Master of Fine Arts Degree in Art & Design
Program Overview
MFA General Admissions Policy
MFA Progress Reviews
Filing of Program
Thesis 899 and Thesis Exhibition
MFA Program Overview
Art and Design Programs offer a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree consisting of a minimum of 60 hours of graduate work. You must complete the degree requirements within 8 years and maintain a 3.0 GPA throughout the MFA program. This masters program includes studio concentrations such as: drawing, painting, sculpture, graphic design, photography, printmaking, ceramics and intermedia. Online or low residency options are available in some areas and are subject to decisions by the major professor.
Graduate School Requirements
- Maintain a 3.0 GPA
- Complete the degree requirements within 8 years
Degree Requirements
- Studio Major 37 hours
- Art History and Aesthetics 12 hours
- Studio Art (other than major area) 13 hours
Students must choose a studio area of concentration from the following: drawing, painting, sculpture, design (graphic design, photography), printmaking, ceramics and intermedia.
MFA General Admissions Policy
- The applicant must have a Bachelor's degree, preferred with a major in Art from an accredited institution and have completed a minimum of 36 semester credit hours in art on the undergraduate level. A minimum of 10 hours in a studio concentration on the undergraduate level must be completed before the student is considered a major on the graduate level.Deficiencies must be completed before candidate is allowed to proceed to the M.F.A. degree program. (It is expected the applicant have a 3.0 (B) average on the last 60 hours of undergraduate work).
- Provide an official undergraduate transcript and an application of admission to the Graduate School.
- Submit three letters of recommendation from people who are, or have been associated with the applicant as an artist (e.g. instructors, colleagues, etc.).
- Submit a statement of purpose concerning motivation in seeking the degree. The student must indicate what his/her concentrations will be.
- Submit 20 images of his/her work. Each image must be properly identified with the artist's name, title, medium, date and size of work. Include an image identification sheet, numbered to correspond with the images. There will be no waivers of image portfolios. We recommend students create a separate slideshow presentation that includes images and their statement. (Slideshows must be saved in PDF format with a file size small enough to be submitted to the graduate office).
- Submit a resume including exhibition record and professional employment.
For questions and concerns relating to the admission process, please email the Art & Design office at ArtandDesign@fhsu.edu.
The MFA Admissions Committee will review all applications, and at its discretion, may require completion of particular courses to remove deficiencies in undergraduate training. Such courses would be requirements in addition to the minimum required for the graduate degree. The M.F.A. Admissions Committee will make a recommendation about admission to the Graduate Dean, who makes the decision regarding admission.
Application Deadlines & Applying Online
The deadline to submit for acceptance is February 1st for a Summer/Fall program start. The committee meets soon after the deadlines to review all completed applications. To apply to Graduate School, see the online application process here. There will be a place on the online application to attach supporting materials such as resume, letters of recommendation, PDF slideshow with portfolio of images, etc. There is not a place to attach a transcript. Please forward an unofficial transcript to GradSchool@fhsu.edu to be used in the application process. An official transcript will need to be sent to the Registrar's Office upon acceptance into the program.
MFA Progress Reviews
Admission to the MFA degree program does not guarantee graduation or that the student will be awarded a degree. He/she may be dropped from the registration or held in attendance beyond the customary three years if his/her progress does not measure up to the standards of Art and Design programs. Incompletes are not viewed as satisfactory progress. Courses must be completed before enrollments are allowed in subsequent program courses.
There will be a minimum of two reviews conducted by the candidate's graduate committee to determine graduate progress: Preliminary Oral Examination, and the Final Oral Examination.
Program of Study:
The student should complete at least 9 hours of graduate credit but no more than 12 hours before they complete a program of study.
Preliminary Oral Examination:
The Preliminary Oral Examination is to be held mid-way through the program after completion of approximately 30 semester hours. This exam should be done prior to enrolling in thesis hours. The student's graduate committee will conduct this exam and make one of the following decisions:
- Continuation in the program without interruption.
- A semester of probation with a second review at the end of that period.
- Termination in the program.
Final Oral Examination:
Following the opening of the thesis exhibition and publication of the catalog and poster, the graduate committee will meet for the oral examination over the thesis project. Upon the committee's approval and recommendation, the candidate will be allowed to graduate with the terminal MFA degree, provided all other degree requirements have been fulfilled.
MFA Filing of Program
Filing of program means the student has:
- Filed in the Graduate School a degree program after the student has completed 9 hours and before 12 hours. Students should work with their major professor to create a degree program. The program will be submitted and must be approved by the Graduate Dean.
Change of Major:
If a graduate student decides to change their MFA major emphasis, he/she must resubmit to Art and Design programs and the Graduate Admissions Committee by the February 1st deadline a PDF slideshow of 20 images of work in their new area of concentration as well as a new letter of intent. If the student's request is approved, the student must realize the need to restructure his or her program, if one has been formally established, which may result in additional requirements and time required to complete the degree program.
Adviser:
An appropriate adviser will be assigned to each MFA candidate and is determined by the studio major indicated on the application of admission. This adviser works with the student throughout his/her graduate study.
