Program Overview
Fine Arts, BA Program Overview
The Undergraduate Fine Arts Program at the University of Pennsylvania combines studio practices, seminar courses, and interactions with visiting artists and professionals to provide an open intellectual framework. This framework fosters critical awareness and independent methods of artistic research and learning. The Fine Arts Department offers a diverse range of studio courses in areas such as animation and 3D modeling, ceramics, design, drawing and painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and video.
Program Goals and Objectives
A primary goal of the Undergraduate Fine Arts program is to facilitate an environment where the potentialities of art are considered in relation to the real-life conditions of students. Encouraged to test themselves against the rigors of divergent artistic approaches and their histories, students develop a complex set of skills to creatively and critically negotiate the turbulent shifts taking place globally in terms of human experiences.
Program Structure and Availability
The Fine Arts major is available for students in the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering, and the minor is available for undergraduate students across the university. The Fine Arts program works in conjunction with three interdisciplinary degree programs: Cinema Studies, Digital Media Design, and Visual Studies.
Degree Requirements
- The minimum total course units for graduation in this major is 34.
- Double majors may entail more course units.
Course Requirements
- Foundational Approaches + Sectors: 20 course units
- Core Studio Requirements: 2 course units
- FNAR 0010: Drawing I
- FNAR 0020: Contemporary Art Studio
- Introductory Studio Requirements: 3 course units
- Select 3 from:
- DSGN 0010: Art, Design and Digital Culture
- FNAR 1010: Video I
- FNAR 1030: Introduction to Photography
- FNAR 1040: Digital Photography
- FNAR 1050: Mixed Media Animation
- FNAR 1060: Sculpture I
- FNAR 1070: Intro to Clay
- FNAR 1080: Figure Drawing I
- FNAR 1090: Painting I
- FNAR 1100: Introduction to Printmaking
- FNAR 1120: Introduction to Performance
- FNAR 2090: Hand-Drawn Computer Animation
- FNAR 2280: Printmaking: Screen Printing
- Select 3 from:
- Art History Requirements: 3 course units
- Select three courses from:
- Art History Course (ARTH)
- Fine Arts Seminars (FNAR)
- Design Seminars (DSGN)
- Courses with Attribute AFAH
- Select three courses from:
- Fine Arts Seminar Requirements: 2 course units
- FNAR 4020: Fine Arts Senior Seminar Project (Fall)
- FNAR 4030: Fine Arts Senior Seminar Project (Spring)
- Art and Design Electives: 4 course units
- Select any combination of four FNAR and DSGN courses
- OR - Courses with Attribute AFEL
Important Notes
- Students may count no more than one course toward both a Major and a Sector requirement.
- Core studio requirements may be taken as early as freshman year and in any order, as long as prerequisites are met.
- Majors must take the Senior Seminar Project in consecutive semesters of their senior year.
- Art and Design Electives can be taken in any order, as long as prerequisites are met.
Conclusion
The Fine Arts, BA program at the University of Pennsylvania offers a comprehensive and dynamic curriculum designed to foster critical awareness, independent artistic research, and learning. With its diverse range of studio courses and interdisciplinary collaborations, this program equips students with the skills necessary to navigate the complexities of the global art world.