This is an archived copy of the 2021-2022 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.uta.edu/.

Art + Art History - Graduate Program

Objective

The mission of the Program in Studio Art is to:

  1. Encourage and guide MFA students to successfully complete the recognized terminal degree in the practice of art.
    1. Self discipline
    2. Self confidence
    3. Proficiency in their work
    4. Open Communication
  2. Enable artists, filmmakers, and designers in the program to develop habits of:
    1. Make connections with various media and mediums to expand visual and conceptual vocabulary
    2. Meet distinguished artists, filmmakers and designers to enhance the meaningful on-going dialogue related to their work and future.
  3. Enable students to:
  4. Provide studio space for students to explore methods of concept development, the exploration of time based media, reflection and development of personal work.
  5. Encourage students to develop new skills and enhance existing ones. Expand the conventional concepts of the "studio" and are encouraged to develop their personal style and direction.
  6. Encourage graduates to compete for professional positions in teaching, artistic fields and pursue careers as exhibiting artists, filmmakers/writers, and designers.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships

To be considered for a Graduate Teaching Assistant position, the candidate must be admitted unconditionally. Within the Slideroom application process, there is a form that will require potential candidates to indicate interest in funding. Decisions regarding funding are based on the needs of the department and the quality of the applicant. Students being considered for funding will be interviewed prior to decisions being made to award. All GTA and students must mentor with faculty for 18 credit hours, taking ART 5000, Supervised Teaching in Art prior to being assigned as Instructor of Record. ART 5000 is taken each semester that a graduate student is teaching or assisting in a course. GTA  are subject to all university standards and requirements for funding, and must maintain a 3.0 to have their awards renewed.Candidates whose native language is not English must submit a score 45 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE-A), a score of 23 on the TOEFL iBT Speaking subtest, or a score of 45 on UT Arlington's SEA test. GTA positions in the Department of Art and Art History are limited and are very competitive.

Departmental Scholarships

The Department of Art and Art History attempts to provide some level of funding to all students admitted into the program. The amount of this funding varies based on the needs of the department and the quality of the applicant. There is no separate application for consideration. The student must be unconditionally admitted and meet all of the admission standards of the university and the department.

Advisement and Supervisory Committees

The MFA Director will advise all incoming graduate students. After a student has selected a supervisory committee and submitted a program of work, the major professor becomes his/her adviser. Students should consult the Department of Art and Art History's Graduate Student Handbook, the MFA Director or their Major Professors for details on forming a supervisory committee, creating a program of work and other requirements.

Admissions Requirements

Thank you for your interest in our MFA program. If you are planning to apply and would like to visit our campus and department, please contact Nancy Palmeri, MFA director at npalmeri@uta.ed to arrange a visit. 

The application process for the MFA in Art has two steps, first the application to the UTA, that is known as ApplyTexas, then to the departments website. For information on the process, please go to our website www.uta.edu/art for materials due dates. To apply, please navigate to the MFA Application Requirements on the dropdown menu under MFA. 

Unconditional Admission

Applicants must possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. Submit transcripts from all previous college or university work, and three letters of recommendation are required of all applicants. In addition, applicants should have a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0, as calculated by Graduate Admissions. Applicants must submit a portfolio and statement of intent. The Art and Art History faculty review all materials and positively recommend acceptance into the M. F. A. program.

Provisional Admission

Those who have submitted their applications forms, but whose packets are incomplete, can be admitted provisionally if their GPA is at least 3.0, and if the program and Graduate Admissions have received official transcripts. In this case, incomplete materials could include letters of recommendation.

Probationary Admission

Those who have weaknesses in no more than two of the Degree Requirements (letters of recommendation, portfolio, statement of intent, and GPA), can be admitted on probation, with the condition that they make no less than a B in the first 12 hours of coursework in their art concentration. Such students must complete no fewer than 9 credits during the semester in which they are on probation.

