Program type:

Major
Format:

On Campus
Est. time to complete:

3 years
Credit Hours:

60
Develop a personal vision to explore the broad range of possibilities of contemporary drawing and painting.
This broad and intensive terminal degree experience focuses on intellectual and creative growth through drawing and painting, fostering the students' practice and preparing them for a lifetime of accomplishment and meaningful contribution as culture creators. The program emphasizes critical and artistic growth through the evolution of rigorous studio practice and frames the individual needs of each student through the development of conceptual, aesthetic, and advanced technical skills.

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Why Earn a Studio Art Master’s with a Concentration in Drawing & Painting?

The Studio Art M.F.A. program with a concentration in Drawing and Painting integrates creative research, contemporary theory, and studio practice culminating in a solo exhibition.

In the College of Visual Arts and Design, students participate in methodologies across disciplines while engaging in the critical practice of the fine arts. Housed in a world-class Tier 1 research institution, CVAD is a short drive from the vibrant cultural capitals of Dallas and Fort Worth along with a thriving art scene in Denton.

Our graduate programs are led by active artists, critics and educators who are recognized nationally and internationally for their intellectual and creative research. The studio art faculty are passionate and work to ensure that students realize their potential. We are proud of the diverse means of research modes and art-making processes in our program and the many successes of our M.F.A. graduates who make their impact through creative inquiry, scholarship and innovation.

Our M.F.A. students are passionate, skilled, dedicated and have a unique vision.

Marketable Skills
  • Critical thinking
  • Advanced craftsmanship
  • Teamwork
  • Advanced oral and written communication
  • Advanced multiple approach assessment

Studio Art Master’s with a Concentration in Drawing & Painting Highlights

Courses are taught in the new $70-million UNT Art Building in four dedicated open-space studio classrooms with natural light and props to facilitate different working practices and different media.
Critique rooms are located throughout the building and provide professional spaces for critiques to take place outside of the classroom environment.
Graduate courses include Praxis discipline-based courses, professional practices, and variable topics.
Graduate students work in dedicated studios in the new $10 million Art Annex in close proximity to other studio art graduate students and the nearby 264,000-square-foot Art Building that features world-class facilities, equipment and resources.
The Studio Art M.F.A Drawing and Painting concentration integrates creative research, contemporary theory, and practice culminating in a solo exhibition and oral defense.

What Can You Do With a Studio Art Master’s with a Concentration in Drawing & Painting?

This degree will prepare graduates for diverse career pathways in education, design, museums and galleries, and the arts. Employment opportunities include being hired as a professor, lecturer, or technician at a college or university; a general art teacher in elementary/high schools; or a workshop leader.

Graduates also may pursue commercial arts opportunities in

  • illustration,
  • creative direction,
  • production art for advertising,
  • cartoons,
  • tattoos,
  • portraits or
  • murals.

Fine artists may be self-employed and produce commissioned work for galleries, interior designers, architects, offices, hotels, or on a freelance basis.

Additionally, graduates may seek employment in museum or gallery settings in positions such as art buyer, art handler, art consultant, gallery director, critic, curator, conservator, or preparator.

Overall employment of fine artists is projected to grow 14% from 2020 to 2030, faster than the average for all occupations. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Studio Art Master’s with a Concentration in Drawing & Painting Courses You Could Take

Seminar in University Art Teaching (3 hrs)
Study of problems unique to university art faculty; professional practices in various fields of art teaching.
Praxis: Rotating Topics (3 hrs)
Readings, discussion and/or studio exploration of various art issues. Praxis graduate seminars are intensive topical or single discipline-based courses which encourage innovation, the development of a new method, idea and results. Seminars vary in structure offering a blend of reading/writing/presentation/discussion and studio practice/group critique.
Professional Practices for the Studio Artist (3 hrs)
Introduces and examines a wide range of strategies for developing a professional practice as a working visual artist.
MFA Project In Lieu of Thesis Research (3 hrs)
Art research and practice for a creative project in lieu of thesis. Typically taken with the project in lieu of thesis supervisory committee chair in consultation with the supervisory committee.
MFA Project in Lieu of Thesis (3 hrs)
Art research and practice for a creative project. Students present a project as an exhibition, oral defense, project report, artist statement, or portfolio of outcomes.
Topics in Studio Art (3 hr)
Variable topics course designed to explore concepts and processes in art-making that go beyond the normal curricular parameters of traditional studio disciplines.

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