be required to take core concentration courses throughout their junior and senior years.

In the second year, upon completion of the first year foundation program, students will be required to take the introductory course work prescribed within the major disciplines of Fine Arts, Photography, Graphic Design, and Illustration. This interdisciplinary experience will provide students with the necessary background to identify an area of concentration for further study in their junior and senior year.

In the junior year students will be immersed in their chosen area of concentration through multiple studio courses, an internship, and an introduction to professional practices. During the senior year students will continue to work within their given concentration as they develop their senior thesis project and professional portfolio.

This new program recognizes the changing forces within the art and design community. Today, more and more creative fields have become interdisciplinary. Artists and designers are called upon to address new challenges outside their area of expertise, traversing new horizons and learning new vocabularies. This program will provide students with a greater range of knowledge and the ability to navigate comfortably between the art and design disciplines of tomorrow.

The goal of the Fine Arts Program is to prepare students to be professional artists, who build strong connections to visual culture, are passionate about their vision, and are equipped to sustain themselves as practicing artists. The Fine Arts concentrations are designed to recognize the breadth of choices artists have today and the directions student may choose, from tradition to experimental. Our emphasis is on the cultivation of the individual voice and vision of the Fine Arts student. Students learn about marketing their own work, creating art for public spaces, private commissions, publications, and gallery exhibitions.

After completing the foundation year of developing the building blocks of a visual language, Fine Arts majors can choose to enter Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, or Sculpture as their primary concentration. Each student follows a similar path taking introductory level courses in Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, and Printmaking in their sophomore year. In the third semester students begin their advanced courses in their chosen concentration. Each area of concentration is infused with a broad range of options allowing students to sharpen their focus and shape their personal vision. Through the combination of intense studio experience and a rigorous study of liberal arts, each area emphasizes conceptual development, critical thinking, and the development of a cohesive body of work.

To prepare Fine Arts majors as professional artists, courses at CVA teach students to document, display, and market their work. Students learn how to identify and reach their audience and to contribute their unique problem solving skills to society at large. Students ready themselves for careers as professional artists by developing strong speaking and writing abilities, flexible thinking skills, and establishing future goals.

Fine Arts students work closely with faculty mentors who are established professional artists. Through faculty relationships students will find models for making a living as an artist, which may include teaching, arts administration, curatorial positions, arts writing, and/or working as independent artists. All fine arts students participate in the culminating capstone courses. Studio thesis is a year long experience providing students with the time and focus to strengthen connections between form and concept as they develop a significant body of work. In the Fine Arts Portfolio course students are exposed to a variety of career options for artists as they prepare to enter the world as a professional within their respective discipline.

As a photography student, you will take courses in photographic processes, art appreciation, art history, black-and-white photography, color photography, digital imaging, design, drawing, painting and sculpture. You will learn black-and-white, color and computer-enhanced photography techniques.

A portfolio is not required for admission to UNT or the College of Visual Arts & Design (Formerly School of Visual Arts), but you must participate in an entry review prior to completing Black and White Photography II in order to pursue a major in photography. At the end of your sophomore year, the photography faculty will review your portfolio to determine whether you can continue in the program. You also must submit your work for a senior exit review. Further information regarding the reviews is available from the photography faculty.

Photography faculty members are considered experts in their field. One faculty member’s photographs hang in the Bibliothéque nationale de France in Paris and in the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth. Another faculty member’s work is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.

Continuing UNT students may apply for scholarships that are awarded by the College of Visual Arts & Design (Formerly School of Visual Arts) primarily on the basis of performance in the student’s major. Academic scholarships are available through UNT’s Student Financial Aid and Scholarships office.

Program Total Credits: 123

This major prepares students for a wide range of careers in photography by providing a solid grounding in traditional photography and digital imaging. In the sophomore year, students receive in-depth training in craft and ideas fundamental to photographic imaging. Technical exercises emphasize electronic imaging as well as traditional black-and-white and color processes. The curriculum covers both descriptive photography and more experimental manipulated image-making.

During the junior year, students consider photographic forms beyond the traditional print, such as the photographic book, non-silver processes, and installation work. Large-format photography and studio practice with its control of artificial lighting are also part of the junior curriculum. In both the junior and senior years, students may pursue the study of specialized interests on an elective basis, including illustration and editorial photography, photojournalism, environmental portraiture, creative portfolio development, advanced digital imaging, and professional practice.

