Studio Arts, BFA

Program Faculty

Description

The BFA in Studio Arts is the degree for the professional artist. Focusing on the practice and production of contemporary art, this degree affords the student the opportunity to pursue Intensives in traditional modes of art making such as Ceramics, Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking, or Jewelry and Metalsmithing while exploring more contemporary approaches such as, Installation, Performance Art, Public, and Social Practices. Offering a single degree, students have the opportunity to choose to focus within one of the traditional media or pursue an interdisciplinary practice that incorporates various mediums, methods, and approaches guided by mentorship and extensive advising. With a focus on professional practices emphasizing skills, conceptual understanding, critical reflection and abilities to develop and maintain a sustainable artistic practice, this degree aims to build on the School's rich legacy of educating the innovative artists and cultural practitioners of the future.

Students must complete a total of 122 degree credits for the Studio Arts, BFA. This includes 30 credits of liberal arts and science courses, 9 of which must fall under the AIC (Arts in Context) category.

Student Learning Outcomes

Develop a coherent art practice that demonstrates a thorough understanding of the materials, processes, and concepts relevant to your work.
Apply creative thinking skills to develop and solve problems within your work.
Use research skills to develop and articulate an understanding of contemporary art, art history, and visual culture, as they relate to your art practice.
Demonstrate critical thinking and communication skills to meaningfully critique both your own and others’ work.

Program Requirements

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
University Wide Requirement
FYS 101	First Year Seminar	1
Major Requirements
AIC 101	Arts in Context I	3
AIC 102	Arts in Context II	3
ARI 101	First-year Studio I	3
ARI 102	First-year Studio II	3
ARI 201	Second-Year Studio I	3
ARI 202	Second Year Studio II	3
ARI 301	Third Year Studio I	3
ARI 302	Third Year Studio II	3
ARI 497	Art Practices: Capstone 1	6
ARI 498	Art Practices: Capstone II	6
ARL 131	Observational Drawing Workshop	1
ARL 150	Woodshop Art Lab I	1
Six 1-credit ARL workshops, selected from a list offered in the fall and spring of the student’s first year (3 workshops in the fall, 3 in the spring).		6
AIC 340	Visiting Artist Lecture Series
Art Intensive Requirements
Through the art intensives, students have the opportunity to choose to focus within one of the traditional media or pursue an interdisciplinary practice that incorporates various mediums, methods, and approaches guided by mentorship and extensive advising.		18
Arts in Context Requirements
The required 12 credits should consist of 9 Liberal Arts & Sciences credits.
Art in Context can be satisfied by courses related to art and design history, theory and philosophy.
As part of these AIC classes, students must take AIC 340 Visiting Artist Lecture Series, a 1-credit class, three times, for a total of 3 credits.
Students must also take one of the following survey classes from the Department of Art & Music Histories:
HOA 106	Arts and Ideas II
HOA 176	The Visual Arts of the Americas
HOA 378	Twentieth-Century American Art
Students may also petition for a survey-style selected topics class that covers modern or contemporary art, under HOA 200, 300, and 400, to fulfill this requirement. Not all HOA selected topics classes will count; they must be focused on modern or contemporary art (roughly 1860s to present) and must be a survey class, meaning that they cover a broad range of work instead of focusing on a narrow topic.
Art history survey class		3
Arts in Context elective (x2)		6
AIC 340	Visiting Artist Lecture Series (3x, 1 credit each)	3
Academic Requirements
WRT 105	Studio 1: Practices of Academic Writing	3
WRT 205	Studio 2: Critical Research and Writing	3
Liberal Arts & Sciences
The required 26 credits should consist of Liberal Arts & Sciences (15 credits), and Academic Electives (11 credits)
Academic electives are most courses offered outside of art, design, or transmedia (for example, courses offered in CRS, Arts and Sciences, Whitman, and other colleges outside of VPA). These academic courses usually have non-art-related content, such as math, natural sciences, astronomy, global history, political science, psychology, and entrepreneurship, and languages, among others.		26
You can find a comprehensive list of courses that count here.
Studio Electives
Studio electives are courses usually offered in VPA through art, design, or transmedia. The content of the courses directly relates to the preparation of students for professional careers in art, design, and transmedia. The course content includes, but is not limited to, conceptualization, process, product, and critique of creative work in studio practice. These courses meet for a much longer time, for a minimum of four hours per week for the duration of the semester. Usual meeting patterns are: the class meets once per week for four+ hours, or the class meets twice per week, usually for two or more hours each.		15
You can find a comprehensive list of courses that count here.
Total Credits		122

Minimum # of credits for graduation: 122

Undergraduate University Requirements

The following requirements and experiences apply to all Syracuse University Undergraduate matriculated degree programs.

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