Degree Title: Master of Fine Arts

Program Name and Number: Painting and Drawing - MF5052

Department/Unit: School of Art + Design

Delivery Mode: Athens Campus

Program Mission: The Painting + Drawing Area is committed to cutting-edge professional art training within the context of a liberal arts university. In an atmosphere that is both supportive and challenging, students are asked to question their intentions, investigate and expand their ideas of painting, and to develop a coherent body of work that is the beginning of a dialog with the world.

Program Learning Objectives: Students will

• Demonstrate mastery in skills, techniques and material germane to the student’s research focus, evidenced through a mature body of creative work
• Identify key figures, works and sources, both historical and contemporary, as evidence to support a clearly stated thesis contextualizing the student’s work
• Generate documents appropriate to professional practice in the student’s field of focus, and be prepared for participation in the professional world of Art
• Execute a public exhibit of the student’s creative work

Program Overview:  The Painting and Drawing program is based upon the belief that painting is a language that simultaneously upholds tradition and constantly seeks experimentation to expand and redefine its boundaries. We offer graduate students intensive professional training in a liberal arts setting. Graduate students are encouraged to experiment with a broad range of technical and theoretical interests in a way that upholds, expands, and redefines the boundaries of Painting.

The Master of Fine Art in Painting and Drawing is an intensive three-year program. The first and second years are primarily devoted to studio, seminar, art history, and elective coursework. During the third year, the emphasis is an intensive commitment to studio time in preparation for the thesis exhibition. As part of this 3-year studio experience, the student will have individual and group meetings with faculty, interaction with peers in and outside of the area, and will participate in graduate critiques. A normal full-time academic load is 15 credit-hours per semester, and progress toward the degree is guided by the student’s graduate review committee members to the successful completion of 90 credit hours.

Opportunities for Graduates: Our students regularly go on to receive Fulbright Awards, national artist-in-residencies, gallery representation, university teaching positions and other types of professional positions in the field as post-graduates

Link to Program: http://www.ohio.edu/finearts/art/academics/programs/painting.cfm

Link to Program Handbook: argrad@ohio.edu

Graduation Requirements:

1. Credit-Hour Requirements Summary: 90 minimum credit hours
   • 40 studio (28 in Painting and drawing and 12 in studio elective hours)
   • 12 art history/academic studies
   • 6 seminars
   • 25 thesis credits
2. Thesis review requirements:
   • Students will have a series of formal reviews throughout the 3 years for the program with the members of their thesis committee.
   • The First-Year Progress Review Occurs toward the end of fall semester and constitutes a progress assessment of the student’s work by his/her committee members.
   • The First-Year M.F.A. Candidacy Review occurs toward the end of spring semester and admits the student to full candidacy for the degree by the student’s committee members.
   • The Thesis Proposal Review occurs during spring semester of the second year and establishes the goals and guidelines of the student’s thesis exhibition.
   • The Oral defense occurs before the public presentation of the Thesis work at the end of the 3^rd year of study.
3. A thesis exhibition and oral thesis defense is required at the conclusion of the program. A written thesis is not required.
4. Expected time to degree if studying full time is 3 years.

Admission Requirements: Admission to the MFA program requires a bachelors degree or equivalent, and the submission of a portfolio of 20 images through slideroom, a CV, artist statement, letter of intent, and three letters of recommendation (through the online request service). You must also submit an application to Ohio University online.