Mar 28, 2024  
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

Art [BFA]


The Bachelor of Fine Arts is designed to encourage students to develop a personal focus and direction as well as learn to function professionally as artists.

An extensive range of foundation courses, culminating in AD 300W - Studio Concepts  and the accompanying Foundations Review, provides students with the basic skills they need to be successful in upper-level courses. The required area of concentration allows students to gain proficiency in a limited range of media and use that expertise to refine their artistic vision. Art elective requirements enable students to gain additional knowledge and engage in experiences that support their area of study and personal interests. A Capstone course provides direction for their future professional careers and gives students an immersive experience by requiring them to exhibit and disseminate their work.

Learn

This professional degree begins with Foundations classes offering instruction on basic skills in design, drawing and art history. The students develop a repertoire of vocabulary, both visual and verbal, necessary to create, analyze and discuss artwork. As students progress in their chosen area of concentration, they further develop creative problem-solving and critical thinking abilities. A variety of media and approaches are taught to help students achieve the control and understanding necessary to produce quality work. Individual and group critiques are used as teaching aids to help students improve their grasp of concepts and techniques.

Opportunities

There are numerous merit-based scholarships in art, as well as many opportunities to work in the studios and galleries. Students may take summer courses taught at the Jean Noble Parsons Center for the Study of Art and Science which is an interdisciplinary educational center and natural area located in northern Michigan. With three galleries on campus, students engage with a wide range of contemporary artworks and artists who come to speak about their work. Likewise, students have opportunities to exhibit their work. Graduates are prepared to work in design agencies, as independent artists, in art galleries, as photographers, in community art centers and professional studios for pottery, jewelry, printmaking and furniture design. The BFA degree fully prepares students to successfully then earn their terminal MFA degree in studio art.

Additional Information

  

School Information


Art & Design 114 Ford Hall, 734.487.1268 

Sandra Murchison, MFA, Director

Advisor Information


Please contact the school for advisor information.

General Education Requirements:


For specific requirements, see General Education  or view the General Education Worksheet [PDF] .  

Major Requirements: 81 hours


Art History: 15 hours


Area of Concentration: 42 hours


Choose one of the concentrations below

2D Media


3D Media


Graphic Design


A minimum grade of “C” is required in all Graphic Design Core courses and students must pass mid-program portfolio review prior to ADGD 401 .

Photography/New Media


Capstone Seminar: 3 hours


Minor Requirement:


This major does not require a minor.

Program Total:


Students must earn a minimum total of 120 credits at the 100-level or above.

Critical Graduation Information


Each undergraduate student will be responsible for fulfilling the requirements (or their equivalents) of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

Minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University

Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult this catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

  • Earn a minimum total of 120 credit hours at the 100-level and above.
    • Courses numbered below 100 are not counted toward this degree requirement.
    • At most, eight credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses are counted toward this requirement.
  • Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below), including completing a Writing Intensive (GEWI) course in the student’s major.
  • Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details).
  • Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
  • Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
  • Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor. A double major automatically satisfies the need for a minor unless one of the two majors requires a specific minor. Students should check the requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required. 
  • Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits over the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
  • Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
    • Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
  • Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used to calculate an EMU GPA.
  • Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses a student takes at EMU and those applied to their major or minor are used to calculate their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements - EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education  section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.