Main Office
Art Building, 107
Advising Office
Art Building, 111
(940) 565-2216
P.O. Box 305100
Denton, TX 76203-5100
(940) 565-4001
E-mail: student services@art.unt.edu
Don Schol, Interim Associate Dean
Graduate Faculty: Austin, Baucom, Berry, Blow, Butt, D.J. Davis, R. Davis, Doherty, Erdle, Falsetta, Fisher, Gleeson, Heinlen, Jessup, Lawrence, Ligon, McCarter, Nacke, Newton, O'Rourke-Kaplan, Pensyl, Phelps, Platt, Rogal, Sargent, Scaggs, Schol, Shuemaker, Sprague, Taylor, Tedeschi, Walker, Youngblood.
The School of Visual Arts, with more than 1,500 undergraduate and 150 graduate students, is one of the nation's largest visual arts program at a public institution. It is also one of the most comprehensive, offering degrees in thirteen majors: art education, art history, ceramics, communication design, fibers, fashion design, interior design, metalsmithing and jewelry, drawing and painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. The school offers the BA, BFA, MA, MFA and PhD.
The School of Visual Arts maintains a comprehensive range of professional-level programs in the visual arts for those whose primary interest is art, and who intend to make some phase of the scholarship or production of art their life's work. To achieve this, the School of Visual Arts is staffed with faculty dedicated both to quality teaching and to professional achievement as artists and scholars.
School of Visual Arts Graduate Degrees
Career opportunities for graduates include employment as professional artists and designers, art teachers, professors and administrators. Career options also include work in art museums and galleries and in art-related positions in business and industry. Library holdings in art include major reference tools and microforms, such as the Marburger Index and Index Photographique de l'Art en France, and comprehensive holdings in art history. Proximity to museum libraries in Dallas and Fort Worth provides access to additional resources.
Graduate students pursuing the MFA with a studio major may apply for individual studios. Teaching fellowships and assistantships are available. Internships for graduate students may be arranged in communication design, fashion, interior design and museums.
The School of Visual Arts offers excellent facilities, including a 90,000-square-foot Art Building with classrooms, computer labs, studios, the University Art Gallery, a visual resources library and a 4,400-square-foot workshop. Oak Street Hall comprises photography, ceramics, graduate studios and the Stafford Art Gallery. Scoular Hall houses a computer-aided design lab, fashion design, fibers, and the Texas Fashion Collection, comprising over 10,000 garments. Kendall Hall houses additional graduate studios.
The School of Visual Arts is staffed with more than 52 full-time and part-time faculty who consistently distinguish themselves at regional, national and international levels. One of the six regional centers for excellence in visual arts education, partially funded by the Getty Center for Education in the Arts, is directed by two of the school's faculty members. Additionally, there is an active visiting artists program bringing a broad range of workshops and lectures to the campus each year.
Applicants must meet requirements for admission to the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. In addition,
the School of Visual Arts requires a portfolio review of all applicants for MFA and PhD degrees. The portfolio
should consist of 15 to 20 appropriately labeled slides of recent artwork, at least 10 of which should be in the
student's major area of concentration. Applicants to the MA programs in art education and art history do not have to
submit
slides. Art history applicants must submit a recent term paper. Applicants to master's programs must submit
a minimum score of 800 on the Graduate Record Examination; for doctoral programs, a minimum score of
1000 (verbal plus quantitative) is required. All applicants should submit a brief statement of objectives and a
minimum of two letters of recommendation.
Prospective applicants for graduate degree programs must obtain admission forms from the UNT graduate dean and information from the School of Visual Arts. Admission deadlines are as follows:
Students are admitted to the MFA in Drawing and Painting in fall semesters only. All required materials must be filed by February 15 preceding the fall semester for which the student is applying.
The school offers graduate programs leading to the following degrees:
The Master of Arts degree, offered with majors in art education and art history, requires a minimum of 30 semester hours.
Students seeking the MA in art history must have completed the equivalent of the Bachelor of Arts with a major in art history as offered at UNT. Art history majors must complete a reading examination in French or German at the beginning of graduate work and must pass a written examination in art history prior to beginning the thesis. The MA in art history requires 21 hours to be taken in art history, 3 hours in research methods and 6 hours of thesis. Museum education certification is available for the MA in art history with 21 hours in art history, 6 hours in museum education, 3 hours in research methodology, 6 hours of thesis, and 6 hours of internship.
