SJSU Catalog

Art and Design

MFA - Art, Concentrations in Digital Media Art, Photography, Pictorial and Spatial Arts

Step I. Admission to MFA Classified Standing

Applicants must meet university requirements for admission to classified standing as outlined in this catalog. In addition, they must meet the following requirements:

1. Demonstrated interest in the area of study by a professional portfolio. The equivalent of a BFA - Art from San José State University in the applicant's designated area of graduate emphasis, and including at least 6 upper division units in art history, is recommended.

2. Successful completion of the application procedure for the MFA Admission Review. During the MFA Admission Review, appropriate materials (slides, photographs, videotapes, CDs, etc.) documenting the applicant's creative work are examined by the art faculty to determine whether the quality of the work meets the standards expected for MFA graduate work. Applicants should submit copies of their creative materials for the MFA Admission Review; applicants should not submit their original materials unless requested to do so by the faculty. Applicants who pass the spring review and who meet minimum school and university requirements are admitted to classified standing for the following semester.

Applicants for the spring MFA Admission Review will be considered only if the review instructions have been carefully followed and all materials (including official transcripts) are supplied. Write or call the Art and Design Graduate Office, 408-924-4346, for details. The deadline is the first Friday in February.

Admission to Conditionally Classified Status

Applicants who pass the spring MFA Admission Review and meet minimum requirements for admission to the Graduate Division, but do not meet all requirements above, may be admitted to conditionally classified status. They will be advanced to classified status when the art graduate advisor certifies all appropriate requirements for classified standing have been satisfied. Applicants who have completed an MA - Art degree must meet all prerequisites and requirements for the MFA - Art degree program.

Step II. Admission to Candidacy for the MFA - Art

Candidacy denotes that the classified graduate student is fully qualified to complete the final stages of the MFA - Art program and is thus eligible to enroll in ART 298A, MFA Special Study, and 298B, MFA Project. 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. In addition, the student must:

1. Pass the Pre-Thesis Review. This is an exhibition of original work scheduled each semester in one of the school's galleries. Students must obtain signatures of three faculty members willing to serve on their thesis committee, including at least one faculty member teaching in the designated area of emphasis, in order to apply to the Pre-Thesis Review. Passing the review is necessary before the student may enroll in their thesis project classes, ART 298 A-B.

2. Students must formalize their MFA project committee by obtaining the signatures of three university faculty members (two must be members of the art faculty) to serve as members of the student's committee. A regular art faculty member who teaches in the student's major area of emphasis must serve as chair. This committee must approve the student's proposed program for the MFA - Art degree no later than one month prior to the end of the semester preceding the one in which the final project is taken.

3. The student must submit a proposed program conforming to university and school requirements on the "Departmental Request for Candidacy" form obtained from Graduate Studies and Research and filed according to university deadlines. 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 MFA - Art.

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

Completing Requirements for the MFA - Art

The MFA Art program is offered under Plan B only.

1. General Requirements: The MFA - Art program requires a minimum of 60 units of approved art courses completed after admission to classified status in the program, of which at least 30 units must be in courses at the 200 level. Electives to complete the 60 units may be drawn from approved 100 and 200 level courses.

2. Required Courses: see below.

3. All students must meet the university's English writing requirement.

4. MFA - Art Project: The culmination of the program is the MFA - Art project which must demonstrate the professional level of the candidate's accomplishment. After admission to candidacy the project will be developed under the guidance of the candidate's MFA - 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. MFA project reports will document the creative project with color photos and must be accompanied by a set of color images 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. Final Examination: The candidate must successfully complete an oral examination based on the area of the MFA - Art project.

6. The application for graduation form must be filed with the university Graduate Studies and Research Office according to the posted deadline (in the semester prior to completing degree requirements).