SDSU School of Art, Design, and Art History

Master of Fine Arts Degree in Art

The School's Specific Admission Requirements (Part Two of Admissions Process)

The following materials should be mailed or delivered by February 1 for admission for the fall semester to:

Graduate Coordinator
School of Art, Design, and Art History
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-4805

1. School of Art, Design, and Art History application form.
2. Statement of purpose addressing your professional goals and reasons for selecting the School of Art, Design, and Art History at SDSU for your pursuit of these goals.
3. Artist statement which describes the nature or content of the work shown in the portfolio.
4. Slides, photos or digital images of your work. All slides must be accompanied by a corresponding slide description sheet. All digital images must be accompanied by a printed thumbnail index. Digital images should not exceed 1024 x 768 pixels, and should be presented either as a collection of JPEG files in a folder along with a caption list, or as captioned images contained within a single PDF or with PowerPoint. Printed digital image samples are encouraged, but must be accompanied by disc in the above stated formats.
5. Two letters of recommendation from art instructors (or others) who are able to comment on your artistic potential in the area of specialization. Letters can be sent separately or included with your application in sealed and signed envelopes.
6. Any other materials required specifically in the instructions by your chosen discipline.
7. Return envelope with sufficient postage for the return of your portfolio.

Admission to the Degree Curriculum

All students must satisfy the general requirements for admission to the university with classified graduate standing, as described in Part Two of this bulletin. In general, the student must have completed a bachelor'≠s degree in studio art or the equivalent from an accredited institution, including twelve units of art history, six units of which comprise a survey of the history of Western art. A grade point average of 3.25 or better in upper division art courses is required.

Students must also be able to show that they are adequately advanced to carry out projects which measure up to graduate standards. This requirement will be measured by a formal presentation of a portfolio of work to the graduate faculty in the area of emphasis.

Advancement to Candidacy

In addition to meeting the requirements for advancement to candidacy as described in Part Two of this bulletin, all students must have (1) completed a minimum of 30 units on the official program with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 [B]; and (2) been reviewed by the graduate faculty of the emphasis area and received approval of an acceptable body of graduate work completed since classified standing fulfilling the requirements of the area of emphasis.

Specific Requirements for the Master of Fine Arts Degree (Major Code: 10022)

Candidates for the M.F.A., in addition to meeting the requirements for classified graduate standing, must complete a 60-unit graduate program which includes a minimum of 45 units at the 600- and 700- level. Art 694, 760, 791, and 792 are required. Normally, a student will focus on one of the studio art fields (applied design, painting, graphic design, interior design, multimedia, sculpture, and printmaking). With approval of the director and graduate coordinator a student may focus on a program of study combining two studio art fields. Six units must be included in art history, art criticism, and aesthetics courses. Nine units must be included on the program from studio electives outside the area of emphasis or electives in other departments. Art 799A, Thesis must be included on the program. In addition, there will be an oral examination of each candidate by the graduate faculty of the School of Art, Design, and Art History. This examination will occur at the time of the candidateís masterís exhibition, and will encompass an in-depth discussion of the candidateís thesis project.

No more than 15 units of graduate work may be transferred from another institution. Requests for more than six units must be approved by a committee of representatives from the area of emphasis. Applicants holding an M.A. degree in studio art from an accredited institution may transfer up to 30 units upon review and recommendation of the faculty in the area of emphasis, and approval of the graduate coordinator of the School of Art, Design, and Art History. Candidates must be prepared to spend at least two semesters (24 units) in residence as full-time students. Coursework taken as a graduate student to fulfill undergraduate deficiencies may not be used to satisfy any unit requirement for the M.F.A. degree program. A 3.0 grade point average must be maintained at all times. Continuation in the program will be determined by a review of each candidate by the graduate faculty in the emphasis area. This review will be held upon completion of 30 units in the M.F.A. program, or at any time upon request of the graduate coordinator.

This page was last updated at 2:34PM on August 20, 2008