University of Arizona Logo
  • Programs
  • Apply
  • Give
  • College of Fine Arts Home
  • Prospective Students
    • Why UofA School of Art
    • Tour the School!
    • Areas of Study
    • Degrees
    • Admissions
    • Scholarships & Financial Aid
    • Careers in Art
  • Current Students
    • Advising
    • Student Resources
    • Opportunities
  • People
    • Directory
    • Graduate Directory
    • Advisory Board
    • Faculty Portfolio
    • Faculty Catalogs
    • Student Portfolio
    • MFA Catalogs
    • Faculty Stories
    • Student Stories
  • News & Events
    • News
    • Events
  • Resources & Facilities
    • Facilities Overview
    • Galleries
    • Visiting Lecture Series
    • Visual Resource Center
    • Digital Print Studio
    • Book Art & Letterpress Lab
    • Studios & Classrooms
    • Graduate Studios
  • Visit
    • About The School
    • Tour the School!
    • Outreach Activities
    • Art Days
    • Contact Us
  • Donate
    • Support the School of Art
    • Projects
  • Facebook
  • Join Our E-Club
  • College of Fine Arts Home
Home › Prospective Students › Degrees › B.F.A. – Studio Art

B.F.A. – Studio Art

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art provides a major for those students, who plan to pursue studio art at the graduate level or as a professional in the field. Students are encouraged to advance within their selected area by taking courses that expand contemporary and historical awareness of the discipline, as well as hone their aesthetic, conceptual and technical skills.

AREAS OF EMPHASIS

  • 2D Studies
  • 3D & Extended Media
  • Illustration + Design
  • Photography

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

125 units are required to complete the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Studio Art, 42 units of which must be upper division coursework. Students must choose an area of emphasis and complete 24 units of upper division coursework in this area.

Specific Program Requirements can be viewed through UA Academic Catalogs. In addition, all students must complete General Education requirements.

See the admissions section for information on how to apply to these programs.

Contact an academic advisor or set up an advising appointment to learn more about the programs and admissions.

Program RequirementDescriptionRequired Number of Units
Foundation Courses - Art HistoryARH 201 Survey of Art History I
ARH 202 Survey of Art History II
ART 119 Contemporary Art & Theory
9 Units
Foundation Courses - First Year ExperienceART 100A Mapping
ART 100B Space
ART 100E Surface

Three courses required from the following:
ART 100C Gaze
ART 100D Experience
ART 100F Amalgam
ART 100G Propaganda
ART 100J The Body (Prereq: ART 100A)
12 units
2D StudiesART 205 Figure Drawing I
ART 246, 244 Photography
ART 250, 251, 253, 255, or 256 Beginning Printmaking
ART 265 Design I
ART 266 Illustration I
ART 280 Painting I
ART 285 Watercolor Painting I
9-12 units
3DXM StudiesART 273 Beginning Ceramics
ART 276 Material Studies
ART 287 Beginning Sculpture
6-9 Units
Emphasis AreasUpper Division - Choose an emphasis from 2D, 3DXM, Photography, or Illustration + Design. At least 6 units must be 400 level.24 Units
Art HistoryUpper Division - One 400 level course required for writing emphasis credit.9 Units
Art ElectivesUpper division units from any Studio, Art History, or Art Education course.9 units
BFA ExhibitionNA

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art 2D Studies

PAINTING & DRAWING

The Painting & Drawing program offers courses that encourage you to explore the field of painting and drawing and to develop your work within a wide range of technical, aesthetic and conceptual approaches. From beginning courses to the most advanced, you will work under the guidance of a diverse faculty of active and exhibiting artist-teachers.

Critiques and seminars, led by your faculty and a series of visiting artists, will provide you with the forum and structure to discuss your work in relation to contemporary art issues. Your faculty will encourage you to take responsibility for the definition and direction of your work while you develop a unique stylistic and conceptual approach.

PRINTMAKING

Established in the early 1960’s, the Printmaking program is not only committed to preparing you to make art of the highest quality, but also to sustain a successful and productive career as an artist/printmaker. With this in mind, the program concentrates on personal style, artistic ability, contemporary and historical awareness, technical ability, and communicative capabilities.

