Overview

Dan Hernandez, Head, Studio Art
Deborah Orloff, Coordinator for undergraduate Advisors
Barbara Miner, Barry Whittaker, Dan Hernandez, undergraduate Advisors.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree provides an intensive educational experience for the student who is preparing for professional commitment to the field of studio art. In distinction from the B.A. degree, the BFA curriculum provides the student with a more in-depth experience in the major area of studio concentration and studio electives.

BFA students may choose from the following three areas of studio concentration:

• Art Education,
• Interdisciplinary Art Studies,
• Graphic and Interactive Design (graphic design, interactive design, coding, games, video/ time-based media, etc.),

Admissions

BFA: Students may opt into the BFA degree at any time by simply declaring the major and selecting a concentration.

BFA with Departmental Honors (BFA Honors): Students interested in pursuing the BFA Honors degree must apply and be accepted into the program.

Students interested in admission to the BFA Honors program must apply to the Chair of the BFA Honors Committee. The student should obtain the appropriate application materials from the Chair of the

Committee or from the departmental office. Before applying, the student must consult with their Faculty Advisor(s) about the application process, and subsequently the application form must be signed by the required number of faculty mentors (3). The student must submit a completed application form to the office at least 5 calendar days before the review.

Before applying to the BFA Honors program, a student must have completed or be in the process of completing 30 semester hours of undergraduate study, which must include:

¹

ARTH 2050 or ARTH 2060 and not ARTH 1500.

At the time of application, the student must have maintained at least a 3.25 GPA in all studio art and art history courses. The department allows adjusted GPAs to be used in reaching the 3.25 benchmark in accordance with the UToledo policy of recalculated GPAs (https://www.utoledo.edu/offices/registrar/student_records/gpa_recalculation.html) as well as previously adjusted incoming transfer GPAs for coursework used in the major and related fields. If required courses are still in process at the time of application, acceptance is provisional until all courses are completed and the GPA standard is maintained. Applications are reviewed every Fall and Spring semester. If the application is denied, the student may reapply the following semester.

Students pursuing the BFA or BFA Honors degree may not elect the PS/NC option in studio art or art history courses or in related courses. Art majors pursuing the BFA Honors degree must meet every semester with their Advisors who are assigned by the BFA Honors committee.

B.F.A. IN STUDIO ART DEGREE - With Departmental Honors

BFA students are encouraged to earn Departmental Honors. The following criteria must be met to earn the BFA Honors degree:

1. BFA Honors students must meet all requirements of the BFA program.
2. Residency: Minimum 4 semesters within the BFA Honors degree enrolled in studio art courses.
3. BFA Honors Reviews: Pass a minimum of 4 BFA Honors reviews:

• The initial application review
• Two semester progress reviews
• Final B.F.A Exhibition review

4. GPA: BFA Honors candidates must maintain a 3.25 minimum GPA average in all studio art and art history courses during residency as well as upon completion of the degree. The department allows adjusted GPAs to be used in reaching the 3.25 benchmark in accordance with the UToledo policy of recalculated GPAs.

5. Pass ART 4400 BFA Thesis (student must register for the Honors section)

Disqualification from the BFA Honors program:

One or more of the following criteria will disqualify candidates from the BFA Honors program:

1. Failure to maintain residency,
2. Failure to attend and pass BFA Honors progress reviews,
3. Failure to maintain a 3.25 GPA in all studio art and art history courses
4. Failure to pass ART 4400

If disqualified, the student may not reapply to the BFA Honors program, but may still complete the BFA degree (without honors).

1. The student will not be awarded the honors designation upon completion of their BFA degree.
2. Once disqualified, the student is no longer required to continue participating in BFA reviews.
3. The student may not reapply to the BFA Honors track.

REQUIREMENTS

Students pursuing the B.F.A. degree may not elect the PS/NC option in studio art or art history courses or in related courses. Art majors pursuing the B.F.A. degree must meet every semester with their Advisors who are assigned by the B.F.A. committee.

• Art Education
• Interdisciplinary Art Studies
• Graphic and Interactive Design (graphic design, interactive design, coding, games, video/ time-based media, etc.)

