Art, BFA
Program Description
The curriculum for the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is designed to provide professional development at the undergraduate level in the visual arts, through in-depth study in studio art. The degree requires a minimum of 75 semester hours in art, at least 36 of which must be in upper-division coursework.
Admission to the BFA is by special application. Such application can be made upon completion of 30 semester hours of art coursework, and must be made before completion of 48 semester hours of art coursework. A portfolio consisting of ten to fifteen works representing a variety of media must be submitted in addition to the application form. Copies of specific BFA admission policies and instructions for submitting an application to the BFA program are available from the Department of Art website. Completed BFA applications should be submitted to the office of the Department Chair.
The purposes of the art curriculum are:
- To provide a general program that allows students access to a variety of art media, studio techniques, and instruction;
- To provide students with opportunities to study past and present forms of art and to understand the function of art in society;
- To provide courses that will help expand the knowledge and interest of non-majors in the area of art; and
- To contribute to the cultural life of the University and the community by presenting quality art exhibitions in the Weil Gallery.
Students can major in art in either the Bachelor of Arts (BA) or the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree programs. Students in the BFA have the option through electives to develop an emphasis beyond the general degree program in Printmaking, Painting, Sculpture, Ceramics, Photography, Drawing, or Art History.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts leading to all-level Teacher Certification is available.
Two minors are also available. The minor in Studio Art is 21 semester hours and will allow a student to concentrate in one studio area. The minor in Art History is 18 semester hours. Interested students should contact the department academic advisor.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will have:
- A comprehensive level of professional development in the visual arts in preparation for specific careers;
- proficiency in studio processes and the understanding of conceptual theories and histories as evidenced in their graduating senior exhibitions;
- demonstrated expertise in their specific area of concentration.
General Requirements
Specific Degree Requirements
All art majors must meet all general University and College graduation requirements, including First Year Seminars, regardless of the following specific degree requirements, unless specifically excused. All art degrees require ARTS 1303 Art History Survey I (3 sch), which also meets the Core Curriculum Program Fine Arts requirement. All and only coursework with the prefix ARTS will be included in the grade point average for the students declared major field of study.
| Requirements | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| Core Curriculum Program (includes ARTS 1303 and 1304) | 42 |
| First-Year Seminars (when applicable)1 | 0-2 |
| Art Major Requirements | 72 |
| University Electives | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours | 120-122 |
- 1
First-Year Seminars or Electives
Full-time, first time in college students are required to take the first-year seminars.
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time, First-year Students | ||
| UNIV 1101 | University Seminar I | 1 |
| UNIV 1102 | University Seminar II | 1 |
| Core Curriculum Program | ||
| University Core Curriculum | 42 | |
| Note: ARTS 1303 and 1304 need to be taken as part of the University Core Curriculum. Both are required for the BFA in Art degree. | ||
| Art Major Requirements | ||
| ARTS 1311 | Design I | 3 |
| ARTS 1312 | Design II | 3 |
| ARTS 1316 | Drawing I | 3 |
| ARTS 1317 | Drawing II | 3 |
| ARTS 2316 | Painting I | 3 |
| ARTS 2326 | Sculpture I | 3 |
| ARTS 2333 | Printmaking I | 3 |
| ARTS 2346 | Ceramics I | 3 |
| ARTS 2356 | Photography I | 3 |
| ARTS 3301 | Life Drawing | 3 |
| ARTS 3311 | Color Theory | 3 |
| ARTS 3367 | Digital Design Tools and Applications | 3 |
| ARTS 3303 | Intermediate Painting | 3 |
| or ARTS 3313 | Figure Painting | |
| ARTS 3302 | Screen Printing | 3 |
| or ARTS 3307 | Lithography and Planographic Process | |
| ARTS 3324 | Wheel Throwing | 3 |
| or ARTS 3325 | Handbuilt Ceramic Techniques | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Fabrication Sculpture | ||
| Mold Making and Casting Sculpture | ||
| Figurative Sculpture | ||
| Art History | ||
| ARTS 3352 | Modern Art | 3 |
| ARTS 3353 | Art Since 1945 | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Art of the United States | ||
| Pre-Columbian Art of Mesoamerica | ||
| Modern Art of Mexico | ||
| Global Currents in Contemporary Art | ||
| Contemporary Art Since 1980 | ||
| Topics in Art History | ||
| Art Electives | ||
| Select 15 hours of upper division ARTS electives | 15 | |
| Capstone | ||
| This course must be taken in your final semester before graduation. | ||
| ARTS 4085 | Senior Capstone | 0 |
| University Electives | ||
| Select 6 hours of university electives. | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 122 | |
Note:
A senior project is required of the BFA art major during the final semester as an undergraduate student. The student, with minimum assistance from the supervising faculty member, is expected to organize an exhibition of his or her work completed while a student at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. The student must be registered in a related course with the faculty advisor during the semester in which the project is presented. Students in the BFA art program are expected to spend one additional hour per week in the studio for each semester hour of studio enrollment.