The facilities support work in Intaglio, Lithography, Relief, and a variety of alternative methods including Photographic and Digital processes, Bookmaking, Solar plates, Polyesterplates and Monoprinting.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

125 units are required to complete the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art, 2D Studies, 42 units of which must be upper division coursework. Students must complete 24 units of upper division coursework in 2D Studies.

Specific Program Requirements can be viewed through UA Academic Catalogs.

Contact an academic advisor or set up an advising appointment to learn more about School of Art programs and admissions.

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art 3D & Extended Media Emphasis

The mission of the 3D & Extended Media Division is to foster in students an authentic spirit of inquiry and to cultivate an understanding of the concepts and strategies of contemporary art making, from interdisciplinary activity to the integrated use of technology.

Undergraduates gain expertise in traditional 3D processes, interdisciplinary practices, and new media technologies to achieve command over a range of technical processes to effectively express their ideas.

All studio work is grounded in a comprehensive understanding of traditional 3D media–sculpture and ceramics, as well as extended media–installation, video, and performance. Our interdisciplinary faculty facilitates conceptual development relevant to the interests of each student. The goal is to provide you with the creative analytical and critical ability to effectively express ideas in order to actively participate in the broader cultural and global discourse, to succeed in graduate art programs and as arts professionals.

The 3D & Extended Media Division is well equipped to accommodate both traditional processes in sculpture and ceramics and new media practices, including eco-art, performance, installation, video, site-specific and public art. View the 3D and Extended Media Facilities page for more information.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

125 units are required to complete the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art, 3D & Extended Media, 42 units of which must be upper division coursework. Students must complete 24 units of upper division coursework in 3D & Extended Media.

Specific Program Requirements can be viewed through UA Academic Catalogs.

Contact an academic advisor or set up an advising appointment to learn more about School of Art programs and admissions.

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art Illustration + Design Emphasis

Separate tracks in illustration and design are offered to undergraduates. Your portfolio will be reviewed during the Spring Portfolio Review for acceptance into one of the following tracks:

THE ILLUSTRATION TRACK

The Illustration Track is known for its excellence in figurative studies as well as its focus on the development of your visual voice. You will get a rigorous education in constructive anatomy and learn to describe the human form realistically and expressively and find personal methodologies in traditional and digital media. You will graduate with a professional portfolio and knowledge of the history of Illustration as well as, the guidelines for ethical professional business practices in the field.

THE DESIGN TRACK

The Design Track provides a foundation in design principles and methodologies, creative problem solving and digital processes. As you advance in the program you will gain knowledge and skills in professional practice including identity systems, web design, typography, motion graphics, history, contemporary criticism, and theory. You will graduate with a professional portfolio and a broad understanding of the business of design as well as its potential as a medium of critical inquiry and community involvement.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

125 units are required to complete the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art, Illustration and Design, 42 units of which must be upper division coursework. Students must complete 24 units of upper division coursework in Illustration & Design.

Specific Program Requirements can be viewed through UA Academic Catalogs.

Contact an academic advisor or set up an advising appointment to learn more about School of Art programs and admissions.

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art Photography

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

125 units are required to complete the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art, Photography, 42 units of which must be upper division coursework. Students must complete 24 units of upper division coursework in Photography.

Specific Program Requirements can be viewed through UA Academic Catalogs.

Contact an academic advisor or set up an advising appointment to learn more about School of Art programs and admissions.

ACCELERATED MASTER’S DEGREE Art & Visual Culture Education (UA Undergraduate Students Only)

The School of Art has an Accelerated Master’s Degrees in Art & Visual Culture Education.The Accelerated Master’s Degree allows current University of Arizona undergraduate students to use 12 units of graduate coursework towards both their Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, giving students the possibility to receive both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in 5 year. Check out the degree and application information to learn more.

