Studio Art Major, Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A)
The B.F.A. is considered the preprofessional course of study, providing a more in-depth experience of visual concept and practice. Students intending to pursue further study in visual arts disciplines (master of fine arts, design fields, or architecture) should choose this degree option. Students considering the B.F.A. degree are advised to contact the undergraduate advisor for studio art during the first year and no later than the sophomore year.
Learning Outcomes
The overall goal of the studio art program at UNC–Chapel Hill is for students to develop interconnected skills of creative thinking and critical making in order to produce outstanding works of art.
Upon completion of the studio art program (B.A., B.F.A.), students should be able to demonstrate the following competencies:
- Acquire the technical skills (informed control of technique, process, and materials) and an understanding of principles of visual organization sufficient to achieve basic visual communication and expression in one or more media
- Understand fundamentals of studio practice shared across studio disciplines
- Document and present work (portfolio, exhibition, online gallery) that demonstrates a basic understanding of professional practices
- Develop the ability to think and act creatively through experimentation, and analysis of options and parameters — enabling work to progress from idea to physical form
- Develop an understanding of creative research as an iterative process that informs and allows artwork to evolve
- Develop effective vocabulary and skill (both verbal and written) to engage in critical analysis of form and content relationships in their own artwork and the work of others
Requirements
In addition to the program requirements, students must
- earn a minimum final cumulative GPA of 2.000
- complete a minimum of 45 academic credit hours earned from UNC–Chapel Hill courses
- take at least half of their major core requirements (courses and credit hours) at UNC–Chapel Hill
- earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the major core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for major or specific courses.
For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| Three Tier 1 studio courses | 9 | |
Select one 2-D course (see list below) | ||
Select one 3-D course (see list below) | ||
Select one 4-D course (see list below) | ||
| Four Tier II studio courses (see list below) | 12 | |
| Five Tier III studio courses (see list below) | 15 | |
| Six studio art elective courses 1,2 | 18 | |
| Two art history (ARTH) courses 3 | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
- 1
Students can include an additional art history course in place of one studio art course. Students can count up to six hours of senior honors thesis credit.
- 2
Any ARTS classes, including first-year seminars.
- 3
Any ARTH classes, including first-year seminars.
B.F.A. students should be aware that courses taken in the Department of Art beyond the 60 credits outlined in the major will not count toward graduation.
All General Education requirements must be completed.
Listing of Studio Art Courses by Tier
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Tier I Studio Art (Foundation) Courses | ||
| 2-D Courses | ||
| Two-Dimensional Design | ||
 Drawing I | ||
| Photography I H | ||
| Darkroom Photography I | ||
| Collage: Strategies for Thinking and Making | ||
| Painting I | ||
| Print I | ||
| 3-D Courses | ||
| Sculpture I | ||
| Ceramic I | ||
| Wood Sculpture | ||
| 4-D (Time-Based) Courses | ||
| Video I | ||
| Introduction to Web Media | ||
| Tier II Studio Art Courses | ||
| ARTS 205 | Photography II | 3 |
| ARTS 206 | Video II | 3 |
| ARTS 209 | 2D Animation | 3 |
| ARTS 214 | Life Drawing | 3 |
| ARTS 215 | Darkroom Photography II | 3 |
| ARTS 221 | Color: Theory and Concept | 3 |
| ARTS 222 | New Technologies and Narrative Painting | 3 |
| ARTS 238 | Screen Printing | 3 |
| ARTS 243 | Metal Sculpture | 3 |
| ARTS 274 | Landscapes of the Camino | 3 |
| ARTS 290 | Special Topics in Studio Art | 3 |
| ARTS 302 | Painting II | 3 |
| ARTS 313 | Ceramic II | 3 |
| ARTS 324 | Drawing II | 3 |
| ARTS 352 | Abstract Painting | 3 |
| ARTS 358 | Letterpress | 3 |
| ARTS 368 | Print II | 3 |
| Tier III Studio Art Courses | ||
| ARTS 309 | 3D Animation | 3 |
| ARTS 322 | Narrative Painting | 3 |
| ARTS 343 | MAKE: Art in the (New) Age | 3 |
| ARTS 353 | Phantasmagoria: Haunted Art, History, and Installation | 3 |
| ARTS 354 | Narrative Drawing | 3 |
| ARTS 355 | The Practice of Representation: Portraiture in Photography | 3 |
| ARTS 363 | At the Radical Edge of Life: Art, Space, and Ecology | 3 |
| ARTS 364 | The Walking Seminar: A Territorial Investigation | 3 |
| ARTS 373 | Art, Rites and Rituals of Pilgrimage | 3 |
| ARTS 390 | Special Topics in Studio Art | 3 |
| ARTS 402 | Advanced Painting Projects | 3 |
| ARTS 409 | Art and Science: Merging Printmaking and Biology H | 3 |
| ARTS 410 | Public Art | 3 |
| ARTS 413 | Advanced Ceramic Projects | 3 |
| ARTS 415 | Conceptual-Experimental Photography | 3 |
| ARTS 416 | Advanced Video | 3 |
| ARTS 417 | Advanced Mixed Media Projects | 3 |
| ARTS 418 | Advanced Printmaking | 3 |
| ARTS 428 | Book Art | 3 |
| ARTS 458 | Photo Printmaking | 3 |
| ARTS 490 | Advanced Special Topics in Studio Art | 3 |
| ARTS 493 | Studio Art Practicum or Internship | 3 |
| ARTS 515 | Advanced Topics in Photography | 3 |
| ARTS 596 | Independent Study in Studio Art | 3 |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
Honors in Studio Art
The Senior Honors Thesis Project is designed to provide senior studio art majors an opportunity to pursue serious and substantial work that may qualify them to graduate "with honors" or "with highest honors." Students selected for the program conduct original creative research spanning the two semesters of the senior year.