All art majors must meet all general University and College graduation requirements, including First Year Seminars, regardless of the following specific degree requirements, unless specifically excused. All art degrees require ARTS 1303 Art History Survey I (3 sch), which also meets the Core Curriculum Program Fine Arts requirement. All and only coursework with the prefix ARTS will be included in the grade point average for the students declared major field of study.
All students graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with Teachers Certification are required to submit an exit portfolio. The portfolio consists of 20 .jpg images that best represent their most successful coursework during their educational careers in the Department of Art. A written formal discussion of some aspect of their work is also required.
The senior capstone class sets the standards and format and format for these materials and coordinates the collection of the materials. These materials are due on or before the last class day of the semester in which the students plan to graduate.
Course Sequencing
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| ARTS 1311 or ARTS 1312 | Design I or Design II | 3 |
| ARTS 1316 | Drawing I | 3 |
| ARTS 1303 | Art History Survey I | 3 |
| UNIV 1101 | University Seminar I | 1 |
| ENGL 1301 | Writing and Rhetoric I | 3 |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| ARTS 1311 or ARTS 1312 | Design I or Design II | 3 |
| ARTS 1317 | Drawing II | 3 |
| ARTS 1304 | Art History Survey II | 3 |
| UNIV 1102 | University Seminar II | 1 |
| ENGL 1302 or COMM 1311 | Writing and Rhetoric II or Foundation of Communication | 3 |
| MATH 1332 or PHIL 2303 | Contemporary Mathematics or Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking | 3 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| 2000 Level ARTS Studio Course | 3 | |
| 2000 Level ARTS Studio Course | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Hours | 18 | |
| Spring | ||
| 2000 Level ARTS Studio Course | 3 | |
| 2000 Level ARTS Studio Course | 3 | |
| 2000 Level ARTS Studio Course | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Hours | 18 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ARTS 3311 | Color Theory or Digital Design Tools and Applications or Life Drawing | 3 |
| ARTS 3311 | Color Theory or Digital Design Tools and Applications or Life Drawing | 3 |
| 3000 Level Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking or Ceramics | 3 | |
| ARTS 3352 or ARTS 3353 | Modern Art or Art Since 1945 | 3 |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ARTS 3311 | Color Theory or Digital Design Tools and Applications or Life Drawing | 3 |
| 3000 Level Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking or Ceramics | 3 | |
| 3000 Level Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking or Ceramics | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| 3000 or 4000 Level ARTS Studio Course | 3 | |
| 3000 or 4000 Level ARTS Studio Course | 3 | |
| 3000 or 4000 Level ARTS Studio Course | 3 | |
| Upper Division Art History Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ARTS 4085 | Senior Capstone | 0 |
| 3000 or 4000 Level ARTS Studio Course | 3 | |
| 3000 or 4000 Level ARTS Studio Course | 3 | |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 122 | |
Courses
Designated for non-art majors. Establishes a working vocabulary for evaluating works of art in various media. Objects are interpreted in terms of their specific historical contexts and the changing relationships between art and society. This course does not fulfill the art history requirement for art majors.
An examination of painting, sculpture, architecture, and other arts from the ancient through medieval periods.
A further examination of painting, sculpture, architecture, and other arts from the Renaissance through Modern periods. This course satisfies the university core curriculum requirement in fine arts.
Prerequisite: ARTS 1303.