The curriculum leading to the B.F.A. in studio art requires a minimum of 63 hours of courses in the major (66 hours maximum) plus 18 hours of related coursework for a total of at least 81 credits, which must include the following:

Studio Art: Art Education Concentration, BFA

Art Education Concentration  

¹

Pre-professional Education course, see licensure pathway below.

²

Professional Education course, see licensure pathway below.

³

Professional Education Internship, see licensure pathway below. 

Licensure Pathway

Current Ohio preservice teacher permit or other permit as specified by The State of Ohio are required prior to beginning classroom experiences.

Acceptable scores on all Ohio Assessment for Educators (OAE) tests and edTPA Portfolio Assessment as specified by The State of Ohio for the licensure area are required prior to applying for Ohio teaching license.

Pre-professional Education: A grade of C or higher in each course and a minimum GPA of 2.7 in pre-professional education courses is required. 

Supporting Coursework

Science of Reading: All courses completed with a C or higher. Courses may not be transferred from another institution.

Admission to Professional Education: Admission is required prior to enrolling in Professional Education courses.

• Enrolled as a regular student in Studio Art: Art Education Concentration 
• All pre-professional courses completed with a C or higher
• Pre-professional courses GPA of 2.7 or higher
• Subject-matter courses GPA of 2.7 or higher
• Minimum of 48 credits overall and 12 credits in residency at UToledo
• UT GPA of 2.7 or higher

Professional Education: Admission to professional education is required. A grade of C or higher in each course and a minimum GPA of 2.7 in Professional Education coursework is required. Courses may not be transferred from another institution.

Note: These courses are listed above for the concentration in art education.

*Internship Eligibility: The following conditions must be met to be eligible to enroll in Professional Education Internship courses.

• All professional courses completed with a C or higher
• Professional education courses GPA >2.7
• Completion of 90% of subject matter specializations
• Subject matter GPA >2.7
• Completion of 100 credits and 30 credits residency at UToledo
• UT GPA >2.7

Interdisciplinary Art Studies Concentration, BFA

B.F.A. IN STUDIO ART DEGREE - With Departmental Honors

BFA students are encouraged to earn Departmental Honors. The following criteria must be met to earn the BFA Honors degree:

1. BFA Honors students must meet all requirements of the BFA program.
2. Residency: Minimum 4 semesters within the BFA Honors degree enrolled in studio art courses.
3. BFA Honors Reviews: Pass a minimum of 4 BFA Honors reviews:
4. The initial application review
5. Two semester progress reviews
6. Final B.F.A Exhibition review

4. GPA: BFA Honors candidates must maintain a 3.25 minimum GPA average in all studio art and art history courses during residency as well as upon completion of the degree. The department allows adjusted GPAs to be used in reaching the 3.25 benchmark in accordance with the UToledo policy of recalculated GPAs.

5. Pass ART 4400 BFA Thesis (student must register for the Honors section)

Disqualification from the BFA Honors program:

One or more of the following criteria will disqualify candidates from the BFA Honors program:

1. Failure to maintain residency,
2. Failure to attend and pass BFA Honors progress reviews,
3. Failure to maintain a 3.25 GPA in all studio art and art history courses
4. Failure to pass ART 4400

If disqualified, the student may not reapply to the BFA Honors program, but may still complete the BFA degree (without honors).

1. The student will not be awarded the honors designation upon completion of their BFA degree.
2. Once disqualified, the student is no longer required to continue participating in BFA reviews.
3. The student may not reapply to the BFA Honors track

Graphic and Interactive design (GID) Concentration

B.F.A. IN STUDIO ART DEGREE - With Departmental Honors

BFA students are encouraged to earn Departmental Honors. The following criteria must be met to earn the BFA Honors degree:

1. BFA Honors students must meet all requirements of the BFA program.
2. Residency: Minimum 4 semesters within the BFA Honors degree enrolled in studio art courses.
3. BFA Honors Reviews: Pass a minimum of 4 BFA Honors reviews:
4. The initial application review
5. Two semester progress reviews
6. Final B.F.A Exhibition review

4. GPA: BFA Honors candidates must maintain a 3.25 minimum GPA average in all studio art and art history courses during residency as well as upon completion of the degree. The department allows adjusted GPAs to be used in reaching the 3.25 benchmark in accordance with the UToledo policy of recalculated GPAs.

