Graduate Study in Art

The Program

The graduate program shall normally consist of 60 semester hours of graduate credit, including thesis credit, in courses approved during advisement by the Graduate Director or advisor. The program of study for a Master of Fine Arts degree in Art is an individualized studio program with relatively few required courses. It is essentially tutorial. Students balance participation in regularly scheduled classes with independent studio work done on an appointment basis with various faculty. A student may concentrate in one or more areas of specialization within the department. When the student has completed 24 credit hours, the faculty Selection and Review Committee will review the student’s work. The Graduate Director will provide the student with a written assessment of progress that has been signed by all members of the committee. At the conclusion of the following semester of study, the same committee will conduct a thesis review that will determine whether the student is prepared to commence thesis work, take additional course work, or be dropped from the graduate program.

Once approved for thesis work, the student will select a Thesis Committee consisting of at least three members of the graduate art faculty. The committee will be responsible for advising the student, conducting regularly scheduled reviews of the work, and determining whether the requirements for the thesis have been successfully completed. The membership of the Thesis Committee must be approved by the Graduate Director.

The final departmental requirements to complete thesis are a general oral examination, an exhibition, and a thesis folio of the exhibition. The thesis folio shall include a statement written by the candidate concerning the work, which has been approved by the Thesis Committee, and a visual record of the exhibition. The department reserves the option of selecting and retaining one example of each graduate student’s work. Upon enrolling, the student automatically accepts these requirements and conditions.

Specializations

The Department of Art offers a graduate program leading to the Master of Fine Arts degree in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture and expanded media (including performance, installation and mixed media). Please see the Design Department for information on graduate studies in ceramics, metalsmithing and jewelry, textiles, visual art education and industrial design.

Course and Credit Distribution Requirements

Course and Credit Distribution
Courses:	Credit Hours
Art Department Electives	12
Any course offered for graduate credit in the Department of Art, including appointments courses.
Directed Study	15
Individual graduate study in major area under direction of individual faculty member.
Graduate Level Academic	9
Including but not limited to graduate level elective courses in Art History, Philosophy of Art and other academics approved by the graduate director.
General Electives	9
Any studio course and/or general elective course offered for graduate credit by the university.
Seminar	4
(All students must enroll in seminar during their first four semesters of graduate study.)
Thesis	11
See paragraph in condensed statement degree requirements concerning thesis in art.
Total semester hours	60

Sample Program

Sample Program
(Note: students with teaching assistanships normally will be advised to enroll in a maximum of 9 credit hours during the semesters they teach.)

1st Semester:	Directed Study III	5
	Art Department elective	3
	Graduate level academic elective	3
	Seminar	1
	Total	12

2nd Semester:	Directed Study III	5
	Art Department elective	3
	Graduate level academic elective	3
	Seminar	1
	Total	12

3rd Semester:	Art Department elective	3
	Graduate level academic elective	3
	Directed Study	5
	Seminar	1
	Total	12

4th Semester:	Art Department elective	3
	Studio of general elective	3
	Seminar	1
	Thesis	5
	Total	12

5th Semester:	Thesis	6
	Studio of general elective	6
	Total	12
Total semester hours		60

Contact

For information, contact:
The University of Kansas
Gina Westergard, Director of Graduate Studies
Art and Design
300 Art and Design Building
Lawrence, KS 66045
Telephone: (785) 864-4401 or (785) 864-2957
Fax: (785) 864-4404