Art & Design

Degrees Offered

The Department of Art & and Design offers the following undergraduate degrees:

• Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
• Bachelor of Arts (BA)
• Art History Minor

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is the professional arts degree, with intensive work in art and design, supported by a program in general studies. The BFA program prepares you for professional careers in the visual arts—a studio artist or designer. In accordance with the standards of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, the major consists of 80 credits in the Department of Art & Design.

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) with Studio Arts Emphasis is the liberal arts degree, with a focus on art and design in the context of a broad program of general studies. The BA encourages study in a variety of disciplines and consists of 45 credits in the Department of Art & Design.

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) with Art Historical Emphasis is a combination of studio art courses plus a strong art historical preparation. The standards for this BA in Art are those needed for admission into graduate study in Art History. The BA in Art with Art Historical Emphasis consists of 68 credits, including 8 credits of foreign language.

The Art History Minor consists of 24 credits as specified in the UWSP catalog.

Academic Requirements

Specific requirements for the BFA, BA and Art History Minor can be found in the UWSP University online Catalog: http://www.uwsp.edu/AcadAff/Catalog PDF/currentcatalog.pdf​

The study of art and design involves conceptual, historical, theoretical, and technical skill development. Our programs invest you with knowledge of materials and processes to create work and the ability for critical evaluation of art and design.​

Studio Courses

We offer a range of courses where you explore various methods for learning and producing work. As a Freshman, you learn fundamental principles and skills in our Foundation courses. As you advance in the program you will find that our studio classes have low student to teacher ratio, so individual attention is the norm.

Supplies

There is a lab fee for each studio class that provides for a portion of required materials. There are additional materials that all students may need to purchase. There is an art bundle available for $165.00 at the UWSP Bookstore which provides most of what is needed for the 100 foundation classes. Attached is a list of these items included in the bundle. If you choose not to purchase the bundle, you can purchase these items separately from a local or on-line art store.

Art Bundle List

Art History Courses

We are happy to offer you a new Emphasis in Art History, essentially a preparation for further study in graduate school. You can choose from Art History courses focusing on Western or Eastern Art History.

Emphasis Areas

The department is organized around emphasis areas. For the BA degree your choices include: art history, studio arts. For the BFA degree your choices include: two-dimensional (2D), three-dimensional (3D), and graphic design (GD). BFA degree students choose one (or two) areas for concentrated study. Disciplines within the studio emphasis areas include:

• 2D: drawing, painting, photography, print making
• 3D: ceramics, sculpture
• GD: graphic design

BFA Portfolio Review

You must pass the BFA Portfolio Review for admission into the BFA (professional) program. During the Review, conducted by art and design faculty, you will exhibit all your work from the studio Foundations courses and a significant amount of work from two other 200-level art studio courses.

You must take the Review before completing 24 studio art credits. If you complete 24 studio art credits during the fall semester, you must complete the Review the following spring. The Review can be attempted only once. If you do not pass the BFA Portfolio Review, you may maintain BA status in the Department of Art & Design.