Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Art
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Art
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Art is a four-year, 120 credit hour degree program. The first year is spent in foundations courses where students focus on the development of their creative and technical skills. After the foundation year, students can pursue the BFA in Visual Art degree that encompasses Ceramics, Drawing/Painting, Expanded Media, Metalsmithing/Jewelry, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Textiles/Fibers, or select to concentrate in several degree concentration areas listed below.
B.F.A. Ceramics
B.F.A. Metalsmithing/Jewelry
B.F.A. Photography
B.F.A. Textiles/Fibers
B.F.A. Visual Art Education
The intent is for students to explore a variety of mediums in order to determine how they would like to focus their advanced studies. In addition, fundamental concepts and strategies of artmaking are reinforced, even as new techniques and approaches from various disciplines are introduced.
First-Year Preparation
The first year foundations courses for the B.F.A., B.A., and B.A.E. degree include 10 hours of foundations studio, 6 hours of English, and 6 hours of Art History coursework.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations | ||
| ART 101 | Drawing I | 3 |
| ART 102 | Drawing II | 3 |
| ART 103 | Art Concepts and Practice | 3 |
| ART 105 | Visual Art Seminar | 1 |
| English | ||
| ENGL 101 | Composition | 3 |
| ENGL 102 | Critical Reading and Writing | 3 |
| History of Art | ||
| HA 150 | History of Western Art: Ancient Through Medieval | 3 |
| HA 151 | History of Western Art: Renaissance to Contemporary | 3 |
Undergraduate Admission
Admission to KU
All students applying for admission must send high school and college transcripts to the Office of Admissions. Prospective first-year students should be aware that KU has qualified admission requirements that all new first-year students must meet to be admitted. Consult the Office of Admissions for application deadlines and specific admission requirements.
Visit the International Support Services for information about international admissions.
Students considering transferring to KU may see how their college-level course work will transfer on the Office of the University Registrar website.
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Art Degree Requirements
The Department of Visual Art reserves the right to retain examples of student work and to use images of student work on internet websites and for university publication purposes.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core 34 General Education | 34 | |
| The KU Core 34 is comprised of 34-35 credit hours typically completed during the first two years of study. The Core 34 consists of the following requirements: English (6), Communications (3), Math & Statistics (3), Natural & Physical Sciences with lab (4-5), Social & Behavioral Sciences (6 in two different disciplines), Arts & Humanities (6 in two different disciplines), US Culture (3), and Global Culture (3) | ||
| Foundations Studies | ||
| ART 101 | Drawing I | 3 |
| or BDS 103 | Drawing for Design | |
| ART 101 is a required course, BDS 103 accepted only for students transferring into the department | ||
| ART 103 | Art Concepts and Practice | 3 |
| or BDS 101 | Design Thinking and Making | |
| ART 103 is a required course, BDS 101 only accepted for students transferring into the department | ||
| ART 105 | Visual Art Seminar | 1 |
| History of Art | ||
| HA 150 | History of Western Art: Ancient Through Medieval | 3 |
| or HA 100 | Introduction to Western Art History | |
| HA 150 is a required course, HA 100 only accepted for students transferring into the department | ||
| HA 151 | History of Western Art: Renaissance to Contemporary | 3 |
| Non-Western History of Art | 3 | |
| The Visual Arts of East Asia | ||
| Special Study in Asian Art Before 1900: _____ | ||
| Manga: Histories and Theories | ||
| Ceramics of East Asia | ||
| Modern and Contemporary African Art | ||
| Japanese Prints | ||
| Buddhist Art of Korea | ||
| Ceramics of Korea | ||
| Modern Korean Art and Culture | ||
| Art and Culture of Japan | ||
| Art and Culture of China | ||
or HA 468 | Art and Culture of China, Honors | |
| The Art of Buddhism | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Visual Arts of Japan | ||
| Special Study in African Art: _____ | ||
| Special Study in Asian Art: _____ | ||
