Laurel Jay Carpenter, PhD, Graduate Coordinator for Studio Art 903-886-5208 (Laureljay.Carpenter@tamuc.edu)
Students entering the MFA program will select a committee of three members of the graduate art faculty, one of whom (usually the chair) will represent the student’s primary area of concentration within the studio arts. In consultation with the committee, the department head and the graduate coordinator, the student will devise a degree plan based on the primary area of emphasis. The student's studio research area is complemented by required courses in art history, as well as seminars and courses in theory and multimedia. It is expected that the student will gain from this study a sound conceptual and historical understanding of the visual arts, as well as the ability to communicate this understanding in writing and speech. To successfully complete this course of study, it is essential that students acquire the ability to clearly articulate visual concepts and place their own research in a historical context.
Students will participate in critiques in mid-term and at the end of each long semester. Students who fail to pass a critique or fail to meet, in the judgment of a duly constituted departmental committee, the expectations of the program can be suspended. Students must pass a critique for candidacy after their second semester or in the semester of their 30th hour (whichever comes first). Students who fail their candidacy may still pursue The Master of Arts in Studio Art or leave the program without receiving a degree.
| Required Core Courses (3 semester hours) | ||
| ARTS 595 | Research Literature & Techniques (3 semester hours required) | 3 |
| Art History (6 semester hours) | ||
| ARTS 531 | History of Photography | 3 |
| ARTS 532 | Gender, Art, and Popular Culture | 3 |
| ARTS 533 | Public Art | 3 |
| ARTS 539 | History of Contemporary Art | 3 |
| ARTS 597 | Special Topics | 3 |
| Studio Courses (21 semester hours) 8 of these semester hours can be ARTS 528: Studio Project | ||
| ARTS 525 | Studio Hours I (9-12 semester hours required) | 3-12 |
| ARTS 526 | Studio Hours II (9-12 semester hours required) | 3-12 |
| Graduate Seminar (course should be repeated 4 times for 12 semester hours) | ||
| ARTS 503 | Graduate Seminar | 3 |
| MFA Exhibition (6 semester hours) | ||
| ARTS 515 | Master of Fine Art Exhibition in Studio Art | 3-6 |
| Art Electives (12 semester hours) | ||
| Art Electives | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
Note:
The department reserves the right to suspend from the program any student who, in the judgment of a duly constituted departmental committee, does not meet the professional expectations of the field.
Successful completion of the Comprehensive Exam is required of all students.