To be eligible to apply for this opportunity, students must be rising senior studio art majors and meet the minimum GPA threshold of 3.3 established by the Honors Carolina office. The application consists of the following:
- A completed application form
- A proposal for the senior thesis project
- A digital portfolio demonstrating a mature capability to perform visual research
A call for applications is announced via the department student listserv in March. Applications are due the first week of fall semester and are reviewed by the studio faculty within a week of the application deadline. If accepted as studio art honors candidates, students enroll in the honors courses through the student services manager.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ARTS 691H | Senior Honors Thesis Project in Studio Art (fall) | 3 |
| ARTS 692H | Senior Honors Thesis Project in Studio Art (spring) | 3 |
In addition to the scheduled coursework, studio honors students work with a thesis committee consisting of a thesis advisor — who must be a studio art faculty member — and two additional faculty members. One of the two faculty members serving on the honors thesis committee may be from a discipline outside of the department.
In studio art, the thesis project consists of the creative work produced and accompanying written components. Work is reviewed at the end of the fall semester to determine progress toward completion. In the spring semester, the completed honors project work and written thesis are presented to the honors committee for an oral defense. On the basis of this defense and the work presented, the committee determines whether or not a student graduates with an honors designation (honors or highest honors). Honors students exhibit their work in a formal exhibition either as a solo show at the time of the thesis defense and/or as a participant in the Senior Exhibition required for all graduating studio art majors. Studio art honors students also join their art history peers in a departmental honors symposium in April.
Current deadlines, details of the application process, and requirements for the senior studio art honors project (research, work, and written components) are available on the art and art history majors’ Sakai site or from the student services manager.
Special Opportunities in Art and Art History
Independent Study
Students may pursue independent study coursework with individual faculty members. Such work may be undertaken only with the permission of the sponsoring faculty member. Students should consult individual faculty members prior to registration to secure permission. A proposal and a contract must be approved by the appropriate director of undergraduate studies (studio art or art history) before students may enroll. (See the Undergraduate Policies, Procedures, and Resources section of the Department of Art and Art History website for instructions.) Since faculty members are limited to supervising only two independent study students each semester, students are strongly advised to contact the faculty member with whom they wish to work early in the registration period for the upcoming semester.
Independent study work requires a minimum of three hours per week per credit hour. For example, a typical three-credit-hour class would require at least nine hours of work per week. Once the semester begins, students must meet with the faculty member initially to confirm goals, review expectations, and establish semester deadlines. Thereafter, students must meet regularly to review work in progress, with a suggested biweekly frequency. Total time spent in direct interaction with the faculty member for the semester must average 45 minutes per week. This may be in the form of face-to-face meetings, blog or e-mail exchanges, or group critiques with other independent study students and their advisors.
Departmental Involvement
Students have opportunities to see and interact with a variety of arts professionals through exhibitions in the Allcott Galleries, installations of sculptural works in the Alumni Sculpture Garden, an artist-in-residence program, the Visiting Arts Professionals Program, and the Hanes Visiting Artist Lecture Series.
