<p>GD Woman, The application process for an MFA program is mainly based on portfolio. However other considerations such as transcripts, background and etc do enter into the committee dialogs. BA, or BFA many schools will admit people having either degree. Apply around, and don't get too depressed over rejections. Sometimes the goings within MFA admissions committees can be almost surreal. And sometimes much less credible or intense than all the hype that's built around the process.
About an MFA and teaching at the collegiate level, keep in mind that the field is very competitive. And its not unknown to see MFA's/Phds teaching in the VFA field as adjuncts. If you wish to pursue this route, take as much art history as possible. And as a precaution get some business courses salient to art, and courses in gallery management. MFA's can and do get employed but often its in arenas which are unexpected. The universities have a bad habit of selling MFA's as an ensured route to teaching in academia, but it is very difficult to obtain these postings. And at times the Grad/University art programs don't exactly make that clear. So if you're going that way, go in knowing that it is a difficult path.</p>
<p>I'm bumping this thread up...
I am in a similar situation. I have been taking AP classes since 10th grade, I am in the top 10% of my class, I scored 2180 on the SAT, and my GPA is 97. But I also have a fairly strong art portfolio. I have taken art classes at Pratt and Parsons during the summer for the past three years, and I am currently in AP sculpture and 2d. I know I want to work in a creative field, but I am not sure exactly what. I don't just want to do studio art. I know I can get into a decent art school or a decent liberal art school, and I have interests in academic subjects as well as artistic ones. I don't know if it's better to go to a university and get a BA (or a BFA if i can) and then go to Grad school at an art school, or to go to an art school to under grad. will going to a liberal arts school make it more difficult to get accepted into a MFA program? Any suggestions?</p>
<p>I just checked the art studio faculty of my son's LAC (Williams). Out of the 10 professors who listed their educational background (a few didn't which is strange) 7 have BA's and 3 have BFA's. </p>
<p>I think there are many acceptable paths to the same destination. You should choose your college based on where you fit best -- personality, ambience, learning style, programs options. You will do best where you fit best and if you do well you will be a likely candidate for graduate program is of interest to you in 4 or 5 years. </p>
<p>As has been discussed on this board many times, whether to go for an art degree within a liberal arts setting -- regardless of the size of the college or university -- or to go for an art school perse is a totally personal decision. At one your peers will be involved in a wide range of academic displines and you have the choice of double majoring in art and something entirely different. At the other you and your colleagues will be involved in Art 24/7. Neither is the right or wrong choice, but only you can decide what is better for you.</p>
<p>BA or BFA is irrelevant when you pursue an MFA. the only real difference between the two is the BA requires more GEs.</p>
<p>CrazyConfuzed,
The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor embarked on a different style of art program a few years ago, one which the traditional studio concentration is replaced with a broader curriculum and more coursework outside of art to encourage cross-discipline BFAs. It's not for everyone and a lot of the older faculty are/were unhappy with the changes. They've been hiring faculty that have (or could be) joint appointments in other fields.. not just art history either. It would be worth a look considering your profile.</p>
<p>fyi, both of my degrees came from liberal arts schools with BFA and MFA programs, which I feel served me well in my art and general education</p>
<p>DBee, that sounds really interesting... I like the idea behind the program at least, it seems it would fit me well. But wouldn't that just be pretty much like getting a BA and majoring in studio art? I was under the impression (very possibly wrong) that the only main difference between BA and BFA was the time/focus put on the studio art. I guess michigan's program was somewhere between the two? what do you mean by "it's not for everyone," do you know what specific changes faculty unhappy with?
Annddd if you don't mind me asking, what liberal arts schools did you attend that gave BFA's? And I suppose while I'm at it, having the title ArtFaculty, do you know much about the art departments at different LAC's, specifically more liberal, possibly somewhat unique, selective-but-not-the-tipy-top ones in the northeast... and elsewhere i suppose?</p>
<p>BA vs BFA, is to some extent a matter of hours, but each institution develops in different ways and the results can be more like a patchwork approach and others have a fully designed and tightly connected core curriculum. In our case the BA only allows a total of 40 hrs of credit in a "major" area while the BFA in Studio Art has sixty-six studio, seventeen art history, and a final BFA exhibit/review. This is about as many hours as a liberal studies institution will ever allow in a major area. General education (fifty hours minimum) makes up the balance of credits in both degrees, with a core of required study and a large group of electives that are part of a larger program designed to give a broad and balanced education. I subscribe to the notion that art school is not about art (or current job) skills, but rather a balanced education to give the artist something cogent to say and methods of how to say it well. (my tiny soapbox)</p>
<p>UM's degree, for lack of a better analogy, is less about "branding" within a discipline (sculpture, ceramics, photography, painting, etc), but the development of a collective set of skills and approaches to help a student develop their unique blend. Some faculty prefer students to self-identify a particular media as their way to see and discuss their world. (I am a "printmaker" or _______ {fill in the blank}) That was the previous model when my spouse got her BFA there (in printmaking). </p>
<p>I'm a photographer and every project I engage with has a photographic basis, but there are other media I use in conjunction with the photo-base. It's an interesting notion that I'm inclined to think is a good approach when there is a stronger art background already, but less ideal for the student who "finds" art in college and has less experience with traditional media. </p>
<p>UM-Ann Arbor is a tough school to get into academically, no amount of portfolio magic will overcome a weak academic performance. Students tend to be aggressive about their education, where complaints about professors tend towards NOT being hard enough.</p>
<p>For the record, I attended Southern Methodist University for my BFA. Other schools I attended with similar BFAs include University of North Texas and Texas Woman's University. Tulane doesn't count, because I was a political science major back then! ;-)</p>
<p>I came to teaching late (a second career so to speak), so I don't know the different schools except in Texas and Michigan. If I could start over, I'd go the the School of the Art Institute in Chicago or the Illinois Institute of Technology. But then, I'm a photographer.</p>