SJSU Catalog

Art and Design

MA - Art, Concentration or Emphases in Art Education, Art History and Visual Culture, Fine Art, Design

Step I. Admission to MA - Classified Standing

Admission to any of these programs requires two steps:

A. In addition to the university requirements as outlined in this catalog, applicants must meet requirements for their area:

• Design areas: Completion of 60 or more college level semester units or equivalent in art courses, including 12 units in art history of which 6 units are upper division units, and a minimum 3.0 GPA for all coursework is generally required. Courses in related areas and the applicant's professional background will also be assessed in reviewing the application. The Graphic Design program is not accepting graduate students at this time.
• Art History and Visual Culture: Completion of 30 or more college level semester units or equivalent in art history courses with a minimum 3.0 GPA. At least 24 units must be in upper division art history courses. Courses in related academic areas will be assessed in reviewing qualifications of applicants.
• Art Education: Completion of 45 or more college level semester units or equivalent in appropriate art courses with a minimum 3.0 GPA. At least 12 of these units must be in art history of which 6 units are upper division courses and 3 units of Art 138, Studio Art Experiences for Young People, or equivalent.
• Multimedia Computing: Completion of BA in appropriate field and demonstrated skills in computer programming, authoring languages or web design.

B. Successful completion of the MA - Art admissions review. At the review, appropriate materials submitted by applicants are examined by members of the faculty to determine whether the level of quality required in the MA - Art program has been attained. The materials consist of slides of creative work for applicants to studio areas and evidence of writing and research ability for art education and art history and visual culture applicants.

There are two MA - Art admission reviews each year, one in the fall, one in the spring. Passing the review allows one to enroll the following semester. Write or call the School of Art and Design Graduate Office, 408-924-4346, for details.

Admission to Conditionally Classified Standing

Applicants who successfully complete the review, and who meet minimum requirements for admission to the Graduate Division, but who do not meet all other requirements, (i.e., lacking prerequisites or GPA) may be admitted to conditionally classified standing. They will be advanced to classified standing when the art graduate advisor certifies they have satisfied all appropriate requirements.

Step II. Candidacy for the MA - Art

Candidacy denotes that the student is fully qualified to complete the final stages of the MA - Art and is thus eligible to enroll in ART 297A, Master's Special Study, ART 297B, Master's Project, or ART 299, Master's Thesis. In order to attain candidacy, the student must meet the university requirements for admission to candidacy as outlined in this catalog. The University requires that all graduate students demonstrate competency in written English as a condition for advancement to candidacy. Please refer to the SJSU catalog section titled “Competency in Written English” for details. For graduate courses that meet the competency in written English requirement, please refer to the Graduate Studies and Research website at www.sjsu.edu/gradstudies.

• Secure commitment of three faculty members of the university, two of whom must be members of the art faculty, to serve as members of the student's MA - Art project or thesis committee, with one regular art faculty member agreeing to serve as chair. This committee must approve the student's proposed program for the MA - Art degree no later than one month prior to the end of the semester preceding the one in which enrollment in the final project or thesis course(s) is planned.
• Submit a proposed program conforming to university and school requirements. The proposed program must be approved by the art graduate committee and the University Graduate Studies Committee before the student may be considered for the MA - Art.

Additional information regarding advancement to candidacy is available in the Art Graduate Office.

Completing Requirements for the MA - Art

All students must meet university requirements for the master's degree as outlined in this catalog. The University requires that all graduate students demonstrate competency in written English as a condition for advancement to candidacy. Please refer to the SJSU catalog section titled “Competency in Written English” for details. For graduate courses that meet the competency in written English requirement, please refer to the Graduate Studies and Research website at www.sjsu.edu/gradstudies.

The School of Art and Design offers two plans for attaining the MA - Art:

• Plan A: Written thesis.
• Plan B: Creative project.

Plan A: Written Thesis

1. Purpose: This plan is designed primarily for students in art education and art history and visual culture, but is open to any applicant who desires to approach the subject from a theoretical point of view concluding in a written thesis.

2. General Requirements: The proposed program must list a total of 30 semester units, of which at least 15 must be in courses at the 200 level. The proposed program must include the required seminars and ART 299, Master's Thesis. Electives to complete the 30 units may be drawn from approved 100 and 200 level courses.

3. Area Requirements:

a. Art Education: Of the 30 units required, 21 must be in art courses and 9 units may be in related areas of study. The upper division writing requirement and EDLD 221, ART 260 and one seminar must be completed before candidacy may be granted. These courses may be included in the student's program unless they have been used to fulfill requirements for a teaching credential.

b. Art History and Visual Culture: Of the 30 units required, 21 must be in art history and visual culture courses and 9 units may be in related areas of study. Four seminars (12 units) must be included. The MA - Art student with a concentration in art history and visual culture must demonstrate reading knowledge of a foreign language related to the subject of the intended thesis research. The student must also pass a comprehensive written examination designed to test general competence in art history and visual culture. Attainment of candidacy, and eligibility to enroll in ART 299, Master's Thesis, will be contingent upon satisfactory completion of both language and comprehensive examinations.

4. Thesis: The thesis must meet university requirements as stipulated in this catalog. It will be written under the guidance of the candidate's thesis committee chair with the assistance of the thesis committee.

5. Thesis Examination: The candidate for the MA - Art degree must successfully pass a final examination based on the thesis.

Plan B: Creative Project

1. Purpose: Plan B is designed both for students who wish to carry out advanced creative studio projects in art, design and multimedia and for students in art education or art history and visual culture whose studies and research involve problem solving projects which culminate in written reports of a non-thesis type.

2. General Requirements: The student's proposed program must list a total of 30 semester units, of which at least 15 must be at the 200 level, including 3 units of ART 297B. Electives to complete the 30 units may be drawn from approved 100 and 200 level courses.

3. Area Requirements (in addition to the general requirements above):

a. Art Education: Same as Plan A, except ART 297B, Master's Project, is taken in place of ART 299, Master's Thesis.

b. Art History and Visual Culture: Same as Plan A, except ART 297B, Master's Project, is taken in place of ART 299, Master's Thesis or Project.

4. MA - Art Project: After admission to candidacy the project will be developed under the guidance of the candidate's MA - Art project committee chair with the assistance of the project committee. Upon the committee's approval of the completed work, studio projects will be appropriately exhibited in accordance with departmental requirements.

All candidates must submit to the School of Art and Design a satisfactory report of the project, following the school's approved format. Art education and art history and visual culture project reports will be written. Studio project reports will document the creative project with color photos and must be accompanied by a set of 35mm color slides which illustrate each work in the project. The project report and the slide record (in the case of studio projects), must be approved by the candidate's project committee and by the art graduate advisor before the degree may be awarded.

5. Art Final Examination: The candidate for the MA - Art must successfully complete an oral examination based on the subject area(s) of the project, as defined by the candidate's project committee.