General Program Information
Graduate School Contact:
Gail Powers; powers@etsu.edu; 423-439-4703
Mira Gerard, Graduate Coordinator
409 Ball Hall
Box 70708
(423) 439-4292
e-mail: gerard@etsu.edu
Catherine Murray, Department Chair
121 Ball Hall
Box 70708
(423) 439-4247
e-mail: murrayc@etsu.edu
Department of Art and Design website: www.etsu.edu/cas/art/
Faculty:
Don Davis; Anita DeAngelis; David Dixon; M. Wayne Dyer; Mira Gerard; Travis Graves; Mindy Herrin; Vida J. Hull; Scott Koterbay; Patricia Mink; Catherine Murray; Peter H. Pawlowicz; Andrew Scott Ross; Ralph Slatton; Michael A. Smith.
Department Mission:
The Department of Art and Design is committed to excellence in arts education, teaching students the technical, theoretical, critical, professional, and personal skills necessary to succeed in the visual arts. Achieving the highest quality of academic scholarship and creative research are priorities expected and supported. In service to our community, we seek to promote awareness of the social and cultural significance of the visual arts, within the university, for our region, and the world at large.
ETSU’s Department of Art and Design is an accredited institutional member of National Association of Schools of Art and Design. Additionally, the department holds membership in the College Art Association, the Southeastern College Art Conference, and other professional art organizations
The Department of Art and Design, within the framework of the College of Arts and Sciences, has the responsibility to provide educational opportunities of high quality in the professional art disciplines. The department offers the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in studio art.
The M.F.A. is a professional degree in studio art with specializations available in the following areas: ceramics, drawing, fibers, graphic design, jewelry/metalsmithing, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. Students may also combine media areas of interest for an interdisciplinary approach. The program leading to the degree of M.F.A. has as its goal excellence in the creative production of visual art. The M.F.A. is considered the terminal degree for college or university studio teaching and/or professional work in the field. Each student’s program is developed in consultation with his or her area advisor.
Program Admission Requirements
Application deadline for fall semester: February 1.
All candidates for the graduate program are encouraged to arrange a personal interview with the faculty member from the student’s area of interest. These include: painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, graphic design, photography, ceramics, fibers, jewelry/metalsmithing, or interdisciplinary.
To be admitted to the program, the applicant must have:
- An undergraduate minimum average of 3.0 in art on a 4.0 scale.
- Deficiencies may require make-up work without graduate credit.
- Demonstration of a capacity to pursue graduate work in the department.
Master of Fine Arts –The prospective candidate for the M.F.A. degree should have a bachelor’s degree with a major in art or equivalent evidence of proficiency.
Application materials must be sent/uploaded to the ETSU School of Graduate Studies, Box 70720, Johnson City, TN 37614.
In addition to the materials required by the School of Graduate Studies, the student should submit the following application materials:
- A cover letter to the Graduate Selection Committee with the studio area of emphasis clearly identified.
- Current C.V.—Indicate exhibitions, prizes, work experience, student activities or honors, or other activities.
- Three (3) current letters of recommendation—preferably from former art professors and other individuals conversant in the visual arts.
The following application materials should be sent to the Graduate Coordinator, Department of Art and Design, 70708 Ball Hall, ETSU, Johnson City, TN, 37614.
- Artist’s Statement – no more than 200 words – indicating the focus of the images presented.
- 20 professional quality jpeg images on disc or thumb drive which is labeled with the applicant’s name. Work should be submitted following a sequence older to newer work. This portfolio is the primary means of evaluating the potential graduate student in the studio areas.
- Identification Sheet for images, with thumbnail images, indicating title, media, size, and date.
- Materials will not be returned; do not submit original art work.
Review for Admission to Candidacy
Students are not candidates for a degree until they have passed a review process. Review for admission to candidacy will take place after the student has completed a minimum of 12-15 credit-hours in residence.Admission to candidacy for the degree is based on the recommendation of the prospective candidate’s graduate committee. The committee is composed of three faculty members. The committee will review the student’s work, grades, and progress and make one of the following recommendations:
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Student accepted for candidacy (no restrictions).
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Student not accepted (option to reapply only twice at nine (9) semester hour intervals).
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Student not accepted (no option to reapply).
Minimum Degree Requirements
The student’s faculty advisor will determine requirements other than those specified below after reviewing the undergraduate record and consulting with the student. To remain in good standing, a graduate student must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B) overall.
Master of Fine Arts, Studio – The M.F.A. program requires at least one academic year in continuous residence. A minimum of 60 credit-hours is required, apportioned as follows: 42 credit-hours in graduate studio classes, 30 of these must be in area of emphasis; 9 graduate credit-hours in art history; 3 credit-hours in graduate elective classes; 3 credit-hours in Art 5950 (Methods of Research); 3 credit-hours in Art 5960 (Thesis). A project proposal or statement of intent shall be submitted to the candidate’s committee for approval at least one semester prior to beginning work on the creative thesis. The M.F.A. creative thesis includes: the presentation of an exhibition of original creative work and a supporting thesis paper. All candidates must defend their work, visual and written, in a final oral examination. All M.F.A. candidates are required to provide the Department of Art and Design with digital images of the work in the graduate exhibit prior to graduation.