PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The MFA in Studio Art and the Computer provides students an opportunity to inform and enhance their artistic practice using twenty-first century electronic media.
The MFA in Studio Art and the Computer provides students an opportunity to inform and enhance their artistic practice using twenty-first century electronic media. The emphasis on electronic media is pliable enough to encompass the many ways in which technology intersects with contemporary art and design. Students in the program are invited to combine their backgrounds in traditional art- or computer-related disciplines within a conceptually driven, interdisciplinary environment. Courses provide exposure to time-based media, performance art, video art, sound works, kinetic sculpture, computer-based art, and art using the Internet in order to understand how these forms are driving twenty-first century artistic practice and informing our understanding of contemporary cultural identities.
Students entering this program should be interested in critical exploration of the international dialogue of contemporary art and should be intent upon developing innovative concepts within their own creative work. Full-time students who are interested in becoming practicing artists, college instructors, and industry innovators will flourish in this creative, integrative, and interdisciplinary studio environment.
CURRICULUM
The Studio Art and the Computer MFA program is composed of a minimum of 70 credit hours,to be acquired in three years (six full-time semesters excluding summers). Degree credit is obtained in theory courses, studio art courses, electives, and in supervised research. All courses must be approved by the Graduate Program Director. The thesis consists of a body of artistic work accompanied by electronic (Internet) documentation and a culminating exhibition.
| Total Credit Hours Required: |
| 70
Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree |
Graduate students must maintain a 3.0 or better GPA in all course work to complete the program. Continuation in the MFA program requires a positive annual evaluation by the Program Director of the Department of Art and by the Graduate Committee of the Department of Art.
Required Courses—55 Credit Hours
- ART 5910 Studio Concentration I (3 credit hours; should be taken twice for a total of 6 credit hours)
- ART 5280C Serial Content and Classic Form I (3 credit hours)
- ART 5284 Design Theory and Methods (3 credit hours)
- ART 5941 Graduate Practicum I (1 credit hour)
- ART 6911 Studio Concentration II (3 credit hours; should be taken twice for a total of 6 credit hours)
- ART 5695 Web Art I (3 credit hours)
- ART 5696 Art, Design and Human Interactions (3 credit hours)
- ART 6942 Graduate Practicum II (1 credit hour)
- ART 5694 Crosscultural Electronic Art and Design (3 credit hours)
- ART 6697 Web Art II (3 credit hours)
- ART 6281C Serial Content and Classic Form II (3 credit hours)
- ART 6930 Graduate Seminar (1 credit hour; taken twice)
- ART 6683C Time Arts (3 credit hours)
- ART 6743C Intermedia Sculpture (3 credit hours)
- ART 6687 Research Concentration I (3 credit hours)
- ART 5698 Concourse I (3 credit hours)
- ART 6689 Research Concentration II (3 credit hours)
- ART 6699 Concourse II (3 credit hours)
Elective Courses—9 Credit Hours
Electives can be taken from the Art Department or other discipline areas at the university, as appropriate, with approval of the program director. These courses must be selected so as to ensure that at least one-half of the courses in the student’s program of study are taken at the 6000 level.
Thesis—6 Credit Hours
- ART 6971 Thesis (6 credit hours)
The thesis consists of a body of artistic work accompanied by electronic (Internet) documentation and a culminating exhibition.
The final oral review before the supervisory thesis committee occurs at the end of the sixth semester. At the same time, the graduate student presents a thesis exhibition of selected works from the cumulative body of works produced during his/her three years of residency. In addition, the thesis requires an artist’s statement and documentation. The thesis will contain research intentions, results, and the body of the creative works produced. Students are required to submit an electronic version of the thesis to the UCF College of Graduate Studies. After approval by the UCF College of Graduate Studies, the UCF Library will add it to its archives and make the electronic version of the thesis accessible on the web. The required thesis is the independent learning experience in the degree program.
Equipment Fee
Students in the Studio Art and the Computer Program pay a $90 equipment fee each semester that they are enrolled.
INDEPENDENT LEARNING
A thesis is required.
Application Requirements
For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline(s).
Applicants to the MFA program normally must hold an earned BFA degree in Visual Art from an accredited institution with a 3.0 or higher GPA in the last 60 attempted semester hours of undergraduate study. Applicants who hold an earned BA, BS, or other baccalaureate degree in Visual Art or a related discipline with a 3.0 or higher GPA ranking from an accredited university may also apply.
In addition to the general UCF graduate application requirements, applicants to this program must provide:
- One official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended.
- A portfolio of 20 original creative works on CD/DVD (to be submitted directly to the Department of Art)
- A letter of research intent that is at least a page describing the applicant’s creative background, proposed research interests, and the relationship between this program and the applicant’s future goals (to be submitted directly to the Department of Art). Research in the context of the MFA program primarily means the full-time creation of an original body of art work over the course of three years of residence.
- Two letters of recommendation preferably from former visual art professors.
- A score of at least 230 (computer-based test or paper-based equivalent) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required for applicants from countries where English is not the official language or applicants whose bachelor's degree is not from an accredited U.S. institution.
- Applicants applying to this program who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation. Credential evaluations are accepted from World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc. only.
Meeting minimum UCF admission criteria does not guarantee admission to the MFA program. Final admission is based on evaluation of the applicant's abilities, past performance, recommendations, match of this program and faculty expertise to the applicant's career/academic goals, and the applicant's potential for completing the degree; strongly based on the review of the portfolio of original creative work and the letter of research intent.
Application Deadlines
| Art MFA, Studio Art and the Computer |
Fall Priority
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Fall
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Spring
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Summer
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Domestic Applicants
| Jan 15 | Mar 15 | - | - |
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International Applicants
| Jan 15 | Jan 15 | - | - |
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International Transfer Applicants
| Jan 15 | Mar 1 | - | - |
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FINANCIALS
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Student Finances, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowships
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student’s graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see Fellowships, which includes descriptions of UCF fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.