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 1030, ART_VS 1040, ART_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 1030 | 2-D Materials and Methods | 3 |
| ART_VS 1040 | 3-D Materials and Methods | 3 |
| ART_VS 1050 | Drawing: Materials and Methods | 3 |
| Art core requirements | ||
| ART_VS 2210 | Beginning Color Drawing | 3 |
| ART_VS 2500 | Beginning Painting | 3 |
| ART_VS 2800 | Beginning Sculpture | 3 |
| ART_VS 4975 | Senior Seminar in Art | 3 |
| Students need a total of 6 hours from ceramics and/or fibers | 6 | |
| Students need a total of 6 hours from Photography or Printmaking Courses | 6 | |
| ART media area electives | 15 minimum | |
| ART studio electives | up to 19 | |
| ARH_VS (Art History) | 12 | |
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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Art Foundations Course | 3 | Art Foundations Course | 3 |
| ENGLSH 1000 | 3 | Art Foundations Course | 3 |
| ARH_VS 1130 | 3 | MATH 1050, 1100, or STAT 1200 | 3 |
| Behavioral Science Course | 3 | American History or Government Course | 3 |
| Humanities Course | 3 | Humanities Course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Art Core Requirement Course | 3 | Art Core Requirement Course | 3 |
| Art Core Requirement Course | 3 | Art Studio Elective Course | 3 |
| Humanities Course | 3 | Art Studio Elective Course | 3 |
| ARH_VS Art History Course | 3 | Biological/Physical/Math Science Course (MRP) | 3 |
| Behavioral or Social Science Course | 3 | General Elective Course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Art Core Requirement Course | 3 | Art Core Requirement Course | 3 |
| Art Core Requirement Course | 3 | Art Core Requirement Course | 3 |
| Art Studio Elective Course | 3 | Art Studio Elective Course | 3 |
| Biological/Physical/Math Science Course | 3 | Biological/Physical/Math Science Course (MRP) | 3 |
| ARH_VS Art History Course (2000+) | 3 | General Elective Course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Art Studio Elective Course | 3 | Art Studio Elective | 3 |
| Art Studio Elective Course | 3 | Art Studio Elective | 3 |
| Art Studio Elective Course | 3 | ART_VS 4975 | 3 |
| ARH_VS Art History 2000+ | 3 | General Elective Course | 3 |
| General Elective Course | 3 | General Elective Course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits: 120 | |||
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/.
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.
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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.
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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.
- If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit:
- the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog,
- the MU Majors website.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.