Deferred Admission

Those who have weaknesses in no more than two of the Degree Requirements (letters of recommendation, portfolio, statement of intent, and GPA), and/or who have not submitted all of the materials required for unconditional admission, can have their applications deferred for one semester, until outstanding requirements and criteria are met.

International Student Admission

International applicants must have a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university or its foreign equivalent, a GPA of at least 3.0 as calculated by the Graduate School, 3 letters of recommendation, portfolio and letter of intent to be considered for admission. In addition, applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in English by earning a score of at least 550 on the paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or a score of at least 213 on the computer-based test, or a minimum score of 40 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE). The Internet-based TOEFL examination (TOEFL iBT) will be accepted as an alternative to the paper and computer-based TOEFL for admission purposes. Students taking TOEFL iBT must attain a minimum total test score of 79 and meet or exceed the following scores on each of the sections of the test:  

Writing: 22
Speaking: 21
Reading: 20
Listening: 16

Those who do not meet the English proficiency requirement must satisfactorily complete courses in the ESOL area, as approved by the program and the Graduate School.

Degree Requirements

M.F.A. Course Requirements

The graduate course requirements for the M.F.A. of 60 semester credit hours are normally distributed over six semesters of a three-year program. The student will be required to spend a minimum of three semesters in the M.F.A. program with one academic year in residency as a full time student.

Specific Course Requirements

Area of Concentration39
Supporting Studio Courses9
Art History9
Free electives3
Total Hours60

Courses outside the area of concentration (supporting and free electives) should be taken from faculty other than the major professor. It is strongly recommended that the students study with a minimum of three additional faculty members during the course of his/her program. Students are also encouraged to take a free elective outside the Art and Art History Department.

The supervisory committee will approve the course options (work) and scholarly research. It is emphasized that this is a committee/department option, not a student option.

Studio Art (ART)

Concentration Required Courses in Studio Intermedia, Glass, Visual Communication and Film/Video & Screenwriting

ART 5330CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE IN THE VISUAL ARTS & VISUAL COMMUNICATION3
ART 5340RESEARCH IN STUDIO INTERMEDIA (Studio)3
or ART 5640 RESEARCH IN STUDIO INTERMEDIA
ART 5342RESEARCH IN GLASS3
or ART 5642 RESEARCH IN GLASS
ART 5355RESEARCH IN VISUAL COMMUNICATION3
or ART 5655 RESEARCH IN VISUAL COMMUNICATION
ART 5360TOPICS IN THE HISTORY OF ART & DESIGN (varied)3
ART 5383RESEARCH IN FILM/VIDEO: SCREENWRITING3
or ART 5683 RESEARCH IN FILM/VIDEO: FILM PRODUCTION
ART 5321CREATIVE STRATEGIES (Required Course for all incoming MFA students. first semester, first year (for fall admits) second semester of first year (spring admits))3
Total Hours21

 Prescribed Elective Courses for Supporting Studio in Studio Intermedia, Glass, Visual Communication, Film/Video & Screenwriting

ART 5320ART CRITICISM & THEORY3
ART 5341RESEARCH IN SCULPTURE3
or ART 5641 RESEARCH IN SCULPTURE
ART 5342RESEARCH IN GLASS3
or ART 5642 RESEARCH IN GLASS
ART 5343RESEARCH IN PRINTMAKING3
or ART 5643 RESEARCH IN PRINTMAKING
ART 5347RESEARCH IN DRAWING3
or ART 5647 RESEARCH IN DRAWING
ART 5355RESEARCH IN VISUAL COMMUNICATION3
or ART 5655 RESEARCH IN VISUAL COMMUNICATION
ART 5359RESEARCH IN PHOTOGRAPHY DIGITAL IMAGING3
or ART 5659 RESEARCH IN PHOTOGRAPHY DIGITAL IMAGING
ART 5363RESEARCH IN CLAY3
or ART 5663 RESEARCH IN CLAY
ART 5371RESEARCH IN PAINTING3
or ART 5671 RESEARCH IN PAINTING
ART 5391INDEPENDENT STUDY3

