Requirements

Admission Requirements

Applicants who are seeking admission to the School of Graduate Studies must meet all of the minimum general School of Graduate Studies admission requirements identified in the graduate catalog. In addition, the prospective students must fulfill the requirements for admission to the graduate program in Visual Arts.

1. Admission to Approved Status requires a BA or BFA degree with at least 63 semester hours in studio courses plus a minimum of 12 semester hours in art history from a regionally accredited college or equivalent.
2. A cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.75 for all undergraduate work or a GPA of at least 3.0 for the junior and senior years of undergraduate work (based on A= 4.00).
3. Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.
4. Image portfolio of twenty (20) clearly identified images representative of the student’s recent work and/or documentation on a USB drive. Images should be submitted at 72 dpi with the longest side not to exceed 1280 pixels in length.The work samples should be submitted to the Department of Art and Design’s Graduate Committee and accompanied by a list containing the viewing sequence, titles, date of completion, dimension (duration), and media.
5. Artist Statement supporting the image portfolio or other documentative application information on a USB drive.
6. For students who have earned graduate credit in art or hold an MA degree, a maximum of 15 credits may be accepted towards the MFA degree. Of those 15 credits, up to 6 credits in Art History may be accepted towards the 9-credit art history requirement.

The graduate program in visual arts operates on a rolling admissions basis. Applicants are advised to apply by March 1 for fall admission or October 1 for spring admission. Acceptance as well as financial support is considered pending availability of resources.

Degree Requirements

Students seeking the Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of North Dakota must satisfy all general degree requirements set forth by the School of Graduate Studies as well as particular requirements set forth by the Department of Art and Design.

1. The program consists of 60 credits in the following areas:

2. Course List

   Code	Title	Credits
   Major Emphasis Area (Ceramics, Painting, Drawing, Metalsmithing, Printmaking, Photography, Graphic Design, or Sculpture)		30
   Art History and Theory (See #6 under Admission Requirements)		9
   Electives (including at least 12 credits in art)		18
   Professional Exhibition		3
   Total Credits		60

3. At least one-half of the credits must be at or above the 500-level.
4. A maximum of one-fourth of the credit hours required for the degree may be transferred from another institution.
5. A critique of each MFA candidate’s work will be conducted by the entire faculty at the end of their first and second semesters in the program. MFA candidates in subsequent years of the program are expected to attend and participate.
6. After the formation of the candidate’s graduate thesis committee two formal reviews of the MFA candidate’s work will be conducted. See candidacy for degree requirements.
7. Prerequisites to graduation include:
   1. Preparation and presentation of a Professional Exhibition, which will be a formal presentation of creative work.
   2. Supplementary exhibitions materials including artist’s statement, exhibition announcement, and publicity materials.
   3. An image portfolio and/or documentation in cd/dvd format of the Professional Exhibition must be submitted to the Department of Art and Design for its permanent files. Images should be submitted at 72 dpi with the longest side not to exceed 1280 pixels in length.
   4. Successful completion of ART 510 Art History: Issues in Contemporary Art.

Professional Exhibition and Artist Lecture

All MFA candidates are required to register for ART 599 Professional Exhibition (three credits). The intention is to give candidates a summary experience as they near the end of their formal training, which will serve as a benchmark in their career development. The artist’s statement may include such things as a critical statement on the candidate’s work, its development, its cultural, philosophical and historical context, and/or reference to the artist’s procedures and techniques. The candidate will present an Artist Lecture that will be open to the public. The candidate’s graduate thesis committee will then examine and evaluate the student’s performance in the Professional Exhibition and Artist Lecture, and report the results to the School of Graduate Studies on the form titled “Final Report on Candidate” by the deadline specified in the academic calendar.The Thesis Committee Chairperson will certify receipt of an image portfolio of the Exhibition.

M.F.A. Candidate Recommended Timetable for Completion of Program

While the program is normally completed in three years, it is possible to achieve the degree in two years.

Candidacy for the Degree

Admission of a student to the School of Graduate Studies as a degree student in Approved Status implies only that the student has met the minimum entrance requirements and will be permitted to take graduate courses that normally may be expected to lead to a degree. The student has not been admitted as a candidate for a degree. Advancement to candidacy is granted only after the completion of specific requirements and upon the recommendation of the faculty advisory committee. Candidates for the MFA degree will not be permitted to graduate in the same semester or summer session in which they are advanced to candidacy.

Students in Approved Status may be advanced to candidacy for a MFA degree when they have satisfied the following requirements in approximately the following sequence:

1. Completion of the first comprehensive review by the candidate’s graduate thesis committee. During the course of study, all MFA students will be evaluated twice and recommendations will be made regarding continuation in the degree program. The first review, held near the end of the second semester or the beginning of the third, is conducted by a graduate thesis committee of three members from the Graduate Faculty of the Department of Art and Design. After formal review of the student’s work, the committee prepares a written summary of the results of the evaluation and a recommendation regarding the continuance of the student. A copy of the evaluation is sent to the School of Graduate Studies.
2. Program of Study should normally be approved no later than the beginning of the third semester of enrollment.
3. Completion of a substantial portion of the course work for the degree with an overall GPA of no less than 3.00.
4. Completion of the second committee review prior to the end of the semester preceding the semester in which the student expects to graduate (normally the third or the beginning of the fourth semester). The evaluation will be conducted by the student’s graduate thesis committee and will consist of a review of the student’s progress toward completion of degree requirements, and a review of plans for the professional exhibition and Artist Lecture. The results of the evaluation will be filed with the School of Graduate Studies and will include a recommendation regarding advancement to candidacy for the MFA degree.
5. Recommendation to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies for advancement to candidacy by the graduate thesis committee.

Final Evaluation

The graduate thesis committee will examine and evaluate the student’s performance in the Professional Exhibition and Artist Lecture, and report the results to the School of Graduate Studies on the form titled “Final Report on Candidate” by the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar. The Thesis Committee Chair will certify receipt of an image portfolio and/or documentation on USB drive of the Exhibition.