Program Overview

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Program Overview

The degree of Master of Fine Arts in Art and Design is designed to prepare qualified individuals for distinctive achievement in the professional area of their choice. Fields of concentration include Design for Responsible Innovation, Industrial Design, or Studio Art.

Degree Requirements

A minimum of 64 hours of graduate credit is required for the M.F.A. degree. Individual studio space and specialized resources essential to the acquisition of a high-quality professional education are available to students in all areas of study.

Concentrations

• Design for Responsible Innovation
• Industrial Design
• Studio Art

Admission

Applications are considered for Fall Semester admissions only. For international applicants, a recent English Proficiency test score of 96 (TOEFL) or 6.5 (IELTS) (or an exemption) is needed for admissions.

Graduate Teaching Experience

Although teaching is not a general Graduate College requirement, experience in teaching is considered an important part of the graduate experience for master and doctoral students.

Facilities and Resources

Resources for graduate students in art and design include:

• The Krannert Art Museum’s excellent permanent collections and changing exhibitions
• The Ricker Library of Art and Architecture, one of the largest art and architecture libraries in the nation
• The Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
• School of Art and Design facilities, which include extensive computer laboratories, digital photography and video editing equipment, wireless networking, ink-printing facilities, ceramic, woodworking, and metal shops, rapid prototyping and laser cutting, black/white and color darkrooms, shooting studios, and a wide selection of production and presentation equipment via reservation and checkout facility

Financial Aid

Fellowships, assistantships, and tuition and service fee waivers are awarded each year on a competitive basis, with consideration given to the applicant’s grade point average and, in the case of applicants for the M.F.A. programs, quality of creative work.

Course List

Course List Code	Title	Hours
Research/Project/Thesis Hours (min/max applied toward degree) (2 min)		2
Studio, enrollment varies by concentration		6 min
Electives taken in consultation with an advisor to reach 64 total hours
Total Hours		64

Other Requirements

Course List Code	Title	Hours
A concentration is not required
Other requirements may overlap
Minimum 500-level Hours Required Overall		12
Minimum GPA		2.75

MFA in Art & Design, Concentration in Industrial Design

1. Inquiry and insight: Select and use appropriate research and experimental methods, to access existing data or to generate new data, to analyze and draw insights, with a particular emphasis on user needs.
2. Ideation: Produce creative proposals to identified design opportunities, using design thinking, modelling, and prototyping strategies, with an appropriate integration of functional, technical, ergonomic and visual factors.
3. Implementation: Select and use appropriate making and manufacturing processes with an understanding of the potential of new technologies, and the demands of sustainability.
4. Informing: Use visual and verbal communication, to explain and persuade, as appropriate for different audiences.
5. Self development: Carry out independent learning and reflexive evaluation of your work, as well as to plan and implement action, individually or in teams, effectively managing self and others.
6. Contextualisation: Locate your own activity within the multiple contexts of design practice, including the theoretical, professional, cultural, environmental and technological contexts.

MFA in Art & Design, Concentration in Design for Responsible Innovation

1. Demonstrate familiarity with the design research literature relevant to their topic.
2. Create prototypes for research purposes.
3. Explain the different epistemological modes of knowledge production.
4. Select research methods appropriate to the thesis topic.

MFA in Art & Design, Concentration in Studio Art

1. Demonstrate a practical and theoretical understanding of contemporary art and related practices.
2. Articulate studio and conceptual concerns orally and in writing that makes critical connections between individual works and practices and the larger contexts that inform them.
3. Produce and exhibit a comprehensive body of artwork that demonstrates conceptual rigor and appropriate technical skill.
4. Demonstrate the intention, motivation and skills required to pursue and sustain a career as an artist.
5. Acquire practical pedagogical and technical skills necessary for employment in the field.

School of Art & Design

The School of Art and Design is led by:

• School Director: Brooke White
• Director of Graduate Studies: Terri Weissman
• Associate Director of Design: Lynne Dearborn

Graduate Studies Advisors

• MA; PhD in Art History: David O'Brien
• MA; EdM; PhD in Art Education: Laura Hetrick
• MFA in Studio: Emmy Lingscheit and Conrad Bakker
• MFA in Industrial Design: Carlos Aguiar
• MFA in Design for Responsible Innovation: Nekita Thomas

College of Fine & Applied Arts

The College of Fine & Applied Arts is committed to providing a comprehensive education in the arts.