Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts

The Master of Fine Arts Degree is recognized as a terminal degree in studio art and as a normal requirement for studio art teaching positions at institutions of higher education. Through research and application in either a two-dimensional or three-dimensional concentration, the MFA degree offers a program of study that fosters intensive creative activity for professional artists and art educators. Students will have the opportunity to study art at an advanced level in an environment where the emphasis is on the study of art from a Christian world view.

These degrees are offered in studio art, which includes studies in two-dimensional arts such as painting and drawing, the three-dimensional arts including sculpture and ceramics, and graphic design.

Courses will normally be offered to allow completion of course work in two years plus one semester of full-time study, but actual completion of course requirements is dependent on course availability and the taking of required courses when offered. The Department of Art cannot guarantee a completion date for the degree.

The Thesis is offered only as a fall/spring sequence. Those not taking Studio Thesis I in the fall semester will be unable to begin the thesis in the following spring and will therefore begin the thesis in another fall/spring cycle.

APPLICATION FOR FULL ADMISSION

In addition to the requirements set forth by the Graduate Office, the applicant must comply with the following and have approval for admission from an appointed graduate art faculty review committee:

Master of Fine Arts Degree in Visual Arts

1.     Applicants interested in the M.F.A in Studio Art degree must provide the Office of Graduate and   Professional Studies with the following:

        a.  An online application for Graduate Admission, located on the website: https://www.mc.edu/application/.

        b.  One official copy of all academic transcripts.

        c.  GRE Scores on file

        d.  A $35.00 application fee.

        All admission documents above must be sent to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies (Box 4067, Clinton, MS 39058).

2.     The admission requirements below will be reviewed by an appointed Department of Art Graduate Admissions Review Committee and the Graduate Art Coordinator.

 a.   Applicants for the 60 hour M.F.A in Visual Arts must either hold an undergraduate degree in studio art with a major in either two-dimensional or three-dimensional art or earned the equivalent undergraduate preparation in art (contact the Graduate Coordinator of the Department of Art for information on equivalency of preparation).

b.   The Department of Art requires applicants to have an undergraduate GPA of 2.5 or above.

c.   GRE RequirementApplicants must take the Graduate Record Examination as part of the admission requirements. Regular admission requires the following scores: A verbal score of 146 or more and a quantitative score of 140 or more, or one of these scores on either section and a score of 2.5 on the writing assessment of the GRE General Examination. The verbal and quantitative scores will not be combined. The GRE must be taken prior to earning six semester hours of graduate credit. 

Students who have not obtained the necessary scores on the G.R.E. after one attempt may take ART 6507 Research Topics in Art History: Artists , or ART 6508 Research Topics in Art History: Periods or Styles and earn a grade of B or higher in lieu of the G.R.E. score requirement, or present a grade of B or higher for having taken one of these courses already. 

d.   Submit a formal statement of intent of 500-1,000 words setting forth a personal philosophy and professional objectives for the degree. The statement may be submitted in either a digital word-processing format to the Mississippi College Department of Art by electronic mail or submitted to the Department in printed form.

e.   Complete a scheduled interview with the Graduate Studio Art Coordinator or Graduate Admissions Review Committee.

f.    Provide a portfolio of artwork that reflects proficiency and preparation for graduate study in studio art. It should include painting, and drawing, for a two-dimensional emphasis or sculpture and ceramics for a three-dimensional emphasis. The portfolio must consist of a maximum of 20 images. The applicant may provide either a PDF of 20 digital images of artwork or 20 printed images. The PDF portfolio may be sent by email to art@mc.edu. A printed portfolio of images may be sent to Mr. Albert Smathers c/o Mississippi College Department of Art, P O Box 4020, Clinton, MS 39058. The portfolio will be reviewed by an appointed graduate committee and an admission decision will be made.

g.  Note: It is the option of the graduate art faculty committee to require applicants to take specific   undergraduate prerequisite courses prior to admission to the MFA in Visual Arts program.

h.   Students pursuing a Master of Fine Arts graduate degree for the purpose of obtaining a standard AAA educator license are required to submit a copy of the appropriate VALID Mississippi standard A educator license along with the application.