5. Pass ART 4400 BFA Thesis (student must register for the Honors section)

Disqualification from the BFA Honors program:

One or more of the following criteria will disqualify candidates from the BFA Honors program:

1. Failure to maintain residency,
2. Failure to attend and pass BFA Honors progress reviews,
3. Failure to maintain a 3.25 GPA in all studio art and art history courses
4. Failure to pass ART 4400

If disqualified, the student may not reapply to the BFA Honors program, but may still complete the BFA degree (without honors).

1. The student will not be awarded the honors designation upon completion of their BFA degree.
2. Once disqualified, the student is no longer required to continue participating in BFA reviews.
3. The student may not reapply to the BFA Honors track

¹

Students will work with their advisor to choose 6 hours of technical courses from departments across the College of Communication and the Arts as well as CMPT courses.

²

The AAS courses provide a consistent framework of categories within each area of concentration:

• Graphic and Interactive Design
• Interdisciplinary Art Studies

Within each of these areas, specific course topics and content are offered on a rotational basis and appear in the catalog using a prefix and descriptive course subtitle.  For example, in a given semester ART 3100 (TOPIC) would appear as ART 3100: Printmaking: Topics. Students can retake a given course category to fulfill their AAS credit requirements as long as it is offered with a different topic title.

³

Students are permitted to take 2000 level courses in circumstances where they need to fulfill core prerequisites in order to take selected AAS level courses. See the catalog listing of offerings and prerequisites.

⁴

Usually taken in the student's junior or senior year.

⁵

An exhibition-based capstone course usually taken during the student's final year.

⁶

May be selected from courses offered in art history or from the degree audit.

PLan of Study

Below are sample plans of study. Consult your degree audit for your program requirements.

• Art Education Concentration
• Interdisciplinary Art Studies Concentration
• Graphic and Interactive Design Concentration

 Art Education Concentration

Interdisciplinary Art Studies Concentration

¹

Spring only course for Departmental Honors. For non-Honor's student, may complete an additional elective.

Graphic and Interactive Design Concentration

Learning Outcomes

Art Education Concentration

• Students demonstrate their competence in visual art techniques, art history, and applications of art.
• Students create visual arts unit plans that are specific to the populations and contexts with which they are working.
• Students craft an interview portfolio that exhibits their competence as a professional art educator.
• Students practice professional skills in their self-presentation and in their relationships with colleagues.
• Students plan and organize educational environments that promote learning and empathy.

Interdisciplinary Art Studies Concentration 

• Aesthetic abilities: Students will create artworks with an aesthetic order that expresses their unique vision.
• Technique and the comprehension of a medium's potential: Students will use the appropriate tools and art/design materials to develop creative projects within and beyond their area of concentration.
• Presentation/career preparedness: Students will plan, develop and create artistic projects in an exhibition, portfolio, and/or publication format.
• Writing and communication skills: Students will discuss, interpret and summarize complex ideas effectively through written, oral, and visual rhetoric.
• Research skills: Students will use multiple global resources to gather information about areas of interest specific to their discipline.

Graphic and Interactive Design Concentration  

• PLO 1. Aesthetic abilities: Students will create artworks with an aesthetic order that expresses their unique vision.
• PLO 2. Technique and the comprehension of a medium s potential: Students will use the appropriate tools and art/design materials to develop creative projects within and beyond their area of concentration.
• PLO 3. Presentation/career preparedness: Students will plan, develop and create artistic projects in an exhibition, portfolio, and/or publication format.
• PLO 4. Writing and communication skills: Students will discuss, interpret and summarize complex ideas effectively through written, oral, and visual rhetoric.
• PLO 5. Research skills: Students will use multiple global resources to gather information about areas of interest specific to their discipline.