Apr 24, 2024  
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog [Archived Catalog]

Art And Design (B.F.A.)


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Bachelor of Fine Arts
Department of Art and Design  
College of Visual and Performing Arts

Visual Arts Building 117 ~ 260-481-6709


Upon completion of their degree, B.F.A. students will be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes:

  • Utilize perceptual and conceptual skills to solve programs creatively in art/design media.
  • Implement 2D and 3D design principles to create compelling and effective works of art and design in a variety of traditional and digital media.
  • Demonstrate an understanding and competency of technical skills in traditional and digital art/design media to effectively communicate and express ideas.
  • Effectively analyze and critique works of art/design in verbal and written forms, using visual vocabulary and familiarity with the works and intentions of of major artists/designers and movments of the past and present.
  • Demonstrate effective visual, verbal, and written communication skills and an aptitude to apply those skills.
  • Apply functional knowledge of basic art and design practical experiences and opportunities, as well as professional ethics.
  • Exhibit artistic competency in portfolio review submissions and senior thesis exhibitions.

Program Description

The Bachelor of Fine Arts program offers a high-level studio experience that allows you to develop your creativity and prepares you for a professional career in the visual arts. You will benefit from working with our accomplished studio faculty as well as our partnerships with Fort Wayne design firms.

Courses offer multifaceted experiences in art and design creation, flowing from a solid and diverse foundation curriculum for the first two years. From this base, students have the latitude to sample various areas of creative endeavor before selecting an area of studio concentration. When you complete the degree, you will be ready to continue study in prestigious graduate programs or continue to be an active artist/designer in the business world.

Accreditation:

  • The Department of Art and Design is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

Program Delivery:

  • Department of Art and Design courses are offered on campus, with some distance and hybrid course offerings.

Declaring this major (Studio Art, Design Art, or Web Design with Elective Studies in Information Technology) - B.F.A. Portfolio Review:

Each student enters the program as a Bachelor of Art student. Students wishing to pursue the B.F.A. degree must submit a portfolio oftheir first and second year work to attain formal acceptance into the B.F.A. program. Each petitioning student must apply to present their work through the Department of Art & Design in the semester in which they complete all second year classes. Each student applying for acceptance into the B.F.A. program will declare their area of studio concentration, i.e., painting, graphic design, etc. with the understanding that areas of art can be interdisciplinary and flexible. There are Studio Art Concentrations (Ceramics, Drawing,Metalsmithing, Painting, Printmaking, and Sculpture), Design Art Concentrations (Graphic Design and Imaging and Photography),and Web Design with Elective Studies in Information Technology Concentration.


Students who are accepted into more than one B.F.A. concentration are required to complete AD 49502 and AD 49600, Senior Thesisand Exhibition I and II for each concentration.


The Art and Design Department will notify students of this requirement, along with instructions on the portfolio review process.

B.F.A. Portfolio Review Outcome

A student applying for acceptance into the B.F.A. program from the B.A. program may be accepted, deferred or denied. A student’s acceptance into the B.F.A. program will allow them to advance into junior and senior level studio classes as a declared B.F.A. major. A deferred student will be asked to re-submit their portfolio for B.F.A. consideration after re-taking requested classes. A student denied entry into the B.F.A. program will continue in the B.A. program. Denied students can apply one additional time for review into the B.F.A. program with permission from the department chair.

General Requirements

Specific admission requirements for program - See “Declaring this major” above for portfolio review requirements.

General Education Requirements Credits: 33

  • Click on the Purdue University Fort Wayne General Education Requirements link above for a listing of all general education requirements.
  • A grade of C- or higher is required in each course used to satisfy the Purdue Fort Wayne General Education Requirements. Courses may be retaken if minimum grade requirement is not met.
  • B.F.A. students may not take any Art and Design courses for General Education credits; this includes AD 11100, AD 11201, AD 10101, AD 10801, AD 13300, AD 16500,  AD 19600, AD 23900
  • Cat A1 Written Communication -ENGL 13100  and  ENGL 23301  Cr. 6.
  • Cat A2 Speaking and Listening - COM 11400  or THTR 11400  * (recommended  for Art and Design students) or other approved A2 course Cr. 3
  • Cat A3 Quantitative Reasoning - STAT 12500  * (recommended  for Art and Design students) or other approved A3 course Cr. 3

Program Requirements:


Art and Design B.F.A. 4-Year Plan  

Art and Design Content Field: Credits 87 (either studio or design art majors)


Art History Course Requirements: Credits 12


Art and Design B.F.A. students are required to take 12 credit hours of Art History courses, including AD 11100 History of Art I and AD 11201 History of Art II.

