The School of Visual Arts, with more than 2,000 undergraduate and graduate majors combined, is one
of the nation's largest and most comprehensive visual arts programs at a public institution. The school
offers degrees in 12 major areas of concentration.
P> 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.
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.
Teaching fellowships and assistantships are available in all majors. Internships for graduate students may be arranged in communication design, fashion, interior design and museums.
The School of Visual Arts operates as one unit but is organized into divisions based on the following programs.
The division of art education and art history offers the BA, and BFA degrees with majors in art history and visual art studies. The MA is offered in the area of art history, and the MA and PhD degrees are offered in the area of art education. The division offers a graduate academic certificate program in art museum education. Students interested in these degrees may contact Dr. Jacqueline Chanda, chair, division of art education and art history of the School of Visual Arts.
The division of design offers the BFA and MFA degrees with majors in communication design, fashion, design, and interior design. Students interested in these degrees may contact Cynthia Mohr, chair, division of design of the School of Visual Arts.
The division of studio offers BFA and MFA degrees with majors in ceramics, fibers, metalsmithing and jewelry, drawing and painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. Students interested in these degrees may contact Jerry Austin, chair, division of studio of the School of Visual Arts.
Graduate students pursuing the MFA with a studio major may apply for individual studios.
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.
The Oak Street Annex houses the Print Research Institute of North Texas Press. 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, originally funded in part by the Getty Education Institute for 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 degrees. The portfolio should consist of 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 history do not have to submit slides; instead they must submit a recent term paper or a sample of professional writing. Applicants to the MA and PhD program in art education must submit a sample of professional writing. The submission of a slide portfolio is optional. All applicants should submit a brief statement of objectives, a minimum of two letters of recommendation and acceptable scores on the Graduate Record Examination. Contact the School of Visual Arts or the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies for standardized test requirements.
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 proceeding 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 or have demonstrated success in a minimum of 21 undergraduate semester hours of art history course work. Art history majors must complete a reading examination in a foreign language relevant to the chosen area of study in art history 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.
Students seeking the MA in art education must have completed a bachelor's degree in the visual arts. Those who do not hold a bachelor's degree in art education and/or certification as a K-12 teacher of art must complete a minimum of 9 semester hours of leveling courses in art education. Of the 30 hours required for the degree, 12 hours are in art education; 6 hours in art history, art theory and/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 credit hours of course work in lieu of thesis and 6 additional credit hours of course work, for a total of 36 hours. Students may complete a 6 credit hour tool subject instead of the foreign language requirement. Students should consult the division chairperson for specific course selections.
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: 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.
All majors must devote 6 semester hours of credit to 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 until they pass and are admitted to candidacy.
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) with a major in art education is designed for individuals who wish to teach elementary and secondary school teachers at the university level or to pursue scholarly inquiry and/or leadership roles in public and private education settings. Applicants to the program must have completed the equivalent of a master's degree in art education and have obtained teacher certification in art. Those who do not hold a master's degree in art education or have never obtained teacher certification may still be accepted to the program but must complete a minimum of 9 semester hours of art education leveling course work.
The program consists of a 24-hour doctoral core of art education courses, 12 hours in a minor field, 6 hours in research methodology, 12 hours of dissertation and the remaining hours in electives for a minimum of 60 credit hours. Proficiency in a foreign language or satisfactory completion of a 6-credit hour tool subject must also be demonstrated. Tool subject course work is determined in consultation with a student's major professor.
Doctoral degrees are conferred in recognition of scholarship as shown by (1) the satisfactory completion of a prescribed course of study, (2) the ability to function at a professional level in the designated area of major, (3) the completion of examinations showing a satisfactory grasp of the field of specialization and its relation to allied areas and (4) the preparation of a dissertation demonstrating ability to undertake a problem with originality and independent thought. The candidate must earn a minimum of 60 hours of graduate credit beyond the master's degree and must complete the doctoral residence requirement.
Successful completion of a qualifying examination determines admission to candidacy. Once admitted to candidacy by the dean of the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies, the doctoral student must conduct independent research in the field of specialization and submit a dissertation. The final oral examination will be a defense of the completed dissertation.
For additional information concerning doctoral study in art education, contact the School of Visual Arts, division of art education and art history.
In cooperation with the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies, the School of Visual Arts division of art education and art history offers a graduate academic certificate in art museum education. The graduate academic certificate in art museum education is intended to provide professional training for post-baccalaureate students who desire careers in areas of art museum education or expertise in the use of art museums as educational resources. Those who complete the program will possess the skills to develop and implement education programs for art museum audiences of varied ages and backgrounds.
The program consists of 18 credit hours, which includes a 6-credit hour museum internship. The graduate academic certificate may be pursued on its own or in conjunction with a graduate degree program in the School of Visual Arts.
Eligibility for the program is extended to those who meet at least one of the following academic requirements: (1) be a current student enrolled in a UNT graduate degree program in art education, art history or studio, (2) hold a bachelor's degree with at least 12 credit hours of post-baccalaureate graduate studies, or (3) hold a master's or doctoral degree in art education, art history, studio or related field. Contact the division of art education and art history for application information.
All Courses of Instruction are located in one section at the back of this catalog.
The "Course and Subject Guide," found in the Courses of Instruction section of this book, serves as a table of contents and provides quick access to subject areas and prefixes.
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