Graduate Program:
The course work for the MFA degree must follow a structured plan as determined by the student and his/her major professor. The program must meet Art and Design programs' requirements and must be approved by the major professor and the Graduate Dean.
Graduate Committee:
The graduate committee of the candidate is selected by the student and their major professor/advisor and must be composed of the adviser as chair, two additional faculty members from Art and Design programs and one campus graduate faculty member outside the department. The chair of Art and Design programs may be considered an ex-officio member of all graduate committees but may be an active member upon the request of the student. The student must personally invite all faculty members to serve on the graduate committee and keep the committee informed of progress.
Graduate Assistantships:
The department offers a limited number of graduate assistantships. Applications are available from the Graduate School. More information regarding assistantships can be found here. In the first year of graduate study, the graduate assistant must register in no less than six (6) and no more than twelve (12) graduate hours per semester. Graduate assistantships are limited to two years; however, a student may take more than three years to complete the degree.
Intent to Graduate:
The Graduate School has specific deadlines for filing the "Intent to Graduate." The student who plans to graduate at the end of a given semester or summer term must file an "Intent to Graduate" at the time of registration or before the deadline given in the academic calendar for that semester or summer term. In the event the student does not graduate after filing an "Intent to Graduate," a new form must be completed before the deadline for the semester or summer term in which the student next plans to complete requirements.
Comprehensive Examination:
Each applicant for a MFA degree must pass satisfactorily a oral and written comprehensive examination and submit a digital catalog of their thesis exhibition. The student must sign up for the examination in the Graduate School. The comprehensive exam is completed in the semester of the Thesis exhibition.
Thesis 899 and Thesis Exhibition
The graduate student will register in a terminal creative thesis project totaling 6 credit hours. The adviser will work with the student in developing the thesis project. The graduate thesis exhibition will be scheduled with the major professor's approval. Students interested in exhibiting their work in the Moss-Thorns Gallery of Art will work with the gallery director.
The candidate for the M.F.A. degree will present the thesis project in a formal exhibition, at which time the final oral examination will take place. At the student and committee's discretion, one piece of work from the candidate's exhibition may be donated to the Moss-Thorns Gallery of Art. This work will become a part of the university's permanent collection.
Thesis Catalog
In addition to the thesis exhibition, the candidate will design and publish a digital and/or print catalog of the exhibition. This will include photographs of work, a resume, and a statement made by the candidate. The minimum number of catalogs required is one (1) digital catalog for the Graduate School. After this, it is up to the candidate to choose who else they give a catalog to. Many give a copy to their committee, faculty, and the main office of Art & Design. The printing cost for this catalog is the student's responsibility.
Catalog Standards and Stipulation
The following statement must be included in the graduate catalog: "The Graduate Catalog is a partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Master of Fine Arts degree." The Catalog is a photographic and literary documentation of the MFA candidate's graduate art thesis.
Suggested Dimensions of the M.F.A. Catalog
Minimum Scale 8" x 8"
Maximum Scale 9" x 12"
MFA Catalog Content
Cover must include:
- Name of the candidate and title of the thesis exhibition.
- Title which reads: Graduate Catalog, Master of Fine Arts Degree, Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas, ___(date).
The artist's statement should be organized and include the following:
- Introduction -- Thesis statement
- Body -- Explanatory content
- Examples -- Specific justification for statement made
- Conclusion -- A positive restatement or "wrap-up"
Notes on the statement: The statement should be a positive argument for why and/or what the artist creates. An extremely varied range of catalog recipients read the statement; therefore, the need for lucid readability is obviously a necessity. The length of the statement should be relative to the attitudes and the philosophy of the individual artist. It is suggested, however, that the candidate not become enmeshed in excessive rhetoric.
Photographic Reproductions of the Artist's Work
The number of photographs is somewhat arbitrary; however, an absolute minimum of six (6) photographs is mandatory.
Photographs
All photographs must be identified as to:
- Title
- Dimensions (height/width/depth)
- Media
- A Photograph of the candidate (optional)
- Photographs should be of professional quality
Catalog List
The catalog must include a listing of all works represented in the graduate exhibition (even if all pieces are not photographically reproduced in the catalog). Each listing must include:
- Title
- Media
- Dimensions
Biography
The artist's biography should contain:
- Birthdate (optional) and place
- Educational background (excluding primary and secondary education)
- Date of expected degree completion
- Candidate's professional ambitions
Resume
- Composite of exhibitions or professional achievements, including dates
University Criterion
The catalog must contain:
The Seal of Fort Hays State University (can be downloaded here)
The name (correctly spelled, please) of:
- The President of the University
- Dean of Graduate School
- Chair of Art and Design programs
- Graduate Committee
- Chair - professional rank and area
- Member -professional rank and primary area
- Member -professional rank and primary area
- Member -professional rank and primary area
Printing
It is the candidate's responsibility to supervise/design and submit their thesis catalog to the graduate office. If the candidate chooses to print their catalog, it should be ready for distribution by the first day of the thesis exhibition.
Distribution
It is the responsibility of the candidate to distribute a catalog to all members of their committee and all university officials listed in the catalog.
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