Sculpture

Career potential

The University of North Texas' College of Visual Arts & Design is one of the nation's most comprehensive visual arts schools at a public university, and it is considered one of the best in the Southwest. The college is divided into three departments: studio, design and art education/art history. The sculpture program is housed in the studio department. The program's curriculum emphasizes creativity and self-expression and is designed to provide the student with life-enriching skills.

Sculptors often are self-employed artists, showing and selling their works in museums and galleries and doing commissions for public and private entities. Studying sculpture will prepare you for such a career as well as prepare you for an advanced degree, should you consider teaching at the college or university level.

UNT's Career Center can help you prepare to pursue your career. The center has information about jobs and employers. The staff can help you with resume and letter writing, job search strategies and interview preparation.

Sculpture

While studying sculpture, you will take courses in art appreciation, art history, design and drawing, as well as courses in sculpture. You will have access to large, well-equipped studios and instruction in a wide range of materials and techniques. Sculpture students spend a lot of time in studio art classes creating original works, studying all aspects of three-dimensional art and examining different media in which to work.

A portfolio is not required for admission to the program, but transfer students may need to submit one for placement in advanced courses. At the end of your sophomore year, the sculpture faculty will review a portfolio of your work to determine if you can continue in the program. Before graduation, usually during the last senior sculpture course, you must present your work to the faculty for a senior exit review.

UNT's sculpture faculty members are practicing and accomplished artists who maintain private studios and work professionally in addition to teaching. The 90,000-square-foot Art Building includes classrooms, a computer lab, faculty offices, studios, a workshop, the UNT Art Gallery and a visual resources library. The school also has a foundry, as well as indoor and outdoor studio space for stone sculpting, woodcarving, welding and casting. Scoular Hall and Oak Street Hall house additional classrooms and laboratories, as well as the Texas Fashion Collection and the Cora Stafford Art Gallery.

Getting hands-on experience

As a sculpture student, you will get a great deal of hands-on experience in your classes. There are opportunities for showing your work on campus or at local galleries. In addition, the university is within commuting distance of Dallas and Fort Worth, where major art museums and galleries provide valuable resources and experiences for UNT students.

Upon completion of 12 semester hours at UNT with at least a 2.5 GPA, you may apply for a job related to your major through UNT's office of Cooperative Education and Internships. You may earn academic credit and money for your college expenses while gaining valuable work experience.

Co-op employers pay extremely well, and the jobs usually last several semesters, often until graduation. More than 1,800 employers work with the office to provide excellent learning opportunities, many of which become permanent full-time positions upon graduation. The office also assists with placing students in internships, which last for one full semester or summer.

Preparing for UNT

If you are a high school student, we suggest you prepare for college by becoming computer proficient and taking:

• English … 4 years
• Math … 4 years
• Social science - economics, geography, government, history … 4 years
• Science … 3 years
• Foreign Language … 3 years
• Fine arts … 1 year

You will need to take courses in most of these subjects under the university core curriculum required of all undergraduates, in addition to your major courses. Talk with your high school counselor about preparing for college, including the entrance exams (SAT Reasoning Test or ACT) that you should take during your junior year.

As a benefit for transfer students, UNT participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System. This system makes it easier to transfer credits for general academic courses from one Texas institution to another.

If you're attending a Texas community college, you should consult the UNT Transfer Guide, the UNT Undergraduate Catalog and an academic counselor to discuss your degree plan. Proper planning will help you receive the maximum amount of transfer credits.

Charting your path with academic advising

New students are required to attend an orientation to the College of Visual Arts & Design , which is held about the same time as university orientation, or during registration at the start of each semester. Check with the university admissions office for a schedule of freshman and transfer student orientations. Faculty members serve as primary advisors to students. The College of Visual Arts & Design Student Services office is in the Art Building, Room 111.

Curious about courses and other features of this major?
See the current catalog.