Mar 28, 2024  
Undergraduate Catalog | 2017-2018 
    
Undergraduate Catalog | 2017-2018 Previous Edition

Art, Studio Art Concentration, B.F.A


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The Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Art with a Concentration in Studio Art provides in-depth study in one or more concentration areas.  Because it requires 80 credit hours of courses in this department, and because many of the concentration courses are sequential, it is important to begin taking three studio art courses and one art history course during the first semester of study.  Students should not complete the General Education courses before beginning the courses in the major.  This will delay time to graduation.  Four year schedules differ for each concentration and are available online or in the departmental office.

Admission Requirements


Admission to the B.A. program is a two-step process that includes a completed application for admission to the University and, upon admittance to the University, a portfolio submission to the Department of Art and Art History.  Freshman or transfer students seeking admission to the B.A. degree program with or without K-12 Art Teacher Licensure must submit a completed application for Fall admission to the University by January 31 to be eligible to submit a portfolio for consideration during the Priority Review in mid-March.  Applicants who miss the previous deadline must submit a completed application for Fall admission to the University by March 1 to be eligible to submit a portfolio for consideration during the Space Available Review in mid-April.  For the most current deadlines, refer to the Undergraduate Admissions website at admissions.uncc.edu

Students seeking admission to this major must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5.  All studio students must apply for Art major status by submitting a portfolio of work to the department.  Portfolios are reviewed once per year in the Spring.  Students cannot take any studio course without having Art major status.  All studio students, even those seeking the B.F.A. degree, begin in the B.A. program.

The Department of Art and Art History will select students to admit directly to Art after the portfolio reviews.  Applicants who are not approved as Art majors after the portfolio review are asked to choose another major before enrollment.  Applicants seeking admission to the B.F.A. program work directly with the Department of Art and Art History to complete the application process after enrollment in the B.A. program.

Art majors in the B.A. studio program apply to the B.F.A. degree program by taking and passing a 1-credit course (ARTA 3201 ) during their Sophomore year.  During the class, students assemble another portfolio of work and written documentation, which they later submit to the BFA Review Committees.  Students may not take advanced studio courses without having passed this course and gained acceptance into the B.F.A. program.

Degree Requirements


General Education Courses (37-41 credit hours)


For details on required courses, refer to the General Education program 

Students intending to earn either the B.F.A. in Art or the B.A. in Art should take three ARTB 120x courses, and one ARTH course (ARTH 1211 , ARTH 1212 , or ARTH 2110 ) in the first semester of their Freshman year.  All of the General Education courses should be organized around the Art requirements.  It is usually not possible to graduate in four years without taking this number of Art courses right away.  Prerequisite sequencing dictates the time to graduation, and all students should become thoroughly familiar with the course descriptions. 

Foreign Language Requirement (0-8 credit hours)


All students who earn a degree within the College of Arts + Architecture are required to demonstrate proficiency in the language of their choice through the 1202 level.  Proficiency can be demonstrated in one of the following ways:

  • Completing the required coursework at UNC Charlotte
  • Completing three years of the same foreign language in high school through level three
  • Achieving a satisfactory score on the foreign languages placement test (in Spanish, French, or German)
  • Through approved transfer or transient credit earned at other accredited institutions
  • A combination of the above methods (e.g., placing out of or earning transfer or transient credit for 1201 and completing the 1202 course, completing 1201 and placing out of or earning transfer or transient credit for 1202)

Major Courses (80 credit hours)


Introductory Studios (15 credit hours)


These studios consist of the introductory 2000-level courses in each concentration area. Students must take a total of 5 courses. Two of the courses must be from a two-dimensional area and two must be from a three-dimensional area. The fifth course may be from either area, depending on the student’s discipline. Certain courses are mandatory for each concentration, and each concentration requires different courses. See below for details.

All 2000-level courses have prerequisites of certain Basic Foundation Studios. The 2000-level courses are prerequisites for 3000- and 4000-level courses. Make sure to check the prerequisites and course descriptions for each course.

Concentrations

Students may choose from the following concentrations:

  • ARTC  Ceramics
  • ART_   Cross Disciplinary (pre-approval required)
  • ARTM  Digital Media
  • ARTF  Fibers
  • ARTG  Graphic Design
  • ARTL  Illustration
  • ARTP  Painting
  • ARTT  Photography
  • ARTR  Print Media
  • ARTZ  Sculpture

Following are the specific introductory studio requirements for each concentration area:

Ceramics

Cross Disciplinary

See Academic Advisor.

