Department website: http://artanddesign.wvu.edu/
Degrees Offered
- Master of Arts
- Master of Fine Arts
Graduate Certificate Offered
- Therapeutic Art
The graduate programs in the School of Art and Design lead to a master of arts (M.A.) with emphasis in art education, game design, or studio art (two years and a minimum of thirty credit hours; thirty-six is recommended) or to a master of fine arts (M.F.A.) with emphasis in a studio art (three years and sixty credit hours). These programs are highly selective and closely integrated. All applicants are expected to have academic competence, artistic maturity, and the motivation to achieve excellence in their areas of concentration.
The master of fine arts (M.F.A.) is a professionally-oriented terminal degree in the studio arts, with concentration in ceramics, graphic design, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, or time-based art. Applicants typically hold a baccalaureate degree in art or its equivalent for admission. Recommended preparation includes twelve hours of art history, seventy hours of studio art or equivalent experience, and thirty-six hours of general education.
The School also offers a Graduate Certificate in Therapeutic Art to provide additional training in the use of a variety of advanced art methods and therapeutic art approaches for art educators, fine artists, and students in helping professions on how engagement in art-making can facilitate self-reflection, promote healing, and improve overall mental health and awareness. This field offers new professional opportunities to art educators who are trained, knowledgeable, and versed in therapeutic art concepts and technical skills within their teaching practice in the PreK-21 classroom.
Accreditation
WVU is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and the School of Art & Design's degree programs are regularly evaluated to assure they are meeting these national standards. Applicants for graduate studies must comply with the standards for admission set by West Virginia University, the College of Creative Arts, and the School of Art and Design.
Reviews
All students enter the graduate programs in art as preliminary candidates. Students in the M.F.A. program are reviewed for advancement to degree candidacy at the end of their third semester of study or upon the completion of a minimum of twenty-seven credit hours. Candidacy status is obtained upon review by the full faculty of the School and must be approved by the student's graduate committee. Students in the M.A. program are reviewed for advancement to degree candidacy at the end of their first semester of study or upon the completion of a minimum of twelve credit hours.
The School of Art and Design has high expectations for its graduate students. Because of this, certain standards of achievement exceed the minimum standards set by the university for all graduate students. The School of Art and Design reserves the right to impose stricter limitations on all art graduate students. Credit hours in courses with an earned grade of C do not automatically count toward graduate degree requirements. The graduate committee and the school director have the right to declare such credit hours unacceptable.
Program Transfer
A preliminary candidate in a graduate art program is not guaranteed acceptance into another graduate art program. A change from the M.F.A. program to the M.A. program (or the reverse) must be approved by the graduate faculty of the School of Art and Design. Under normal conditions, such a change is not considered until the student has established credibility by successfully completing a minimum of nine approved credit hours of study at WVU. Transfer to a program outside the School of Art and Design must be approved by the receiving unit. To make an application for a double degree program or a special interdepartmental program at the graduate level, students must have prior written approval of the School of Art and Design Director.
Thesis
All candidates for a graduate degree in art must prepare a written thesis (or graduate project) related to their work and activity as a graduate student (see specific requirements for each major). The chair of the student's graduate committee supervises the preparation of the thesis. The thesis must be prepared according to the form prescribed in the WVU regulations governing the preparation and electronic submission of dissertations and theses as well as School guidelines, unless an exception is authorized in advance by the student's graduate committee and the School Director. A final draft of the thesis must be submitted to committee members at least one month prior to the electronic filing date for review and approval.
Residence Requirements
M.F.A. students take nine to fifteen hours per semester. All students accepted into the M.F.A. program are required to spend six full-time semesters (excluding summer sessions) in residence. Approved study abroad semesters count toward the residency requirement.