The senior year is primarily devoted to the production of an independent body of work of the student’s own choosing and direction. The senior thesis provides the opportunity to begin the process of self-definition as photographer and artist. A required junior-level course in photographic criticism, coupled with required classes in the history of photography, exemplifies the strong emphasis that the department places on critical thinking and self-expression in words as well as through photographs.
Foundation Year Credits: 33

Foundation students are eligible to select any College of Art and Design major program regardless of the Foundation sequence they attend.
FOUNDATION
Fall Credits: 16.5

Students entering the Foundation program through midyear admission (spring semester) will enroll in these courses for the spring semester, and then take their second Foundation semester during the Summer Foundation semester, May/June.
Elective Credits: 1.5 cr, 3 hrs
FNDP 111 – Drawing Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
FNDP 151 – Two-Dimensional Design Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
FNDP 161 – Three-Dimensional Design/Time Motion Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
LAAH 111 – Art History Survey I Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LACR 101 – First-Year Writing I Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
Spring Credits: 16.5
Elective Credits: 1.5 cr

Select three courses from the following four:
FNDP 112 – Drawing Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
FNDP 152 – Two-Dimensional Design Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
FNDP 162 – Three-Dimensional Design Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
FNDP 171 – Time and Motion Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs

LAAH 112 – Art History Survey II Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LACR 102 – First-Year Writing II Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
Sophomore Year Credits: 30
Fall Credits: 15
Electives Credits: 3 cr
MAFL 201 – Introduction to Film I Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs

Can be taken either in the fall or spring semester.
MAPH 201 – Introduction to Photography I Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
LAAH 855 – History of Photography Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
Select one course from the following two:
LACR 210 – Texts & Contexts: Perspectives on the Humanities Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LACR 22X – Scientific Inquiry Foundation Track (SIFT) Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
Spring Credits: 15
Liberal Arts Credits: 3 cr
Electives Credits: 3 cr
MAPH 202 – Introduction to Photography II Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
MAPH 211 – Color Concepts Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
Select one course from the following two:
LACR 210 – Texts & Contexts: Perspectives on the Humanities Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LACR 22X – Scientific Inquiry Foundation Track (SIFT) Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
Junior Year Credits: 30
Fall Credits: 15
Liberal Arts Credits: 6 cr
MAPH 301 – Junior Photography Workshop Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
MAPH 303 – Basic Photography Studio I Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
MAPH 311 – Digital Photography Workshop Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
Spring Credits: 15
Electives Credits: 3 cr
Liberal Arts Credits: 3 cr
MAPH 302 – Junior Photography Workshop Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
MAPH 304 – Basic Photography Studio II Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
MAPH 341 – Critical Issues in Photography Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
Senior Year Credits: 30
Fall Credits: 15
Electives Credits: 3 cr
Liberal Arts Credits: 6 cr
MAPH 401 – Senior Photography Workshop Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
MAPH 442 – Contemporary Issues in Photography Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
Spring Credits: 15
MAPF XXX – Photo Elective Credits: 3 cr
See the Photo Elective below
Electives Credits: 6 cr
Liberal Arts Credits: 3 cr
MAPH 402 – Senior Photography Workshop Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
Liberal Arts Distribution

Note all Liberal Arts courses are 3 credits.
Liberal Arts Electives Credits: 15 cr
LAAH 111 – Art History Survey I Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LAAH 112 – Art History Survey II Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LAAH 855 – History of Photography Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LACR 101 – First-Year Writing I Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LACR 102 – First-Year Writing II Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LACR 210 – Texts & Contexts: Perspectives on the Humanities Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LACR 22X – Scientific Inquiry Foundation Track (SIFT) Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LAPI 8XX – Liberal Arts Period Interpretation – Pre-20th Century Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LAPI 9XX – Liberal Arts Period Interpretation – 20th Century Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
Note:

Electives must include nine studio credits taken outside the Photography offerings.
Photo Elective
May be selected from one of the following:
MACR 499 – Internship Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
MAPH 312 – Advanced Digital Photo Workshop Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
MAPH 320 – Selected Topics in Photography Credits: 1.5 cr, 3 hrs
MAPH 321 – Surface Altered Photographs Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
MAPH 322 – Photojournalism Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
MAPH 323 – Fashion and Editorial Portrait Photography Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
MAPH 460 – Professional Practices Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs

Program Total Credits: 123

The Animation program in the Media Arts Department prepares students to work in computer, traditional, stopmotion, and experimental animation. The basic principles of animation can be applied to all forms of image and object manipulation. The program gives its graduates a strong understanding of timing and motion, and a grounding in the wide variety of techniques available to the animator. Animation majors get a solid background in life drawing and traditional modes of animation, as well as 2D and 3D computer animation. Animation majors choose the area(s) on which to focus as they construct their junior and senior thesis films.
Foundation Year Credits: 33

Foundation students are eligible to select any College of Art and Design major program regardless of the Foundation sequence they attend.
FOUNDATION
Fall Credits: 16.5

Students entering the Foundation program through midyear admission (spring semester) will enroll in these courses for the spring semester, and then take their second Foundation semester during the Summer Foundation semester, May/June.
Elective Credits: 1.5 cr, 3 hrs
FNDP 111 – Drawing Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
FNDP 151 – Two-Dimensional Design Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
FNDP 161 – Three-Dimensional Design/Time Motion Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
LAAH 111 – Art History Survey I Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LACR 101 – First-Year Writing I Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
Spring Credits: 16.5
Elective Credits: 1.5 cr

Select three courses from the following four:
FNDP 112 – Drawing Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
FNDP 152 – Two-Dimensional Design Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
FNDP 162 – Three-Dimensional Design Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
FNDP 171 – Time and Motion Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs

LAAH 112 – Art History Survey II Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LACR 102 – First-Year Writing II Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
Sophomore Year Credits: 30
Fall Credits: 15
WRIT 251 and WRIT 252 Narrative Cinema I and II are required of all Animation majors. WRIT 252 Narrative Cinema II can be counted as a studio elective, or liberal arts course.
MAAN 201 – Introduction to Animation I Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
MAFL 201 – Introduction to Film I Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
WRIT 251 – Narrative Cinema I Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
Select one course from the following two:
ILUS 285 – Drawing for Animators Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
MAAN 231 – Introduction to Computer Animation Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
Select one course from the following two:
LACR 210 – Texts & Contexts: Perspectives on the Humanities Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LACR 22X – Scientific Inquiry Foundation Track (SIFT) Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
Spring Credits: 15
WRIT 251 and WRIT 252 Narrative Cinema I and II are required of all Animation majors. WRIT 252 Narrative Cinema II can be counted as a studio elective, or liberal arts course.
MAAN 202 – Introduction to Animation II Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
MAFL 202 – Introduction to Film/Digital Video Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
WRIT 252 – Narrative Cinema II Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
Select one course from the following two:
ILUS 285 – Drawing for Animators Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
MAAN 231 – Introduction to Computer Animation Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
Select one course from the following two:
LACR 210 – Texts & Contexts: Perspectives on the Humanities Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LACR 22X – Scientific Inquiry Foundation Track (SIFT) Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
Junior Year Credits: 30
Fall Credits: 15
Liberal Arts Credits: 6 cr
MAAN 301 – Junior Animation Workshop I Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
MAAN 325 – Storyboarding Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
Select one course from the following two:
MAAN 232 – 2-D Computer Animation Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
MAAN 331 – 3-D Computer Animation Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
Spring Credits: 15
Electives Credits: 3 cr
Liberal Arts Credits: 3 cr
MAAN 302 – Junior Animation Workshop II Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
MAAN 341 – Moving Art: Animation Theory and Production Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
Select one course from the following two:
MAAN 232 – 2-D Computer Animation Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
MAAN 331 – 3-D Computer Animation Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
Senior Year Credits: 30
Fall Credits: 15
Electives Credits: 6 cr
Liberal Arts Credits: 6 cr
MAAN 401 – Senior Animation Workshop I Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
Spring Credits: 15
Electives Credits: 3 cr
Liberal Arts Credits: 6 cr
MAAN 402 – Senior Animation Workshop II Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
MAFL 320 – Film Forum: Selected Topics Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
Liberal Arts Distribution

Note all Liberal Arts courses are 3 credits.
Liberal Arts Electives Credits: 15 cr
WRIT 251 – Narrative Cinema I Credits: 3 cr, 6 hrs
LAAH 111 – Art History Survey I Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LAAH 112 – Art History Survey II Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LACR 101 – First-Year Writing I Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LACR 102 – First-Year Writing II Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LACR 210 – Texts & Contexts: Perspectives on the Humanities Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LACR 22X – Scientific Inquiry Foundation Track (SIFT) Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LAPI 8XX – Liberal Arts Period Interpretation – Pre-20th Century Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs
LAPI 9XX – Liberal Arts Period Interpretation – 20th Century Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs

The studio art concentration consists of at least 13 semester courses, including:

Arth 101 and Arth 102 or their equivalents (ARTH 201 and ARTH 202) or Arth 111 Arts of the Western Tradition, or Arth 198 Arts of Africa, Asia and the Americas, or their equivalents (ARTH 298) which must be taken before the senior year.