Degrees

  • B.A. – Art History
  • B.A. – Studio Art
  • B.A. – Design Arts & Practices
  • B.F.A. – Art & Visual Culture Education
  • B.F.A. – Studio Art
  • Minors in Art
  • M.A. – Art & Visual Culture Education
  • M.A. – Art History
  • Master of Fine Arts in Art
  • Ph.D. – Art & Visual Culture Education
  • Ph.D. – Art History
  • Museum Studies Certificate Program

CFA Student Services

Max M. Jackson Coordinator, Recruiting - Admissions and Enrollment
maxj@arizona.edu Slonaker House, Room 203
520-626-1644
Melanie J Marsh Program Assistant
melaniejmarsh@arizona.edu Music Bldg, Room 111
520-626-1194
Kimberly Moore Financial Aid Professional II
kmoore657@arizona.edu Slonaker House, Room 201
520-276-5935
Profile
Lindsay Clark Coordinator, Student and Alumni Engagement
linds@arizona.edu Slonaker House, Room 201
520-621-9430

Facebook

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons
University of Arizona School of Art
4 weeks ago
University of Arizona School of Art

We are over the moon 🌙 to welcome Emily Miu as a first year student this fall!

At first, Emily's path to college was blocked by barriers that were steering her away from what she wants to explore and she considered not attending at all.

That changed after attending the Visions program offered by Scottsdale Arts. Through this program, Emily had the opportunity to work with professional artists and visited us for a workshop.

Through our partnership with Visions, we were able to offer Emily scholarships so she can start her journey as a Wildcat this August! Her parents were misty eyed at the Visions '22 opening reception, saying that she would likely not have attended college at all, if not for Visions and the School of Art!

"The scholarship opportunities I gained from this program made me change my major in college and goals for my academic future" - Emily Miu

Congratulations and welcome!
... See MoreSee Less

We are over the moon 🌙 to welcome Emily Miu as a first year student this fall!

At first, Emilys path to college was blocked by barriers that were steering her away from what she wants to explore and she considered not attending at all.

That changed after attending the Visions program offered by Scottsdale Arts. Through this program, Emily had the opportunity to work with professional artists and visited us for a workshop.

Through our partnership with Visions, we were able to offer Emily scholarships so she can start her journey as a Wildcat this August! Her parents were misty eyed at the Visions 22 opening reception, saying that she would likely not have attended college at all, if not for Visions and the School of Art!

The scholarship opportunities I gained from this program made me change my major in college and goals for my academic future - Emily Miu

Congratulations and welcome!
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 8
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

University of Arizona School of Art
1 month ago
University of Arizona School of Art

We are looking for models for our fall courses!
arizona.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/4/home/requisition/9951?c=arizona
... See MoreSee Less

Model (On Call) (Part Time)

arizona.csod.com

Model for Art classes as scheduled/needed involving drawing from the figure.Applicants must be willing to pose partially clothed and nude for the dura...
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 0
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

University of Arizona School of Art with Arizona Arts at University of Arizona School of Art.
2 months ago
University of Arizona School of Art

We're so proud of all of our 2022 graduates! This one holds a special spot in our hearts. ❤️

Lauren Paun is graduating with her BFA in Art & Visual Culture Education (emphasis on Community and Museums) and 3D Art. She has been a student employee in the School of Art for two years, working with our social media accounts. You might have talked to her about being featured here! Lauren has been an integral part of our team, doing a lot of heavy lifting to find the fabulous work y'all are creating and sharing it here.

"I would just like to say how grateful I am for the opportunity to have had such an incredible position within the School of Art; I loved supporting and promoting the amazing artists that attend this school and feel so lucky to be able to learn and create beside them. I have loved every minute working here for the past two years and we'll miss it terribly-- but I am so excited to continue my journey and pursue my career in museums. A special thank you to my friends, family, professors, and supervisors for the constant love and support!!"

We could fill encyclopedias with praise for Lauren but hopefully this small note of gratitude can be enough. Good luck!! 🥺😭
... See MoreSee Less

Were so proud of all of our 2022 graduates! This one holds a special spot in our hearts. ❤️

Lauren Paun is graduating with her BFA in Art & Visual Culture Education (emphasis on Community and Museums) and 3D Art. She has been a student employee in the School of Art for two years, working with our social media accounts. You might have talked to her about being featured here! Lauren has been an integral part of our team, doing a lot of heavy lifting to find the fabulous work yall are creating and sharing it here. 

I would just like to say how grateful I am for the opportunity to have had such an incredible position within the School of Art; I loved supporting and promoting the amazing artists that attend this school and feel so lucky to be able to learn and create beside them. I have loved every minute working here for the past two years and well miss it terribly-- but I am so excited to continue my journey and pursue my career in museums. A special thank you to my friends, family, professors, and supervisors for the constant love and support!!