A studio course concerning the fundamentals of art with emphasis on two-dimensional concepts.
A studio course concerning the fundamentals of art with emphasis on three-dimensional concepts. This 3D foundations course utilizes creative problem-solving strategies and basic sculpture tools to explore spatial relationships and to create sculptural forms in space.
A studio course investigating a variety of media techniques, including their descriptive and expressive possibilities.
A further investigation of media techniques explored in Drawing I, including their descriptive and expressive possibilities.
Prerequisite: ARTS 1316.
A studio course exploring the potentials of painting media.
Prerequisite: ARTS 1316.
An introductory studio course exploring sculptural approaches, materials, concepts, and technical processes. Materials include wood, plaster, steel, and plastics.
An introductory studio course in basic printmaking processes and techniques.
An introductory studio course in basic ceramic processes.
This course is an introduction to digital photography capture, processing, and basic editing software. While focusing on the fundamentals of digital photography and printing techniques, it will introduce students to the theory and practice of photography and assist them in producing a conceptually devised and technically consistent portfolio.
A studio course exploring techniques in water-base media.
Drawing from the model using a variety of techniques and media.
Prerequisite: (ARTS 1317).
Traditional printmaking processes will be explored using black and white and color techniques, including but not limited to screenprinting.
Explores the issues of content, imagery, application, and influences of master artists.
Prerequisite: ARTS 2316.
Building upon introductory skills, this course explores construction and fabrication in sculpture focusing on a primary material for the semester and applying advanced techniques and processes for this material. Through this material and techniques, students begin defining and developing their visual vocabulary relative to art history and contemporary sculptural issues.
Prerequisite: ARTS 2326.
This course is designed to build upon the fundamental principles of mold making and casting while exploring more complex concepts, materials, and techniques. Creating multi-part molds, flexible molds, and investment molds, the project assignments incorporate the unique versatility of mold making and casting for exchanging media and making a series of multiples. In addition to making casts, students compare methods for assembling cast forms together to create larger sculptural artworks and installations.
A study of the human figure from an anatomical and artistic perspective. Examines the skeletal and muscular components of the figure in order to create lifelike and emotive sculptures. Discussion of the figure in both classical and contemporary art. Working with armature and modeling clay.
Traditional printmaking processes will be explored using black and white and color techniques, including but not limited to lithography and monoprinting.
This course develops an understanding of color properties and relationships through formal exercises, research and creative thinking. Students build a vocabulary for analyzing and identifying color and color phenomena. Concepts of color theorists and color use in a variety of fields are examined to understand the application of color theory. Students will investigate the use of color in their own work and in the work of others to understand the conceptual and aesthetic application of color.
Prerequisite: ARTS 1311.
This course addresses the structure and anatomy of the human figure using oil paint. Painting techniques and color theory exercises will familiarize students with tradition painting methods. Students will render proportions, balance, form and mass of the human figure. Research and discussions will address the human form throughout history as well as in the contemporary context. Image presentations, critiques and live model sessions will supplement studio work.
Prerequisite: ARTS 2316.
Practical experience with basic design, drawing, painting, and sculpture, along with a study of art history and criticism. Includes a consideration of how these experiences relate to art curricula in the elementary school.
Practical experiences with basic design, drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and crafts, along with a study of art history and criticism. Includes a consideration of how these experiences relate to art curricula in the secondary school.
Covers wheel-thrown ceramics (other production techniques may be included), basic glazemaking, and an introduction to kiln firing and loading.
Prerequisite: ARTS 2346.
This course is a continuation of hand-building covered in Ceramics I ARTS 2346. The course will cover more advanced forming techniques such as extrusion, hump, slump, and press molds, and slip-casting. New surface and firing techniques will include more advanced techniques such as underglazes, onglaze techniques such as majolica, fired decal application, raku, and an introduction to low fire glazes and surfaces.
Prerequisite: ARTS 2346.
A survey of the major developments in the art of North America from Pre-Columbian times to the modern era
A survey of the major movements of 20th century art and aesthetics, which developed primarily in Europe. Includes a review of late 19th century modernist antecedents with emphasis placed on the principal movements of the early 20th century: Fauvism, German Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, Abstract Art, Dada, and Surrealism.