This is followed by two additional advanced Art History electives, or 6 credits. AD 11100 and AD 11201 are pre-requisites for most advanced Art History courses.

Graphic Design Advanced Art History: Credits 6


  • Students entering into the Graphic Design concentration will choose one 3 credit upper-level Art History elective from the list above and will take AD 20101 - History Of Graphic Design I  for the remaining 3 credits.

Imaging and Photography Advanced Art History: Credits 6


  • Students entering into the Imaging and Photography Concentration will choose one 3 credit upper-level Art History elective from the list above and will take AD 20501 - History Of Photography  for the remaining 3 credits.

First Year Portfolio Review Checkpoint


All students in the Department of Art and Design must submt a portfolio of their first year foundation course work to be reviewed by department faculty at the end of all completed first year foundation courses, usually in the spring semester.  Work from outside of Art and Design foundation classes will not be accepted for consideration, therefore careful storage and documentation of student work is essential for success.  The review is a checkpoint to assure that students have met adequate quality standards in the first year of their foundation program.  Upon a satisfactory portfolio review, students will continue in the second year foundation courses.

The Department of Art and Design will send out detailed information regarding the portfolio review process.

Second Year Foundation Studio Courses: Credits 18


Second Year Foundation Portfolio Review - Apply For Entrance Into The BFA program (either major)


Students who wish to enter the BFA program must submit a portfolio of their second year foundation course work to be reviewed by department faculty at the end of all completed second year foundation courses, usually in the spring.  Student portfolios should consist of 18 examples of work from the second year foundation studio classes, including at least one piece of work from each class.  Work from outside of these classes will not be accepted for consideration, therefore careful storage and documentation of student work is essential for success.  Detailed information is available by contacting the Department of Art and Design.

See B.F.A. Portfolio Review Outcome above for more information on the results of the review.

Third Year Portfolio Review


Students at the end of their junior year, or upon completion of 84 credit hours, of which 48 credit hours must be studio courses, will submit a third portfolio for review. The portfolio must contain work representing the best and fullest range of work completed in the freshman, sophomore, and junior Art and Design courses. The department will send out detailed information regarding this review to students prior to the review. Successful students will be allowed to enroll in their remaining coursework in both advanced studio and senior thesis and exhibition courses. Students whose work does not meet the standards of the department reviewers may be required to change their degree program back to the Art and Design Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) program.

Studio Art Concentrations: Credits 39


Ceramics:


Studio Requirements – Cr. 15

Drawing:


Studio Requirements – Cr. 15

Metalsmithing:


Studio Requirements – Cr. 15

Painting:


Studio Requirements - Cr. 15

Printmaking:


Studio Requirements – Cr. 15

Sculpture:


Studio Requirements - Cr. 15

Design Art Concentrations:


Graphic Design:


Imaging and Photography:


Web Design with Elective Studies in Information Technology Concentration Credits 39


Art and Design Classes Cr. 15.


First Year GPA Requirements


Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.  Successful students will progress with the second year courses.

GPA Requirements For The Remainder Of Degree


Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 and maintain this minimum cumulative 2.5 GPA until graduation.  Successful students will progress with the third and fourth year coursework.

Minimum Grade Requirements


Students must have a minimum grade of C- or better on all AD classes for credit towards their degree.  Classes below a C- grade may be retaken for a qualifying grade as needed.

Credit By Self-Acquired Competency


Credit by Self-Acquired Competency is at the discretion of the department and evaluated on an individual basis.

Repeat Limits


All advanced level studio courses may be repeated up to a maximum of 18 credits.  No courses may be repeated in Graphic Design or Imaging and Photography concentrations.

Self-Paced Courses:

Independent study classes are sometimes available and at the discretion of both the course instructor and chair of the department.

Total Credits: 120


Student Responsibility


You are responsible for ensuring that you satisfy all graduation requirements specified for each selected program.  Thus, it is essential that you develop a thorough understanding of the required courses, academic policies, and procedures governing your academic career.  If you cannot complete all program requirements by your stated graduation date but fail to remove those from your plan of study, the Registrar’s Office in consultation with your academic advisor will remove unmet pursuits from your plan of study. Changing curricular records during the graduation term of application may affect state or federal financial aid awards. All requests for exceptions to specific requirements must be made in writing and may be granted only by written approval from the appropriate chair or dean. 

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