Three semester courses in studio art foundations:
Arts 111 Two-Dimensional Design
Arts 112 Three-Dimensional Design
and Arts 116 Drawing I
These foundation courses must be taken before the senior year.

One semester of Arts 402.

One additional semester course in Art and Art History.

And six additional semester courses in studio art from the following areas (with a possible emphasis in the student’s major interest): drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, and graphic design. Studio concentrators are urged to take Arth 318. Arts 399 is normally reserved for fall semester seniors.

For permission to enter the studio concentration, students must submit a portfolio of their work to the department during their sophomore year. Faculty review portfolio submissions once during the fall and once during the spring semester. All students who wish to be studio majors must be approved and accepted by the end of their sophomore year. Please see the chair of the department for more information.

The photography program is designed to encourage critical thinking and to expose students to the theoretical as well as technical practices of photography, in both the historical and contemporary spheres. By providing a multidisciplinary base, informed by a strong foundation in theory and criticism, students are able to balance the aesthetic, theoretical, and political aspects of photography, along with the rigorous technical expertise required to realize these goals.

A portfolio is not required to begin this major as a freshman. However, students are required to pass a comprehensive portfolio review in the spring of their sophomore year. The review is based on the student’s work in Purdue photography courses. Students not selected to continue in upper-level photography work with their academic advisor to change to their second-choice major.
Points of Pride
Photography is housed in the new Visual and Performing Arts Building, a state-of-the-art facility built specifically for the visual and performing arts at Purdue. This building includes chemical and darkroom facilities for black-and-white film development, digital color equipment, photo studios, and integrated computer systems to facilitate photography work and file manipulation.
This academic program yields a Bachelor of Arts rather than a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. This helps students develop a well-rounded perspective, critical thinking, creative problem-solving abilities, and communication skills applicable to work in many environments – within and outside a photography studio or business.

Curriculum (BFA – Photography)
First Year F S
Freshman Seminar 4 4
Design: From Line to Pixel 4 4
Drawing 2 -
Drawing & Painting - 2
Studio Elective - 3

Critical Reading & Writing 1 & 2 3 3
Perspectives in World Art & Design 1 & 2
3
3
Total 16 19
Sophomore Year F S
Studio & Light 1 & 2 3 3
View Camera 3 -
Design 3: Capture to Print 3 -
Studio Elective - 3
Photo Topics - 3
Design 4: Pixel to Cyberspace - 3
Sophomore Seminar 3 3
History of Photography 3 -
Intro to Visual Culture 3 -
University Lecture Elective - 3
Total 18 18

Junior Year F S
Junior Seminar 3 3
Imagery & Design 3 -
Studio Electives 6 6
Internship or Elective - 3
Global Issues in Design & Visuality: 21st Century 3 -
Art History/Design Studies Elective - 3
Liberal Arts Elective 3 -
University Lecture Elective - 3
Total 18 18
Senior Year F S
Senior Seminar 3 3
Senior Seminar Lab 2 2
Senior Thesis Tutorial 1 1
Studio Electives 3 3
Senior Seminar (Art & Design Studies) 3 -
Advanced Art History/Design Studies Elective - 3
Liberal Arts Elective 3 -
Total 15 12

TOTAL CREDITS 134

Electives
Advanced Color Printing, Advanced Light: Style and Magic, Adventures in Location Production, The Artistic Career: Editing, Curating, & Application, Artists’ Books, Conceptual Processes, Contemporary Strategies, Copyright and Contract Negotiation, The Digital Studio: The Art of Lighting and Work Flow, Documenting Community 1 & 2, Experiments: Pixel to Paper, Exploring the Narrative in Video, Fashion Photography 1 & 2, Independent Study, Instinct & Metaphor, Intimate Portrait, The Personal Essay, Portraiture, Postmodern Currents, Professional Internship, Sexuality, Nudity & Beauty in Photography, Transitioning to the Professional World, The Urban Landscape