International Student Admissions

International students must meet regular admission requirements as stated above. However, the following exceptions to admissions procedures of Mississippi College may be made for international students applying for the Master of Fine Arts:

3. The GRE score is required by the Graduate School but regular admission may be granted without the GRE
score. The GRE must be taken at least one time by all international students seeking the MFA prior to earning
six semester hours of graduate credit. Students who have not obtained the necessary scores on the G.R.E.
outlined above after one attempt may be admitted through the alternate admission requirement below:

Earn a grade of B or higher in one of two graduate research courses taken within the first 2 semesters
after entering the program: ART 6507 Research Topics in Art History: Artists , or ART 6508 Research
Topics in Art History: Periods or Styles .

4. The interview may take place upon arrival at Mississippi College.

Scholarships for Graduate Candidates

The Department of Art offers a limited number of scholarships for MFA candidates. Contact the Mississippi College Department of Art for details.

Additional scholarships and loans are available. For more information, please contact the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies or the Financial Aid Office.

REQUIREMENTS OF THE MASTER OF FINE ARTS PROGRAM

A minimum of 60 hours of graduate work in art is required in either two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or graphic design concentration, selected in consultation with the graduate coordinator and the area coordinator for the studio discipline.

Refer to the academic catalog for course description.

ALL MASTER OF FINE ARTS CANDIDATES MUST TAKE THE FOLLOWING COURSES:

ART 6507 Research Topics in Art History: Artists

ART 6508 Research Topics in Art History: Periods or Styles

ART 6507 and ART 6508 are prerequisites to ART 6563 and ART 6564.


CANDIDATES MUST COMPLETE SIX HOURS OF STUDIO THESIS:

ART 6563 and ART 6564

The thesis for the Master of Fine Arts degree is a studio and written project which proves that the candidate for the degree is capable of solving a creative problem in visual art at a professional level with adequate scope, and is also capable of scholarly research and writing which states, supports, and analyzes the creative problem along with historical and critical perspectives applicable to the creative problem. The Thesis consists of both studio and written components which are interdependent. The Thesis Research Director, who is responsible for teaching ART 6563 - Studio Thesis I and ART 6564 - Studio Thesis II, will serve as the chair of the student's committee along with Studio Research Faculty as appointed by the Chair of the Department of Art. The Thesis is offered only as a fall/spring sequence. Those not taking Studio Thesis I in the fall semester will be unable to begin the thesis in the following spring and will therefore begin the thesis in another fall/spring cycle. The studio component and the written component must be approved by a majority of the committee.

The student will take an oral examination for the thesis which must be passed by a majority of the examining committee.

Students who do not complete the studio thesis at the conclusion of ART 6564 - Studio Thesis II must take ART 6565 - Studio Thesis III (1 semester hour) in the semester in which the thesis is planned to be completed, whether actual completion occurs or not. If activity involving the thesis which utilizes university resources of faculty time, facilities, library, or any other resources such as electronic mail continues in an intervening semester in which completion is not planned and no other course work is done, the student must pay the thesis continuation fee required by the Graduate School.

Transfer Credit

 A student may request to transfer a maximum of 12 hours of graduate credit from another regionally accredited college or university. Only courses in which the student received the grade of B or higher may be transferred. Contact the Graduate Coordinator for the Department of Art for details.

Mississippi College graduate students currently enrolled in the Master of Arts in Art, the Master of Science in Art (Studio Art), and the Master of Science in Graphic Design or Master of Education (with emphasis in Art) degree programs may transfer a maximum of 30 resident art graduate hours into the MFA degree program. Mississippi College alumni with a Master of Arts in Art, the Master of Science in Art, the Master of Science in Graphic Design or a Master of Education in Art Education degree may transfer a maximum of 30 resident hours of graduate art into the MFA program with approval of the Chair of the Department of Art. All other conditions and requirements outlined by the Graduate School concerning transfer credit must be observed. Refer to the General Requirements for Graduation in this catalog.



MASTER OF FINE ARTS PROGRAM OF STUDY

OPTION 1: M.F.A. IN VISUAL ARTS

60 semester hours of graduate credit in art in a program of studies to be approved by the graduate coordinator and the studio area coordinator, to include:

A. Core Courses (12 sem. hrs.)

  • ART 6507 - Research Topics in Art History: Artists
  • ART 6508 - Research Topics in Art History: Periods or Styles
  • ART 6563 - Studio Thesis I
  • ART 6564 - Studio Thesis II

B. Two-dimensional Studio Concentration

30 semester hours of two-dimensional studio courses as approved by the graduate coordinator and the studio area coordinator, from the following:

  • ART 5203 - Graduate Perspective Drawing
  • ART 5204 - Graduate Figure Drawing
  • ART 5305 - Computer Illustration
  • ART 5318 - Printmaking Studio I
  • ART 5319 - Printmaking Studio II
  • ART 5403 - Illustration
  • ART 5411 - Pastel Painting: Non-Figurative
  • ART 5412 - Pastel Painting: Figurative
  • ART 5611 - Painting Studio I
  • ART 5612 - Painting Studio II
  • ART 6411 - Special Projects in Pastel I
  • ART 6412 - Special Projects in Pastel II
  • ART 5415 - Graduate Graphic Design I
  • ART 5416 - Graduate Graphic Design II
  • ART 5421 - Special Projects
  • ART 5422 - Special Projects
  • ART 5434 - Sculptural Techniques in Papermaking
  • ART 5474 - Professional Internship
  • ART 5481 - Graduate Photography
  • ART 6101 - Graduate Design
  • ART 6117 - Communicating the Gospel Through Art
  • ART 6203 - Drawing Studio I
  • ART 6204 - Drawing Studio II
  • ART 6316 - Printmaking Media Practices I
  • ART 6317 - Printmaking Media Practices II
  • ART 6318 - Special Projects in Printmaking I
  • ART 6319 - Special Projects in Printmaking II
  • ART 6511 - Watercolor Painting: Non-Figurative
  • ART 6512 - Watercolor Painting: Figurative
  • ART 6523 - Special Projects in Watercolor I
  • ART 6524 - Special Projects in Watercolor II
  • ART 6513 - Oils/Acrylics Painting: Non-Figurative
  • ART 6514 - Oils/Acrylics Painting: Figurative
  • ART 6543 - Special Projects in Oil/Acrylic I
  • ART 6544 - Special Projects in Oil/Acrylic II
  • ART 6591 - Field Studies
  • ART 6592 - Field Studies
  • ART 6593 - Field Studies
  • ART 6611 - Painting Media Practices I
  • ART 6612 - Painting Media Practices II
  • ART 6613 - Painting: Directed Problems I
  • ART 6614 - Painting: Directed Problems II

C. Approved elective graduate courses in art (18 sem. hrs.)



OPTION 2: M.F.A. IN VISUAL ARTS (THREE-DIMENSIONAL STUDIO CONCENTRATION)

60 semester hours of graduate credit in art in a program of studies to be approved by the graduate coordinator and the studio area coordinators, to include:

A. Core Courses (12 sem. hrs.)

  • ART 6507 - Research Topics in Art History: Artists
  • ART 6508 - Research Topics in Art History: Periods or Styles
  • ART 6563 - Studio Thesis I
  • ART 6564 - Studio Thesis II

B. Three-dimensional Studio Concentration

30 semester hours of three-dimensional studio courses as approved by the graduate coordinator and the studio area coordinators from the following:

  • ART 5421 - Special Projects
  • ART 5422 - Special Projects
  • ART 5431 - Graduate Sculpture I
  • ART 5432 - Graduate Sculpture II
  • ART 5434 - Sculptural Techniques in Papermaking
  • ART 5451 - Ceramics: Glaze Formulation
  • ART 5452 - Ceramics: Wheel Throwing
  • ART 5461 - Ceramics Studio I
  • ART 5462 - Ceramics Stduio II
  • ART 5474 - Professional Internship
  • ART 6431 - Graduate Sculpture III
  • ART 6432 - Graduate Sculpture IV
  • ART 6433 - Special Projects in Sculpture
  • ART 6434 - Special Projects in Sculpture
  • ART 6461 - Ceramics Media Practices I
  • ART 6462 - Ceramics Media Practices II
  • ART 6463 - Ceramics: Directed Problems I
  • ART 6464 - Ceramics: Directed Problems II
  • ART 6551 - Ceramics: Hand-Build Methods
  • ART 6552 - Ceramics: Surface Enrichment
  • ART 6553 - Special Projects in Ceramics
  • ART 6554 - Special Projects in Ceramics
  • ART 6591 - Field Studies
  • ART 6592 - Field Studies
  • ART 6593 - Field Studies

C. Approved elective graduate courses in art (18 sem. hrs.)



NOTE(S):

NOTE: Courses ART 6591, ART 6592, and ART 6593 may be repeated as necessary for up to six hours credit. In most cases, the student should not expect to earn more than six semester hours in any combination of field experiences courses.