华盛顿州立大学

The MFA program at Washington State University is a two-year interdisciplinary program where students may focus in, but are not limited to, ceramics, drawing, digital media, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. Emphasis is placed on personal and conceptual artistic development in light of contemporary art practices. Graduates meet with faculty for one-on-one studio discussions. First year students have an exhibition in the departmental gallery and the second year program culminates in a thesis exhibition held in the Museum of Art. A final oral examination and a thesis document are also required. The degree requires 57 graded credit hours and 5 credit hours of thesis work (FA 700) totaling 62 credits.

Student Learning Outcomes:

All graduates will be able to:

An ability to solve open-ended problems/challenges of artistic expression.
An ability to analyze the working methods of artists and the results of their efforts in a diverse and disciplined way.
An ability to communicate effectively through their artistic practice. Students should be aware of and engaged in a thorough way with art history, critical theory and visual culture in a way that considers a broad cultural awareness considering both local and/or global issues in order to make critical judgments about contemporary are while gaining a deeper understanding of their own personal values.
An in-depth understanding of the visual arts, art history, critical theory and visual culture, sufficient to prepare them to move into a professional career in the arts, including essential concepts and theories of studio production in a variety of disciplines, with a sophistication and refinement especially in a major field.
A ability to take risks in experimentation. This could mean breaking from usual habits. Trying new materials and methodologies in confirming the direction of their work.
A clear and thorough understanding of their personal practice. Each candidate should be able to demonstrate a strong commitment investing time and resources to generating continual development and inquiry. This includes both working in the studio and researching artists and theory of art-making.
Communicate effectively in both written and oral form. Students will be able to:

Demonstrate awareness of context, audience, purpose, and the presented artwork.
Use appropriate and relevant content to develop and present ideas.
Demonstrate consistent use of credible, relevant sources to support ideas.
Demonstrate delivery techniques (posture, gesture, eye contact, and vocal expressiveness) make the presentation interesting, and speaker appears comfortable.

Student Opportunities:

Training and Professional Development Opportunities include:

-Opportunities to work in a professional museum context and learn to install exhibitions, give tours etc.

-Our Endowed Visiting Artist program, which enables students to work one-on-one with professional artists in the field. These artists give critical feedback to our students in the form of studio visits.

Career Opportunities:

Post Graduate Employment Opportunities:

-Teaching at the college/university level
-Professional Artist
-Curatorial/Gallery work