Visual Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts (514P, 514)
Department website: http://www.wku.edu/art
Program Coordinator
Kristina E. Arnold, kristina.arnold@wku.edu, (270) 745-6566
The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is the initial professional degree sought for careers in the visual arts field. The department of art offers two concentrations. The BFA in Studio concentration prepares students for a professional studio practice through rigorous artistic and academic experience. It is also the standard requirement for entrance into Masters of Fine Arts degree programs, the most common route to teaching studio art at the college level. The BFA Graphic Design concentration prepares students for careers in the visual communications field, including web design, print design, illustration, and new media. Both concentrations begin with a foundation of drawing, 2-D design, 3-D design, and art history surveys. Students then focus on a specific curricular sequence of interest to them: ceramics, graphic design, printmaking, painting, sculpture, or weaving. A portfolio and seminar class serve as the capstone experiences for BFA students in each concentration, where personal concepts and technical proficiency typically yield a cohesive body of work or competitive professional portfolio. In either concentration, the goal for the BFA student is to forge a professional art practice.
Concentrations
- Graphic Design (ARGD)
- Studio (ARST)
Program Requirements (73-79 hours)
A baccalaureate degree requires a minimum of 120 unduplicated semester hours. More information can be found at www.wku.edu/registrar/degree_certification.php.
Students who began WKU in the Fall 2014 and thereafter should review the Colonnade requirements located at: https://www.wku.edu/colonnade/colonnaderequirements.php.
The major requires 73-79 semester hours of study. Entry into the BFA in Visual Arts program may be accomplished in one of two ways: have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 in art and art history courses to include: ART 105 or ART 106, ART 130, ART 131, ART 140, a basic studio course at the 200-level, and an upper-level 300 studio course, or have a minimum GPA of 2.5 for these same courses and pass a department portfolio review conducted by a faculty committee. Transfer students will be required to meet the second of these two options. Any student denied entrance in their initial portfolio review and having less than 36 hours in art and art history, while maintaining a 2.5 GPA in the continuing art courses, may reapply once. Prior to meeting these standards, students pursuing the BFA will be designated as reference number 514P.
The major offers two concentrations, Studio and Graphic Design. Both concentrations require the following courses:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ART 105 | History of Art to 1300 1 | 3 |
| ART 106 | History of Art Since 1300 1 | 3 |
| ART 130 | Two-Dimensional Design 1 | 3 |
| ART 131 | Three-Dimensional Design 1 | 3 |
| ART 140 | Drawing 1 | 3 |
| Total Hours | 15 | |
| 1 | Students may have no more than one "D" for a final grade. |
Additionally, both concentrations require students to take two upper-level elective studio courses, ART 432 and ART 434. Each concentration has additional requirements listed below.
Studio Concentration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Studio Courses | ||
| Select four of the following: | 12 | |
| Ceramics | ||
| Graphic Design | ||
| Digital Media | ||
| Printmaking | ||
| Painting | ||
| Sculpture Survey I | ||
| Weaving | ||
| Required Basic Drawing Courses: | ||
| ART 240 | Drawing | 3 |
| ART 340 | Drawing | 3 |
| ART 341 | Drawing | 3 |
| Studio Concentration Focus | ||
| Choose 2 upper-level elective studio courses | 6 | |
| Choose 7 upper-level studio focus courses (may include up to two mediums) | 21 | |
| Upper-Level Art History Electives | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Ancient Greek and Roman Art | ||
| Art of the United States to 1865 | ||
| Art of the United States Since 1865 | ||
| Southern Baroque Art | ||
| Northern Baroque Art | ||
| Medieval Art & Architecture | ||
| Art and Power | ||
| Art and Landscape | ||
| Art of Asia, Africa, and the Americas | ||
| Survey of Graphic Design | ||
| Contemporary Art | ||
| Art of the Italian Renaissance | ||
| Northern Renaissance Art | ||
| Art Theory and Criticism | ||
| Islamic Art and Architecture | ||
| European Art, 1700-1848 | ||
| European Art, 1848-1900 | ||
| European Art, 1900-1945 | ||
| American Architectural History | ||
| Seminar in Art History | ||
| Aesthetics | ||
| Portfolio and Capstone Requirement: | ||
| ART 432 | Portfolio | 3 |