| Early Chinese Art | ||
| Chinese Sculpture | ||
| Japanese Painting | ||
| Japanese Sculpture | ||
| Visual Art Concentration | 51-61 | |
| Visual Art BFA students will select one of the following concentrations: General, Ceramics, Metalsmithing/Jewelry, Photography, Textiles, or Visual Art Education | ||
| General Electives | 10-0 | |
| Students will need to complete additional general elective credits to reach the required 120 hours. | ||
| Senior Studio Requirements & Capstone | 9 | |
| All concentrations, except Visual Art Education, will complete the Senior Studio Requirements of ART 540, ART 650 and Capstone course, ART 660. | ||
| Professional Activities Seminar | ||
| Senior Seminar I | ||
| Senior Seminar II (Capstone) | ||
| Student Teaching (Capstone) | ||
VAE 500: Student Teaching is the required Capstone for the Visual Art Education concentration only. | ||
| Total Hours | 120 | |
General Concentration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ART 102 | Drawing II | 3 |
| History of Art | ||
| Art History 1900-1945 | 3 | |
| African American Art History | ||
| Special Study in 20th/21st-Century Art: _____ | ||
| Modern and Contemporary African Art | ||
| Modern Korean Art and Culture | ||
| Art of the United States | ||
| American Art and Culture since 1900 | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Visual Arts of Japan | ||
| History of Photography | ||
| European Art, 1900-1945 | ||
| Art History 1945-Present | 3 | |
| Contemporary Art | ||
| African American Art History | ||
| Special Study in 20th/21st-Century Art: _____ | ||
| Modern and Contemporary African Art | ||
| Modern Korean Art and Culture | ||
| Art of the United States | ||
| American Art and Culture since 1900 | ||
| History of Photography | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Visual Arts of Japan | ||
| Visual Art Core Courses | 15 | |
| Select 5 courses from the 8 Visual Art areas listed. The fundamental (100 level) courses can be taken concurrently with other 200+ level courses in any studio area. | ||
| Fundamentals of Painting | ||
| or any Painting (PNTG) course | ||
| Fundamentals of Printmaking | ||
| or any Printmaking (PRNT) course | ||
| Fundamentals of Sculpture | ||
| or any Sculpture (SCUL) course | ||
| Fundamentals of Expanded Media | ||
| or any Expanded Media (EXM) course | ||
| Fundamentals of Ceramics | ||
| or any Ceramics (CER) course | ||
| Fundamentals of Metalsmithing/Jewelry | ||
| or any Metalsmithing/Jewelry (METL) course | ||
| Fundamentals of Fibers | ||
| or any Textiles/Fibers (TD) course | ||
| Foundations in Photography: Digital | ||
or PHOT 205 | Foundations in Photography: Darkroom | |
| Visual Art Electives | 27 | |
| Satisfied by 27 hours selected from the Visual Art Department (ART, CER, DRWG, EXM, METL, PHOT, PNTG, PRNT, SCUL, TD, VAE) | ||
| Total Hours | 51 | |
Ceramics Concentration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ART 102 | Drawing II | 3 |
| History of Art | 6 | |
| Satisfied by 6 hours of 300+ HA coursework (excluding HA 300) . Ceramics students can take CER 510 for 3 hours credit. NOTE: some courses may require additional prerequisites. | ||
| Ceramics | ||
| ART 131 | Fundamentals of Ceramics | 3 |
| or CER 208 | Ceramics I | |
| CER 301 | Concepts and Methods: Wheel Throwing | 3 |
| CER 302 | Concepts & Methods: Hand Building | 3 |
| CER 402 | Mold Making and Slip Casting | 3 |
| CER 403 | Advanced Topics in Ceramics | 3 |
| CER 504 | Kilns | 3 |
| CER 505 | Clay and Glaze Formulation | 3 |
| CER 515 | Advanced Ceramics I | 3 |
| CER 520 | Advanced Ceramics II | 3 |
| Studio Electives | 15 | |
| Satisfied by 15 hours of studio coursework selected from any course with the following subject code - ART, CER, EXM, METL, PHOT, PNTG, PRNT, SCUL, TD. NOTE: some courses may require additional prerequisites. | ||
| Total Hours | 51 | |
Metalsmithing/Jewelry Concentration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ART 102 | Drawing II | 3 |
| History of Art | 6 | |
| Select 6 hours of 300+ HA coursework (excluding HA 300) . Metalsmithing/Jewelry students may take METL 504: A History of Jewelry for 3 hours credit. | ||
| Metalsmithing/Jewelry | ||
| ART 132 | Fundamentals of Metalsmithing/Jewelry | 3 |
| METL 301 | Introduction to Casting for Jewelry | 3 |
| METL 360 | Holloware | 3 |
| METL 362 | Metalsmithing | 3 |
| METL 364 | Enameling | 3 |
| METL 505 | CAD for Jewelry and Metalsmithing | 3 |