Digital Media

  • (3)
  • Any ARTC, ARTZ, or ARTF course at the 2000-level
  • 1 more ARTC, ARTZ, or ARTF course at the 2000-level
  • 1 more course from any of these areas: ARTD, ARTG, ARTL, ARTP, ARTR, ARTT
  • 1 more course from any of these areas: ARTC, ARTD, ARTF, ARTG, ARTL, ARTM, ARTP, ARTR, ARTT, ARTZ
Fibers

Graphic Design

Illustration

  • (3)
  • (3)
  • 1 course from any of these areas: ARTC, ARTF, ARTZ
  • 1 more course from any of these areas: ARTC, ARTF, ARTZ
  • 1 more course from any of these areas: ARTC, ARTD, ARTF, ARTG, ARTL, ARTM, ARTP, ARTR, ARTT, ARTZ
Painting

Photography

Print Media

Sculpture

Restricted Elective Course (3 credit hours)


Students should take any type of course in the department (except ARTE 2121 ). Students may want to take an additional Introductory Studio. If an Art History course is selected, students will automatically earn a Minor in Art History, but they will need to submit a Change of Major/Minor form to the Office of the Registrar in order to reflect this on their official record.

Advanced Studio Courses (6 credit hours)


Two studio courses are required at the 3000- or 4000- level. These courses have prerequisites at the 2000- level (or above). In addition to regular studio courses from any concentration area, you may choose a studio internship or independent study. Art History and Art Education courses do not count towards these requirements.

Concentration Studio Courses (21 credit hours)


Students must complete 7 advanced courses in their chosen concentration. They are specified below. Many of these courses are sequential and require BFA status as one of the prerequisites. Students will need to register for the BFA Portfolio Review course (ARTA 3201 ) simultaneously with the first 3000 level course in the concentration. Students should take the BFA Senior Exhibit course (ARTA 4601 ) and Senior Seminar simultaneously with the last Projects course in their concentration. The following are the requirements for each concentration area:

Art History Courses (15 credit hours)


Senior Seminar (3 credit hours)


Students must have Senior status and be in the last one or two semesters in the degree program in order to register for ARTA 4600 . It should be taken with the last studio Projects course in the student’s concentration.

B.F.A. Portfolio Review (1 credit hour)


Students should register for ARTA 3201  during the semester they take the first 3000-level course in their concentration. Students will prepare a portfolio of images and a written statement related to their concentration. Students will not be able to continue with advanced courses unless they pass this course. If a student does not pass this course, s/he will not gain admission to the B.F.A. degree track. The course may be repeated once if the student would like to re-submit a portfolio to the same concentration. If the student does not pass a second time, s/he may stay with the B.A. in Art degree status. The student also has the option of taking the course again but must submit a different portfolio to a new concentration.

B.F.A. Senior Exhibit (1 credit hour)


Students should register for ARTA 4601  at the same time that they take the last Projects course in their concentration.  All Seniors in the B.F.A. degree program must present a public exhibition of their work.

Unrestricted Elective Courses (0-3 credit hours)


As needed.

Degree Total = 120 Credit Hours


Academic Advising


All Art and Art History majors are required to meet with the Academic Advisor in the Department of Art and Art History each semester.  Students will not be able to register for any course at UNC Charlotte without attending the mandatory advising meetings. The Academic Advisor is available year-round.

Career mentoring in studio, art history, and art education is offered by individual faculty members who are active professionals in those areas of study. Contact is best done by email or telephone. Most professors are available for appointments from the first day of classes until the last day of classes each Fall and Spring semester.  Requirements for degrees and minors, as well as 4-year B.F.A. calendars, are available in the Department of Art and Art History office and online at art.uncc.edu.

Students seeking to confirm that General Education graduation requirements are met should use the automated CAPP Degree Evaluation system online in My UNC Charlotte.  Those seeking confirmation of Art requirements must contact the Academic Advisor.

Grade Requirements


Students must receive a grade of C or above in all courses applied to the major.  Students cannot advance to the next course in a sequence until a grade of C or above is earned in prerequisite courses.

Honors Program


For details about the Arts + Architecture Honors Program, visit the AAHP program page .

Suggested Curriculum


For the suggested course sequence toward completing the major, please see the Academic Plan of Study available online at academics.uncc.edu.  Consultation with an advisor is required each semester.

Transfer Credit


All transfer courses are automatically reviewed by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.  Students seeking to appeal the official transfer designations for ARTx courses must provide the Department Academic Advisor with copies of the official course descriptions and a syllabus for each course requested for consideration.  Portfolios of creative work from each of the individual studio courses may also be required.

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