We could fill encyclopedias with praise for Lauren but hopefully this small note of gratitude can be enough. Good luck!! 🥺😭Image attachmentImage attachment+4Image attachment
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 16
  • Shares: 1
  • Comments: 2

Comment on Facebook

Congrats, Lauren!! 🙌💐

Congratulations on a job well done. 👏Very proud of you and your accomplishments.

View more comments

University of Arizona School of Art with Arizona Arts at University of Arizona School of Art.
2 months ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Graduation celebrations continue! Let's hear it for one of our newest PhDs, Kasey Stuart! 🎓

"I'm Kasey Stuart and I am graduating with my PhD in Art History and Education. My research explores and questions preservice teachers' reliance upon social media as a resource for lesson plans. Currently, I am developing a program to help art educators critically analyze and amend lesson plans found online before they have brought into K-12 classrooms."

Thank you for doing this critical work that keeps teachers relevant to their students, while also making sure they are intentional and accurate!
... See MoreSee Less

Graduation celebrations continue! Lets hear it for one of our newest PhDs, Kasey Stuart! 🎓

Im Kasey Stuart and I am graduating with my PhD in Art History and Education. My research explores and questions preservice teachers reliance upon social media as a resource for lesson plans. Currently, I am developing a program to help art educators critically analyze and amend lesson plans found online before they have brought into K-12 classrooms.

Thank you for doing this critical work that keeps teachers relevant to their students, while also making sure they are intentional and accurate!Image attachment
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 12
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 1

Comment on Facebook

Congrats to Kasey!

View more comments

University of Arizona School of Art is at University of Arizona School of Art.
2 months ago
University of Arizona School of Art

We are so glad to see everyone enjoying the incredible work done by our MFA graduates in the 2022 MFA Show! Featured in the @uazmuseumofart is Venessa Ball and her intricate project titled Crosscut: Mining and domesticity, creating a life in spite of and because of the mine.

“As a mining state, Arizona is among the leading producers of copper in the United States.
These large operations required an extensive workforce, from laborers, to geologists, engineers, and company representatives. The mine would often provide housing, schoolhouses and
gathering spaces in the surrounding area, creating an entire town owned by the company itself. Like so many other small communities in America these “boomtown” economies were built on what they believed to be stable and consistent growth. Should the ore deposit run out or the company no longer have the funds to dig any deeper, what then happens to the community? What should also happen if the very commodity the mine needs to keep going just happens to be right under the ground on which they built the town? If you ask the former townspeople of Ray-Sonora, AZ… there is no more town. In 1966, their town was demolished to continue the mine operations.
Thirty years after Ray-Sonora was removed from the map, in 1996, the Magma Copper mine where my father and grandfather worked for decades—and that had provided so much stability for my family—officially closed, because it was deemed too costly to continue operations.
The only way my father could continue his career in mining was to relocate his family to another mining town. This wouldn’t be the last time this happened in my childhood. Chasing the ore was my father’s way of ensuring our family always had a stable and comfortable life.
The delicate patterns cut from family and historical photographs highlight the tension often felt by my family and so many mining families as they attempted to build a life in the shadow of a brutal and unstable industry, dependent on an unsympathetic capitalist economy.” - @venessaball
... See MoreSee Less

We are so glad to see everyone enjoying the incredible work done by our MFA graduates in the 2022 MFA Show! Featured in the @uazmuseumofart is Venessa Ball and her intricate project titled Crosscut: Mining and domesticity, creating a life in spite of and because of the mine.

