Fine Arts (M.F.A.)

Program Admission Requirements

Students must meet the following minimum requirements in order to be considered for admission. Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the program.

Graduate School Admission Requirements 

http://www.wcu.edu/apply/graduate-school/admissions/admission-requirements.aspx

MFA Program Admission Requirements

• Minimum of 3.00 GPA in their undergraduate major. Students are expected to have a minimum of 9 credit hours of undergraduate art history/philosophy of art and to have completed a minimum of 30 credit hours of undergraduate studio course work. Candidates must commit to fulltime study. Minimum 12 semester hours of credit may be granted for work previously completed at the master’s level (transfer credit.)

No GRE is required

A campus visit and interview with the M.F.A. Director is strongly recommended.

Application Instructions:  

Please note that there is a two-step Application Procedure

1. Slideroom online application, submit the following:

• Statement of Intent

Approximately 500 - 750 word statement of intent, addressing each of the following: What best describes the development of your current artistic practice? Why have you decided to apply to the MFA program in the School of Art and Design at WCU? What are your professional goals as an artist?

• Three letters of recommendation from appropriate academic or professional references.

• Transcripts

• Portfolio:
  • ​Upload a portfolio of recent work, 15 - 20 examples of recent work demonstrating applicants’ preparation for advanced study in art. 
  • A primary criterion for admission to the MFA program at the WCU School of Art & Design is the assessment of your portfolio by our graduate faculty.

  • Your portfolio should represent your best work, consist of work done within the last three years, and demonstrate the current direction of your studio practice.

  • Each slide on SlideRoom should be used for one image or one time-based work; do not upload files (jpgs or pdfs) with multiple pages or images.

  • Time-based samples should be no longer than five-minutes with web links to full- length versions if appropriate.

  • Please order your work in reverse chronological order with the newest work first, and provide complete descriptions that will help us understand the image. You may describe the research and art process that informed your work, when appropriate.

• A resume/cv is optional

2.    WCU Graduate School online application

Complete the application form (general information),  No additional supplemental information needs to be submitted through the Graduate School Application Portal.

Please do not mail any materials to the School of Art and Design.

Decisions and Acceptance:

A Graduate Review Committee of the School of Art and Design will make applicant acceptance decisions which are final. Please be assured that each applicant receives thorough consideration by every member of the committee. All aspects of the application will be reviewed, including the artwork portfolio, statement of purpose, academic strength, art-related background, and recommendations.

After admissions materials are reviewed, top applicants will be contacted for an interview via phone or video-conference (Skype, Google Hangout, etc.) in late-February. Final candidates will be determined after the interview process and admission decisions will be announced late-March.

Upon acceptance of admission, the student should notify the School of Art and Design, schedule an appointment to meet with the Graduate Program Director, and make initial plans for a course of study. This may be done by phone or upon arrival prior to the beginning of the semester. General information is available from the Graduate Program Director and the School of Art and Design website. Studios will be assigned by early August. Please check with the Graduate Program Director after this time to obtain assignment.

Program Description

The terminal degree in studio art, the M.F.A. requires a minimum of 60 semester hours of graduate study. Studio M.F.A. faculty advise and manage student coursework towards completion of the degree. The program includes 36 hours in the studio core, 9 hours of art history/theory/criticism, 3 hours of teaching methods, 6 hours of thesis, and 6 hours of electives. Candidates must provide a written defense of a solo thesis exhibition and pass an oral examination.