An examination of the dispersal of European artists and Modernism, primarily to America, as a result of World War II. Examines the development of Abstract Expressionism in New York in the 1940s and 50s, followed by a survey of recent trends in contemporary art to the present day.
An intermediate studio course using digital cameras and image manipulation software. Prior completion of ARTS 2356 is required. This course will enhance and expand skills developed in Photography I. It is geared toward informing students in the many ways we can make photographs; by seeking them out, framing them, forming them, extracting them, building them, and finally sequencing and presenting them. Students will engage in the theory and practice of photography, refine their photographic technique, and create a conceptually devised and technically consistent portfolio. Emphasis is placed on the development of a strong conceptual foundation from which to approach the making and understanding of photography as an art form. This knowledge will be achieved through photographic assignments, slide lectures of relevant works, and in-class critiques. It can be repeated twice for credit.
Prerequisite: (ARTS 2356).
An introductory studio course in analogue photography using film cameras and the silver gelatin darkroom process. While focusing on the fundamentals of black and white, analogue photography and printing techniques this course will assist students in producing a conceptually devised and technically consistent portfolio.
Prerequisite: (ARTS 2356).
This studio course explores the fundamental principles, standard creative processes and basic digital tools utilized in graphic design. The concepts and software learned are employed in projects specifically targeted to serve the professional and promotional needs of studio artists and design enthusiasts.
Required for all art students in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the BA in Art, BFA in Art studio track and the BFA with Teacher Certification in Art tracks. This course collects capstone materials for ARTS degrees. The course must be taken in the student's final semester before graduation.
Emphasis on the development of content through drawing. Research on contemporary trends and process investigation will aid students in the development of visual ideas and lead to a cohesive body or work. May be taken three times for credit.
Prerequisite: ARTS 1317.
Furthers competencies attained in Printmaking I and Intermediate I & II courses. May be taken three times for credit.
Assumes competencies attained in ARTS 3303. May be taken three times for credit.
An interdisciplinary course in sculpture. Topics covered may include contemporary and traditional methods of object fabrication in metal, wood and clay, 3D printing, installation, video, performance or sound. Assumes competencies attained in any one of the following: ARTS 2326 or ARTS 3304 or ARTS 3305 or ARTS 3306. May be taken three times for credit.
Assumes competencies attained in ARTS 3324. May be taken three times for credit.
Explores the history of Pre-Columbian art from Mexico and Central America, from the Olmec through the Aztec cultures. May be taken three times for credit.
Explores the history of art during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in Mexico. May be taken three times for credit.
The course will cover key developments in contemporary art from the post-World War II era in the Western context to global currents in the present international arena. From a socio-political perspective, artistic tendencies will be considered as part of a trajectory that saw the center of the art world shift from being Euro- and Anglo-centric in the mid-twentieth century, to one without a discernible center in the early twenty-first century. Analysis of artworks from this decentralized cultural climate will focus on the evolution of conceptualism, the persistence of traditional modes of aesthetic practice, the role of the art market, and notions of environmentalism and sustainability as related to these "transnational transition." The course will consider works from Eastern Europe, South and Central America, the Caribbean, East/West/South/Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Africa.
The course will examine the evolution of architecture, sculpture, painting, digital media, installation, and interdisciplinary arts in the global context from 1980 to the present, in light of the historical and intellectual background of the period. Topics covered will include the transition from postmodernism to contemporaneity, considering notions of appropriation, commodification, consumerism, memory, history, and globalization. Lectures will be constructed upon thematic analysis of contemporary, primary sources coupled with secondary source material, and complemented by presentation opportunities and class discussion.
Assumes competencies attained in ARTS 3365. Covers content as creative expression in addition to basic photographic skills. May be taken three times for credit.
May be repeated when topics vary.
May be repeated when topics vary.
See College description. Offered on application
See College description. Offered on application.
This course provides the student with a comprehensive practical, conceptual, and methodological introduction to museum and gallery practices. Safety and best practices will be explored in all aspects of contemporary museum and gallery operations, using theoretical and practice-based pedagogical approaches to explore curatorial and preparatory principles.