Art Practices - Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

The MFA in art practices is a rigorous program intended for artists committed to pursuing a professional life in the arts and prepares students for careers as practicing artists and arts professionals as well as teachers in colleges, universities and art schools. MFA students in the Department of Art and Art History are given private studio spaces and access to many of the department's facilities in the Visual Arts Complex and are eligible for a variety of awards, assistantships and teaching opportunities.

The MFA is a two-and-a-half-year program. Certain areas allow graduate students to petition the area to stay one extra semester should they be interested in extending their time in the program. 

Students focus on one of several areas, including: 

• Drawing & painting
• Sculpture and post-studio practice

Tracks

Drawing and Painting

Drawing & Painting (D&P) requires that MFA students enroll in ARTS 5202 Graduate Painting every semester that it is offered; this includes any extra semesters a student remains in the program. 

Sculpture and Post-Studio

Requirements

Advising

Upon admission, students are assigned a tenured or tenure-track faculty member to serve as an academic advisor in the student's home area.

Required Courses and Credits

A minimum of 54 credit hours (of which 36 credit hours must be taken in residence on the Boulder campus) of acceptable graduate work must be completed beyond the bachelor's degree.

Procedures for transferring credit from other graduate programs are governed by the regulations of the Graduate School. Transfer credit, not to exceed 18 credit hours for studio arts or 9 credit hours for art history, must first be approved by the student's academic advisor, associate chair and the Graduate School.

Students who wish to change their area of concentration after admission must petition the art practices curriculum committee.

Degree Requirements

First-Semester and First-Year Reviews

In consultation with the advisor, the student will establish the membership of his or her committee, consisting of a minimum of three faculty members and one second-year graduate student, and schedule the first-semester review; its purpose is to give feedback to the student with regard to progress toward the degree. At the end of the first year, the committee is convened for a first year review; its purpose is to evaluate the student's progress in the program and to determine if she or he will continue in the program.

Pre-Thesis Review

At the end of the semester preceding the graduating semester, the pre-thesis review takes place. Its purpose is for the graduate student to present the focus of his or her written thesis and exhibition, to review and evaluate the student's progress in the program, and to determine if the student is ready to register for thesis hours.

Thesis/Exhibition/Defense

The MFA thesis defense must be conducted while the student's work is on view during the MFA Exhibition. The MFA thesis must be submitted in its final draft form to all the thesis committee members two weeks prior to the scheduled thesis defense. After the defense, two copies of the thesis, with the required signatures on the signature sheet, must be turned into the graduate program coordinator. One of these is cataloged in the Norlin Library, and a digital copy is submitted to CU Scholar, Norlin Library's digital repository.

Time Limit

It is expected that the MFA program be completed within two-and-a-half years. Under certain circumstances and in consultation with the candidate's primary area and advisor, a candidate may petition for an additional semester of study. 

Graduation

Before registering for thesis hours, ARTS 6957 Master of Fine Arts Creative Thesis, students must have a pre-thesis review with their faculty advisor and thesis committee. Art practices thesis work must take the form of original creative work of acceptable professional standards. The oral defense exam must be done in conjunction with the thesis exhibition, and the candidate must provide a critical written statement (creative thesis) concerning the work. The candidate's written creative thesis becomes part of Norlin Library's digital repository, and digital documentation of thesis work is housed within the department's Visual Resources Center digital image collection. 

For further information see MFA guidelines on the department's website.

Tracks

Sculpture and Post-Studio

Drawing and Painting

Plan(s) of Study

Learning Outcomes

• To encourage depth and refinement of students' artistic practices.
• To expose students to varied modes of contemporary art practice and thinking through coursework and individual study.
• To prepare students for careers as practicing artists and arts professionals, as well as teachers in colleges, universities and art schools. 

Dual Degree Program

MBA/MFA in Art Practices

To support the university's mission of advancing knowledge across disciplines and in recognition that business education and training has relevance to many academic fields, the Leeds School of Business and the Department of Art and Art History endorse a dual degree program in which both MBA and MFA degrees are awarded. This opportunity will appeal to students with career aspirations in gallery or museum management, or in starting entrepreneurial ventures combining their business and artistic talents. This three-year program offers students the opportunity to earn both degrees together in less time than if the degrees were earned sequential.

Students must apply to and meet the application requirements for each program separately. Please see the MFA degree requirements page and MFA application page for more information on satisfying the MFA application and degree requirements. Admitted students spend their first year in one of the two programs, the second year in the other program, and the third year is a combination of the two. Both degrees must be awarded simultaneously. To learn more, visit the department's MBA/MFA webpage.