Students seeking the MA in art education must have completed at least 48 semester hours of art and art education at the undergraduate level and hold a valid teaching certificate in art. Of the 30 hours required for the degree, 12 hours are in art education; 6 hours in aesthetics and criticism, art history or studio; 3 hours in an elective; 3 hours in research methods; and 6 hours of thesis.
The MA in art education has a non-thesis option with 6-9 credit hours of course work in lieu of thesis. Students may complete a 6 credit hour tool subject instead of the foreign language requirement. Students should consult the graduate adviser for specific course selections. Museum education certification is available for the non-thesis option of the MA degree in art education with 12 hours of art education, 6 hours internship, 6 hours of museum education, 9 hours in art history and 3 hours in research methodology.
A student seeking the Master of Fine Arts must have completed the equivalent of the Bachelor of Fine Arts as offered at UNT. The Master of Fine Arts requires a minimum of 60 semester hours in art.
Students may pursue majors in one of the following: art education, art history, ceramics, communication design, drawing and painting, fashion design, fibers, interior design, metalsmithing and jewelry, photography, printmaking or sculpture.
Studio majors must complete 21 to 30 semester hours in a major studio area, 9 to 15 semester hours in a minor studio area, 3 hours in research methods (ART 5350), 12 hours in art history of which 6 or more semester hours must be in at least two different 5000-level seminar courses and 6 hours of problem in lieu of thesis (ART 5920, 5930). The candidate also must mount an exhibition of work.
Art education majors (MFA) must complete 15 semester hours in professional courses in art education, 18 hours in a studio field, 6 hours in a minor, 3 hours in research methods (ART 5350), 12 hours in art history of which 6 semester hours must be 5000-level seminars and 6 hours of thesis (ART 5950).
Art history majors (MFA) must complete 33 semester hours in art history, 18 hours in studio, 6 hours of thesis (ART 5950) and 3 hours in research methods (ART 5350). They also must pass a reading examination in French or German at the beginning of graduate work and a written examination in art history prior to beginning the thesis.
All majors must devote 6 semester hours of credit to a written thesis or a creative project and descriptive paper, according to the field of specialization. Each candidate with a major in a studio area will prepare an exhibition of work of a quality suitable for presentation to the public.
All graduate students on the MFA track are required to participate in graduate reviews every semester they are enrolled in a studio course. Students must participate every semester until they pass and are admitted to candidacy.
Two doctoral degree programs are offered in the School of Visual Arts: the PhD with a major in art and the PhD with a major in art and a concentration in art education. In addition to normal admission requirements, the PhD applicant must submit a statement of professional objective, three letters of recommendation, and a copy of a research paper.
The PhD with a major in art is designed for individuals who desire to pursue teaching at the university and college level as a career and requires 60 hours beyond the master's degree. The program consists of a 15-hour doctoral core, 15-18 hours in the teaching field, 9-12 hours in a minor, 12 hours of dissertation and electives as necessary.
The PhD with a concentration in art education is designed for individuals who wish to teach elementary and secondary school teachers at the university level or to pursue a career in elementary or secondary education. The program consists of an 18-hour doctoral core, 3-6 hours in research methodology, 9-12 hours each in an art specialization and a minor area, 12 hours of dissertation and the remaining hours in electives.
A foreign language or tool subject also is required for both PhD degrees.
Doctoral degrees are conferred in recognition of advanced preparation of a higher order as shown by (1) the satisfactory completion of a prescribed period of study, (2) the ability to function at a professional level in the designated area of major, (3) the preparation of a dissertation demonstrating ability to undertake a problem with originality and independent thought and (4) the completion of examinations showing a satisfactory grasp of the field of specialization and its relation to allied areas. The candidate must earn a minimum of 60 hours of graduate credit beyond the master's degree or 90 hours beyond the bachelor's and must complete the doctoral residence requirement, together with the admission requirements, and qualifying and final examinations prescribed by the school.
For additional information concerning doctoral study in art, write to the School of Visual Arts.
UNT Undergraduate Catalog Table of Contents
UNT Graduate Catalog Table of Contents
UNT Undergraduate Catalog Course and Subject Guide
UNT Graduate Catalog Course and Subject Guide