| ART 434 | Capstone Seminar | 1 |
| Total Hours | 58 | |
Graphic Design Concentration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Studio Courses | ||
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Ceramics | ||
| Printmaking | ||
| Painting | ||
| Sculpture Survey I | ||
| Weaving | ||
| Select 2 upper-level elective studio courses | 6 | |
| Required drawing-focused courses: | ||
| ART 240 | Drawing | 3 |
| ART 340 | Drawing | 3 |
| ART 341 | Drawing | 3 |
| or ART 431 | Illustration | |
| Graphic Design Concentration Focus | ||
| ART 231 | Graphic Design | 3 |
| ART 243 | Digital Media | 3 |
| ART 330 | Graphic Design | 3 |
| ART 331 | Visual Thinking | 3 |
| ART 334 | Survey of Graphic Design | 3 |
| ART 343 | Digital Media: Time-Based | 3 |
| ART 430 | Graphic Design | 3 |
| ART 432 | Portfolio | 3 |
| ART 433 | Package Design | 3 |
| ART 438 | Advanced Media Design | 3 |
| ART 436 | Electronic Illustration | 3 |
| Upper-Level Art History Electives | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Ancient Greek and Roman Art | ||
| Art of the United States to 1865 | ||
| Art of the United States Since 1865 | ||
| Southern Baroque Art | ||
| Northern Baroque Art | ||
| Medieval Art & Architecture | ||
| Art and Power | ||
| Art and Landscape | ||
| Art of Asia, Africa, and the Americas | ||
| Contemporary Art | ||
| Art of the Italian Renaissance | ||
| Northern Renaissance Art | ||
| Art Theory and Criticism | ||
| Islamic Art and Architecture | ||
| European Art, 1700-1848 | ||
| European Art, 1848-1900 | ||
| European Art, 1900-1945 | ||
| American Architectural History | ||
| Seminar in Art History | ||
| Aesthetics | ||
| Take the following Capstone Seminar: | ||
| ART 434 | Capstone Seminar | 1 |
| Total Hours | 64 | |
Finish in Four Plan
Studio
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ART 105 | 3 | ART 106 | 3 |
| ART 130 | 3 | ART 131 | 3 |
| ART 140 | 3 | Basic Studio #1 (200 level) | 3 |
| ENG 100 | 3 | MATH 109 | 3 |
| HIST 101 or HIST 102 | 3 | COMM 145 | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| Basic Studio #2 (200 level) | 3 | Basic Studio #4 (200 level) | 3 |
| Basic Studio #3 (200 level) | 3 | ART 317 (or other Connections: Systems Course or ART 318 or other Connections: Local to Global) | 3 |
| ART 240 | 3 | ART 340 | 3 |
| ENG 200 | 3 | Upper Level Studio in Concentration #1 (300-400 Level) | 3 |
| Colonnade - Social & Behavioral | 3 | Colonnade - Natural & Physical Sciences w/ lab | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ART 341 | 3 | Upper Level Studio in Concentration #3 (300-400 Level) | 3 |
| Upper Level Studio in Concentration #2 (300-400 Level) | 3 | Upper Level Studio Elective #2 (300-400 Level) | 3 |
| Upper Level Studio Elective #1 (300-400 Level) | 3 | Upper Level Art History | 3 |
| ENG 300 | 3 | Colonnade - Social & Cultural | 3 |
| Colonnade - Natural & Physical Sciences w/ no lab | 3 | ART 432 | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| Upper Level Studio in Concentration #4 (300-400 Level) | 3 | ART 434 | 1 |
| Upper Level Studio in Concentration #5 (300-400 Level) | 3 | Upper Level Studio in Concentration #6 (300-400 Level) | 3 |
| ART 317 ( or other Connections: Systems Course or ART 318 or Connections: Local to Global) | 3 | Upper Level Studio in Concentration #7 (300-400 Level) | 3 |
| World Language Requirement or General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Total Hours 121 | |||
Graphic Design
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ART 105 | 3 | ART 106 | 3 |
| ART 130 | 3 | ART 131 | 3 |
| ART 140 | 3 | ART 231 | 3 |
| ENG 100 | 3 | MATH 109 | 3 |
| HIST 101 or HIST 102 | 3 | COMM 145 | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ART 240 | 3 | ART 244 (recommended or another Basic (200 level) Studio #2) | 3 |
| ART 243 | 3 | ART 340 | 3 |
| Basic (200 Level) Studio #1 | 3 | ART 330 | 3 |
| ENG 200 | 3 | ART 318 (recommended (counts as Colonnade - Local to Global)) | 3 |
| PSY 100 or PSYS 100 | 3 | ASTR 104 or PHYS 103 (recommended (Colonnade - Natural and Physical Sciences w/ lab)) | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ART 341 or ART 431 | 3 | ART 334 | 3 |
| ART 331 | 3 | ART 343 | 3 |
| Basic (200 level) Studio #3 | 3 | ART 430 | 3 |
| ENG 300 | 3 | Colonnade - Social & Cultural | 3 |
| Upper Level Art History #2 | 3 | Colonnade - Natural & Physical Sciences w/ no lab | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ART 433 | 3 | ART 438 | 3 |
| ART 436 | 3 | ART 434 | 1 |
| Colonnade - Connections | 3 | ART 432 | 3 |
| Upper level Studio Elective #1 | 3 | Upper Level Studio Elective #2 | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Total Hours 121 | |||