“As a mining state, Arizona is among the leading producers of copper in the United States. 
These large operations required an extensive workforce, from laborers, to geologists, engineers, and company representatives. The mine would often provide housing, schoolhouses and
gathering spaces in the surrounding area, creating an entire town owned by the company itself. Like so many other small communities in America these “boomtown” economies were built on what they believed to be stable and consistent growth. Should the ore deposit run out or the company no longer have the funds to dig any deeper, what then happens to the community? What should also happen if the very commodity the mine needs to keep going just happens to be right under the ground on which they built the town? If you ask the former townspeople of Ray-Sonora, AZ… there is no more town. In 1966, their town was demolished to continue the mine operations. 
Thirty years after Ray-Sonora was removed from the map, in 1996, the Magma Copper mine where my father and grandfather worked for decades—and that had provided so much stability for my family—officially closed, because it was deemed too costly to continue operations. 
The only way my father could continue his career in mining was to relocate his family to another mining town. This wouldn’t be the last time this happened in my childhood. Chasing the ore was my father’s way of ensuring our family always had a stable and comfortable life.
The delicate patterns cut from family and historical photographs highlight the tension often felt by my family and so many mining families as they attempted to build a life in the shadow of a brutal and unstable industry, dependent on an unsympathetic capitalist economy.” - @venessaballImage attachmentImage attachment+6Image attachment
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 18
  • Shares: 3
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

University of Arizona School of Art is at University of Arizona School of Art.
2 months ago
University of Arizona School of Art

“Small. Confused. And in Awe.”

In case you haven’t had the chance to see it yet, the 2022 MFA Exhibition is featuring this incredible body of work created by Florence Von Grote! The illustrations are based on treasured memories from the places Florence has lived. The little animals are stand-in protagonists inhabiting, exploring and experiencing dream-based worlds.

“Small. Confused. And in Awe. is based on memories of the places I have lived. Events, people, and places are contorted and blended together into a half-imagined/half-remembered architecture. The nod to children’s book illustration invites the viewer to blur the boundaries between animal and human, reality and imagination.” - @flovong

Featured images are:
Traveler
Progress photo
Cartographer
Gardener
Loiterer
Collector

We urge you to check out Florence’s amazing work in the @uazmuseumofart before the show ends on May 14!
... See MoreSee Less

“Small. Confused. And in Awe.” 

In case you haven’t had the chance to see it yet, the 2022 MFA Exhibition is featuring this incredible body of work created by Florence Von Grote! The illustrations are based on treasured memories from the places Florence has lived. The little animals are stand-in protagonists inhabiting, exploring and experiencing dream-based worlds. 

“Small. Confused. And in Awe. is based on memories of the places I have lived. Events, people, and places are contorted and blended together into a half-imagined/half-remembered architecture. The nod to children’s book illustration invites the viewer to blur the boundaries between animal and human, reality and imagination.” - @flovong 

Featured images are:
Traveler
Progress photo
Cartographer
Gardener
Loiterer
Collector

We urge you to check out Florence’s amazing work in the @uazmuseumofart before the show ends on May 14!Image attachmentImage attachment+3Image attachment
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 4
  • Shares: 1
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

Load more
  • Prospective Students
    • Why UofA School of Art
    • Tour the School!
    • Areas of Study
    • Degrees
    • Admissions
    • Scholarships & Financial Aid
    • Careers in Art
  • Current Students
    • Advising
    • Student Resources
    • Opportunities
  • People
    • Directory
    • Graduate Directory
    • Advisory Board
    • Faculty Portfolio
    • Faculty Catalogs
    • Student Portfolio
    • MFA Catalogs
    • Faculty Stories
    • Student Stories
  • News & Events
    • News
    • Events
  • Resources & Facilities
    • Facilities Overview
    • Galleries
    • Visiting Lecture Series
    • Visual Resource Center
    • Digital Print Studio
    • Book Art & Letterpress Lab
    • Studios & Classrooms
    • Graduate Studios
  • Visit
    • About The School
    • Tour the School!
    • Outreach Activities
    • Art Days
    • Contact Us
  • Donate
    • Support the School of Art
    • Projects

School Of Art

P.O. BOX 210002
1031 N. Olive Rd.
J. Gross Gallery Rm 101d
Tucson, AZ 85721-0002

Email: artinfo@cfa.arizona.edu

Phone: 520.621.7570

Fax: 520.621.2955


Console

Copyright © 2022 The Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona

University Privacy Statement

College of Fine Arts

P.O. BOX 210004
1017 N Olive Rd.
Music Bldg, Rm 111
Tucson, AZ 85721-0004

Email: finearts@cfa.arizona.edu

Phone: 520.621.1302

Fax: 520.621.1307

Subscribe for news and announcements from The University of Arizona School of Art!