| METL 506 | CAD for Jewelry and Metalsmithing II | 3 |
| METL 515 | Advanced Metals I | 3 |
| METL 520 | Advanced Metals II | 3 |
| Studio Electives | ||
| Satisfied by completing 15 hours of studio coursework selected from any course with the following subject code - ART, CER, EXM, METL, PHOT, PNTG, PRNT, SCUL, TD or VAE | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 51 | |
Photography Concentration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ART 102 | Drawing II | 3 |
| History of Art | ||
| Art History Elective 300+ | 3 | |
| HA 380 | History of Photography | 3 |
| Photography Courses | ||
| PHOT 200 | Foundations in Photography: Digital | 3 |
| or PHOT 205 | Foundations in Photography: Darkroom | |
| PHOT 210 | Understanding Photographs | 3 |
| PHOT 303 | Photography I: View Camera | 3 |
| PHOT 304 | Photography II: Color Digital | 3 |
| PHOT 313 | Lighting Studio | 3 |
| PHOT 314 | The Moving Image | 3 |
| PHOT 315 | Experimental Processes | 3 |
| PHOT 400 | Photography Seminar | 3 |
| PHOT 500 | Portfolio and Thesis | 3 |
| Studio Electives | 15 | |
| Satisfied by 15 hours of studio coursework selected from any course with the following subject code - ART, CER, EXM, METL, PHOT, PNTG, PRNT, SCUL, TD, or VAE | ||
| Total Hours | 51 | |
Textiles/Fibers Concentration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ART 102 | Drawing II | 3 |
| History of Art | 6 | |
| Select 6 hours of 300+ HA coursework (excluding HA 300) . | ||
| Textiles/Fibers Courses | ||
| ART 133 | Fundamentals of Fibers | 3 |
| TD 313 | Fiber Forms | 3 |
| TD 314 | Introduction to Weaving | 3 |
| TD 315 | Textile Handprinting and Resist Processes | 3 |
| TD 316 | Screenprinting Textiles | 3 |
| TD 515 | Advanced Textiles/Fibers I | 3 |
| TD 520 | Advanced Textiles/Fibers II | 3 |
| Intermediate / Advanced Textiles Electives | 6 | |
| Weave Structures | ||
| Techniques in Weaving | ||
| Intermediate Textile Printing | ||
| Advanced Techniques in Weaving | ||
| Studio Electives | 15 | |
| Satisfied by 15 hours of studio coursework selected from any course with the following subject code - ART, CER, EXM, METL, PHOT, PNTG, PRNT, SCUL, TD or VAE | ||
| Total Hours | 51 | |
Visual Art Education Concentration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| History of Art | ||
| BFA students must choose one of the following courses covering Art History from 1900-present: | 3 | |
| Contemporary Art | ||
| African American Art History | ||
| Special Study in 20th/21st-Century Art: _____ | ||
| Modern and Contemporary African Art | ||
| Modern Korean Art and Culture | ||
| Art of the United States | ||
| American Art and Culture since 1900 | ||
| History of Photography | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Visual Arts of Japan | ||
| European Art, 1900-1945 | ||
| Visual Art Core Courses | 15 | |
| 15 credits of CER, EXM, METL, PHOT, PNTG/DRWG, PRNT, SCUL or TD taken at the 100-200 level | ||
| Studio Electives | 15 | |
| 15 credits of ART, CER, EXM, METL, PHOT, PNTG/DRWG, PRNT, SCUL, TD courses taken at the 300 level and above. | ||
| Professional Preparation in Art Education | ||
| VAE 200 | Art, Culture, and Visual Literacy in the Digital World | 3 |
| VAE 315 | Foundations of Visual Art Education | 3 |
| VAE 320 | Instruction and Curriculum I | 3 |
| VAE 426 | Curriculum & Instruction II | 3 |
| Licensure Coursework | ||
| C&T 235 | Culture and Community in K-12 Schools | 3 |
| EPSY 306 | Development and Learning of the Adolescent | 3 |
| or ABSC 160 | Introduction to Child Behavior and Development | |
| SPED 326 | Teaching Exceptional Children and Youth in General Education | 3 |
| C&T 359 | Literacy in the Content Areas | 1 |
| ELPS 537 | The Governance and Organization of Schools | 3 |
| C&T 495 | Seminar: Developing the Teaching Portfolio | 3 |
| Total Hours | 61 | |
Sample 4-year plans for the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Art can be found below or by using the left-side navigation.
At the completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Produce and organize an independent, self-sustaining program of creative research.
- Apply technical and conceptual skills to produce serious creative research that is clearly positioned in historical and contemporary art theoretical discourse.
- Use visual and written communications skills to support creative research, critical thinking, ability for self-evaluation/critique, proposal writing, artist statement writing, presentation skills.