Art Studio, MFA

The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Art Studio is the terminal academic degree for studio artists and the required faculty credential for most institutions of higher learning. In addition to being fully qualified to teach at the college-level, MFA graduates will possess the skills to pursue careers in commercial venues or as full-time practicing fine artists. Students enrolled in the MFA program are encouraged to explore inter-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary mediums or concentrate upon a single media dependent upon the direction of their research.

Admission Requirements

While a B.A. or B.F.A. in studio art is the preferred preparatory degree for the M.F.A. program, students from a variety of educational backgrounds may apply. The determinate factor inadmittance to the program will be the quality of the submitted artwork.

Application Procedures

The Graduate School, which is the administrative unit for all graduate students, and the Art Studio graduate program, which is responsible for the academic curriculum, require different application materials.

Application for admission to the Graduate School requires:

A completed application form for the Graduate School (on-line application form available at http://gradschool.uky.edu.
One official transcript from all institutions previously attended.
TOEFL scores and/or IELTS scores if an international student.
Application fee.
Portfolio: A single PDF portfolio of 20 recent artworks (required resolution: 8” x 10” or 10” x 8”, 90 DPI). Each slide in the portfolio needs to include the applicants name, title of artwork, and medium, siz (in inches or feet), and date for each submitted work as part of that document. If your files are too large, please resize them to the required resolution. If sending time-based materials (such as video), please include a link to your work on a website such as vimeo, personal site, or YouTube on the slide with the still image.
Cover Letter/Letter of Intent: A 1-2 page letter clearly stating your goals for graduate, why you want to study at in the School of Art & Visual Studies, and why you would like to be considered for a teaching assistantship, fellowship, and/or scholarship. If you would like to be considered for a teaching assistantship, please clearly explain your interest in teaching and how you would benefit from teaching mentorship and classroom experience.
One Page Artist Statement explaining the conceptual and aesthetic ideas and influences behind your creative practice.
A brief resumé/CV with relevant artistic experience and exhibition record.
Three letters of recommendation

Degree Requirements

The M.F.A. degree will be awarded on the completion of 60 hours of graduate course work. Of these, 30 hours must be at or above the 600 level and 40 hours must be in regularly scheduled graduate courses (excludes the following course types: research, independent study, practicum, residency):

Requirements:

Art Studio - Students must take a minimum of 33 credit hours of Art Studio courses including A-S 793 GRADUATE STUDIO SEMINAR required of M.F.A. candidates every fall semester of their residency.
Art History - Students must take a minimum of 9 credit hours of Art History including three hours of A-H 650 ADVANCED CONTEMPORARY ART HISTORY .
Gallery Practicum - Students must take A-H 502 MUSEUM STUDIES II: INTERNSHIP .

MFA Thesis - A total of 6 credits of A-S 799 M.F.A. STUDIO THESIS PROJECT are required for the preparation and successful completion of a final one-person M.F.A. exhibition of studio work.

Other Requirements

Up to 9 credit hours in related graduate courses may be taken outside the School of Art and Visual Studies or elsewhere in the University.
A foreign language is not required, and the M.F.A. degree is offered only according to Plan B.