There are several undergraduate student organizations serving the visual arts at Carolina. The Undergraduate Art Association (UAA) is a campuswide social club that supports and develops undergraduate visual artists at Carolina — regardless of their enrollment in art classes — and strengthens the impact of visual art in the University community. The Studio Art Majors Association (SAMA) is aimed at developing community and professional opportunities that augment the experience for studio art majors and minors, especially through programming of the SAMple Gallery in the Hanes Art Center. ArtHeels is a service-based organization that is passionate about bringing arts (visual, performing, and literary) to the healthcare setting. The Art History Liaisons is the undergraduate art history group. Kappa Pi is the department majors' honors society which includes both studio and art history majors. These groups serve as an important link between the majors and the department’s administration. The department utilizes these organizations to facilitate communication about matters of interest, including participation in departmental initiatives or other extracurricular opportunities.
Internships
Art and art history majors are encouraged to pursue internships at local, regional, or national arts institutions or businesses. Students have worked in many art career contexts including museums and galleries, arts programming, and local businesses specializing in art-related production (photo studios, printmaking studios, illustration, design firms, and publishing). The Undergraduate Policies, Procedures, and Resources section of the Department of Art and Art History website has useful information about the requirements and how to set up the contracts for ARTH 293 and ARTS 493 as well as a partial listing of organizations that have worked with our students in the past. If you would like to discuss specific ideas about a possible internship, speak to any faculty member or the relevant director of undergraduate studies (art history or studio). All internships taken for UNC credit are subject to governmental guidelines, and students must have internships preapproved and under contract before enrolling for either ARTH 293 or ARTS 493.
Study Abroad
Students are encouraged to pursue study abroad opportunities. While there are many opportunities to study art abroad, the Department of Art and Art History maintains a special affiliation with the Lorenzo di Medici school in Florence, Italy and the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. There are also two faculty-led study abroad programs in the department — Art on the Camino de Santiago in Spain and the Florence/Venice Biennale Summer Program in Italy. Students should discuss their study abroad plans with the undergraduate advisor in studio art to obtain prior approval for courses taken abroad. Basically, courses that have an equivalent in the UNC–Chapel Hill curriculum usually are approved. Courses that fall outside the UNC–Chapel Hill curriculum must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. No guarantee exists that a course will transfer for credit unless pre-approved. Departmental Study Abroad scholarships are available. Contact the Study Abroad Office to discuss the procedures for approval.
Undergraduate Awards
UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS IN STUDIO ART
The studio program awards more than $24,000 annually to students, with individual awards ranging from a minimum of $500 to $3,000. A portfolio review each year allows studio art majors to submit up to four works to be considered for the following scholarships:
- The Alexander Julian Prize (one award to our best student)
- The Sharpe Scholarships (multiple awards for students receiving financial aid)
- George Kachergis Studio Art Scholarships (multiple awards chosen by a student-designated committee)
- The Anderson Award
- The Penland School of Craft Scholarships (two awards cover expenses for a summer course at the Penland School of Craft)
- A design honorarium to develop proposals for the Alumni Sculpture Garden (see below).
ALUMNI SCULPTURE GARDEN COMPETITION
Every year, the Department of Art and Art History commissions student work for the Alumni Sculpture Garden. Commissions are a minimum of $5,000, and the department awards up to three commissions. The selection process occurs in three stages: identifying interested students, a design phase, and the production of the work. During the November Awards Competition, interested students compete for one of six $500 design honorariums that are to be used to develop proposals. Winners of this first phase are required attend a session early in the spring semester to learn about how to develop a proposal and the components that must be included. Proposals are reviewed in March to select winners.
Undergraduate Research
Opportunities for undergraduate research in the Department of Art and Art History exist in several forms. Detailed descriptions and application guidelines are available in the Undergraduate Policies, Procedures, and Resources section of the Department of Art and Art History website and from the department's student services manager.
Allcott Travel Fellowships support two summer research projects in studio art and/or art history.
The Beatrice Pearman Fund supports special projects in both art history and studio art. Competitions for art history research funds are held in the fall and the spring. Studio art students may request funds for special projects by submitting a proposal to the director of undergraduate studies in studio art. Awards are $500 or less.
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) are administered through the UNC Office for Undergraduate Research. These $3,000 awards support undergraduate research projects over the summer. UNC's broad definition of research includes creative practices, and the James Boyd Gadson SURFs are specifically designated for studio art. SURF applications from studio art majors are automatically considered for these Gadson Fellowships. This fund typically supports at least two awards. Application deadlines (usually in February) are set by the Office for Undergraduate Research. Students interested in pursuing summer research should contact possible faculty sponsors toward the end of the fall semester.
The Jacquelyn Friedman and Marvin Saltzman Fund in Art provides supplemental monies for painting supplies for students who for economic reasons may be hindered from working to their full potential. Any undergraduate student with need, regardless of major, enrolled in a departmental studio art painting class during the fall and/or spring semesters is eligible. Students can contact their course instructor or the student services specialist for further information.
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Chair
Annette Lawrence