Example Course Sequence

First Year
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
ART 53303ART 53203
56xx Research in Concentration656xx Research in Concentration 
 53xx Research in Supporting Studio 
 9 3
Second Year
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
ART 5360353xx Research in Supporting Studio 
56xx Research in Concentration056xx Research in Concentration 
53xx Free Elective0 
Mid-Program Review10 
 3 0
Third Year
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
53xx Research in Supporting Studio 53xx Research in Concentration3
56xx Research in Concentration 56xx Thesis Exhibition (Research in Concentration)26
 0 9
Total Hours: 24

Graduate Review Exhibition Requirements

Each spring semester, the graduate students will be required to organize a summer exhibition of their recent work.

  1. The number of work each student may exhibit will depend upon the number of exhibitors, the size of work, etc., but we would expect that each student will be able to exhibit or screen several pieces.
  2. These exhibitions and screenings will be drawn from the work done by each student in the previous spring and fall semesters and will, therefore, represent each student's most recent efforts.
  3. Each student will write an "artist's statement" to accompany his/her work on exhibit.

At the end of the exhibition, the graduate students will hold a formal "closing". All graduate students are expected to attend.

Mid-Program Review Requirements

The preliminary examination for the M.F.A. degree at the University of Texas Arlington is the Mid-Program Review.

When the student has completed one-half of her/his program of study, the supervisory committee will conduct a comprehensive review of the student's work in order to ascertain if satisfactory progress is being made toward completion of the degree. The student will present all visual work done to this point, along with an outline and preliminary draft of the written document which is part of the thesis requirement (see below).

To pass, the student must receive a unanimous vote of the committee members. A failed review may be retaken once with permission from the Director of the MFA program and the MFA Graduate Studies Committee. If the student still does not pass, the Director of the MFA program will report the failure and the termination of the student's enrollment in the M.F.A. program to the Graduate School.

M.F.A. Thesis Requirements

The thesis requirement for the M.F.A. degree consists of the following:

  • The Thesis Exhibition: A substantial body of original works of art to be exhibited or screened on campus at a time announced to all graduate faculty.
  • A written document in which the candidate demonstrates proficiency in conducting research and in analyzing, interpreting and organizing material, as well as demonstrating the ability to communicate perceptions, insights, and conclusions.
  • During the last semester of the MFA candidates study a final oral examination coordinated by the supervising committee will be completed.
  • Satisfactory completion of the visual and written portions of the thesis and the final oral examination is required for the awarding of the M.F.A. degree.

Specific requirements for the written document are found in Guidelines for the M.F.A.

Faculty

Gregory Scott Cook
Assistant Professor of Art

Bryan Florentin
Assistant Professor of Art

Daniel Garcia
Assistant Professor of Art

Justin Ginsberg
Assistant Professor of Art

Pauline Hudel-Smith
Assistant Professor of Art

Carlos Don Juan
Assistant Professor of Art

Josh Wilson
Assistant Professor of Art

Dr. Amanda Alexander
Associate Professor of Art Education

Dr. August Jordan Davis
Associate Professor of Art History

Ben Dolezal
Associate Professor of Art

Sedrick Huckaby
Associate Professor of Art

Seiji Ikeda
Associate Professor of Art

Andrew Ortiz
Associate Professor of Art

Tore Terrasi
Associate Professor of Art

Bart Weiss
Associate Professor of Art

Changhee Chun
Professor of Art

Lisa Graham
Professor of Art

Robert Hower
Professor of Art

Benito Huerta
Professor of Art

Darryl Lauster
Professor of Art

Leighton McWilliams
Professor of Art

Dr. Mary Vaccaro
Professor of Art History

Nick Wood
Professor of Art

Dr. Beth Wright
Professor of Art History

Gladys Chow
Senior Lecturer

Angela Kallus
Senior Lecturer

Stephen Lapthisophon
Senior Lecturer

Veronica Vaughan
Senior Lecturer

Jean Fernandes
Adjunct Assistant Professor

Patty Newton
Assistant Professor in Practice