阿拉巴马大学

The MFA degree requires the completion of a minimum of 60 semester hours of graduate work, including at least 9 hours of art history, 30 hours in a major studio area, 6 hours Graduate Seminar, 6 hours Graduate Critiques, and 9 hours in art history or art studio electives. The degree must be completed within six years of entering the studio graduate program. A graduate student may select a minor studio concentration of study or choose a variety of graduate-level classes offered within the art department or approved graduate-level elective courses. Candidacy for the MFA degree is based on the delivery of a public lecture by the candidate addressing his or her research in visual arts. Successful candidacy is achieved when the candidate has proven able to defend his or her research clearly and coherently. The candidate must demonstrate proficiency in addition to displaying personal direction in his or her chosen area of study.

A thesis exhibition is presented at the end of the candidate's final term. During the exhibition, an oral examination is conducted by the student's faculty committee. At that time, the candidate defends their exhibition and written statement.

Review procedure. A graduate review committee is established by each graduate student. The committee consists of no fewer than four faculty members but may have an unlimited number of approved graduate faculty. Required appointees to this committee include the department chairperson (director of graduate studies), the major area professor, an art historian, and another art studio faculty member. The chairperson of the committee is the student's major area professor.

Applicants should choose one of the following areas for focused coursework; ceramics, painting, photography, printmaking, or sculpture. Faculty also specialize in drawing, installation, and digital media, offering students the opportunity to work with a broad range of materials and processes. Each studio program applicant must submit a comprehensive portfolio of recent work. This portfolio should include a minimum of 20 works of art in the proposed area of focus. Please contact the department directly for directions on preparing application materials.