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BFA in Art

Degree Program Description

The School of Visual Studies' Art program offers opportunities for creative development, provides instruction in visual literacy, and trains students in the necessary technical and conceptual skills needed to pursue a lifetime of creative activity. Through a variety of studio art courses, students learn critical thinking skills, creative problem solving, and become life-long learners. Course offerings include ceramics, drawing, fibers, graphic design, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. The BFA is considered a professional degree intended to provide a solid foundation for a career in visual art. Students that earn a degree in art pursue a variety of careers, including professional artists and illustrators; art educators; museum and gallery curators and directors; commercial and studio designers; and graphic, web, print and packaging designers. Businesses are looking for creative thinkers and innovative problem solvers, skills acquired in the BFA degree.

Major Program Requirements

Art majors earning a BFA degree complete art foundations courses, art core requirements, and art studio electives with 15 credits in one specific media area. Students enrolled in the BFA degree program may not include art or art history courses with a grade of D.

All art students are assigned a departmental faculty advisor. Students are encouraged to meet with the advisor to plan a program of study with a focus in one particular media area.

BFA students complete 60 to 70 credits in studio art, including a minimum of 15 credits in one specific media area, and 12 credits of art history, including at least two 3-hour Art History & Archaeology courses numbered 2000 or above. A minimum of 35 credit hours of studio art coursework must be taken at MU.

In addition, students must complete all College of Arts and Science and University graduation requirements, including University general education.

All students wishing to pursue a BA or BFA degree in art will need to pass the Art program BA/BFA Portfolio Review. A student will need to have completed six (6) courses in art before submitting a portfolio (it is acceptable to be enrolled in the last class(es) the semester the portfolio is submitted) for either the BA or BFA. The courses are ART_VS 1030ART_VS 1040ART_VS 1050 and three studio art courses at the 2000 level. For more detailed information on the portfolio, please refer to the School of Visual Studies website.

Major core requirements:
Art foundations
ART_VS 10302-D Materials and Methods3
ART_VS 10403-D Materials and Methods3
ART_VS 1050Drawing: Materials and Methods3
Art core requirements
ART_VS 2210Beginning Color Drawing3
ART_VS 2500Beginning Painting3
ART_VS 2800Beginning Sculpture3
ART_VS 4975Senior Seminar in Art3
Students need a total of 6 hours from ceramics and/or fibers6
Students need a total of 6 hours from Photography or Printmaking Courses6
ART media area electives15 minimum
ART studio electivesup to 19
ARH_VS (Art History)12

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Semester Plan

Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan may vary based on course choices where options are available. (Students focusing on graphic design will take ARTGD_VS 4976. Fall of their fourth year instead of an Art Studio Elective which they will move to the Spring of their fourth year and take instead of ART_VS 4975)

First Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
Art Foundations Course3Art Foundations Course3
ENGLSH 10003Art Foundations Course3
ARH_VS 11303MATH 1050, 1100, or STAT 12003
Behavioral Science Course3American History or Government Course3
Humanities Course3Humanities Course3
 15 15
Second Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
Art Core Requirement Course3Art Core Requirement Course3
Art Core Requirement Course3Art Studio Elective Course3
Humanities Course 3Art Studio Elective Course3
ARH_VS Art History Course3Biological/Physical/Math Science Course (MRP)3
Behavioral or Social Science Course3General Elective Course3
 15 15
Third Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
Art Core Requirement Course3Art Core Requirement Course3
Art Core Requirement Course3Art Core Requirement Course3
Art Studio Elective Course3Art Studio Elective Course3
Biological/Physical/Math Science Course3Biological/Physical/Math Science Course (MRP)3
ARH_VS Art History Course (2000+)3General Elective Course3
 15 15
Fourth Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
Art Studio Elective Course3Art Studio Elective3
Art Studio Elective Course3Art Studio Elective3
Art Studio Elective Course3ART_VS 49753
ARH_VS Art History 2000+3General Elective Course3
General Elective Course3General Elective Course3
 15 15
Total Credits: 120

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Degree Audit

The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree. 

MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.

Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.

Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.

For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.

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Major and Career Exploration

The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.

  • If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.

  • If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major

  • If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.

For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.

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