BFA in Studio Art

Units required for Major: 75
Total units required for BFA: 120

Program Description

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Studio is a four-year program that prepares students for successful careers as artists. It is the professional degree for an artist and provides the foundation for the master's program in studio art. While the B.F.A. program provides students with a broad overview of the fine art areas of ceramics, drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, interdisciplinary and new media art, it is designed to develop in-depth skills in one of these areas of the visual arts. The studio curriculum in the program emphasizes technical mastery, individuality, creative experimentation and prepares students for a variety of post-graduate pursuits. The curriculum also provides a thorough grounding in visual art thinking, contemporary art history and critical theory. The degree is designed for undergraduate students who want to combine intensive and innovative studio art practice with an outstanding education in the liberal arts.

Minimum Grade Requirements

A minimum grade of "C" is required in all lower division courses and upper division non-studio courses applied to the Studio Art program.

A minimum grade of "B" is required in all upper division studio courses.

Additional Requirements

Participation in an exhibition of BFA candidates is required for completion of the degree.

Note: Whenever possible, classes should be selected in consultation with a faculty advisor. It is recommended that students complete all of the lower division requirements before enrolling in upper division courses. Prerequisites for some courses may be waived on the advisement of an Art instructor and a portfolio review. ART 192A Senior Seminar in Studio Art (3 units) is a required course, taken in the final semester of the Senior year and concurrently with ART 194, BFA Senior Project.

Program Requirements

Lower Division Core Requirements (33 Units)
ART 1CGlobal Modern and Contemporary Art 13
ART 20ABeginning Drawing 13
ART 20BIntermediate Drawing3
ART 60Two-Dimensional Composition3
ART 70Form, Space Vision 13
ART 97Beginning Electronic Art3
Choose one of the following:3
Art, Religions, and Power before 1400 1
Art, Empires, and Cross-Cultural Exchange, 1400-1800 1
Choose one of the following:3
History of Islamic Art 1
Traditional Asian Art 1
Modern and Contemporary Asian Art 1
European Visual Traditions
Art of the Americas 1
2-D Studio Group
Choose one of the following:3
Beginning Painting
Beginning Watercolor
Beginning Printmaking
Darkroom Photography
3-D Studio Group
Choose one of the following:3
Beginning Ceramics
Beginning Hand-Built Ceramics
Beginning Sculpture
Lower Division Studio Elective Group 2
Choose one of the following:3
Beginning Painting
Beginning Watercolor
Beginning Printmaking
Beginning Ceramics
Beginning Hand-Built Ceramics
Beginning Sculpture 1
Darkroom Photography
Upper Division Core Requirements (42 Units)
Select all of the following:12
BFA Junior Studio
Special Topics in Art Studio
Senior Seminar in Studio Art
BFA Senior Project
Studio Course Group 3
Choose five from the following:15
Drawing Group
Advanced Drawing
Figure Drawing
Life Studio
Collage and Assemblage
Painting/Drawing Studio
Special Problems 4
Painting Group
Intermediate Painting
Advanced Painting
Intermediate Watercolor
Advanced Watercolor
Life Painting
Life Studio
Painting and Drawing in the Field
Collage and Assemblage
Painting/Drawing Studio
Special Problems 4
Printmaking Group
Collage and Assemblage
Intermediate Printmaking
Digital Printmaking
Advanced Printmaking Studio
Graphics/Printmaking Studio
Special Problems 4
Sculpture Group
Collage and Assemblage
3D Computer Modeling
Public Art Processes
Public Art Studio
Figure Sculpture
Intermediate Sculpture
Advanced Sculpture
Installation and Performance Art
Sculpture Studio
Special Problems 4
Ceramics Group
Advanced Ceramics
Hand-Built Ceramic Techniques
Ceramics Studio
Figure Sculpture
Special Problems 4
New Media Group
3D Computer Modeling
3D Computer Animation
Digital Printmaking
Creative Coding
Video Art
Alternative Photographic Processes
Installation and Performance Art
Intermediate Electronic Art
Advanced Electronic Art
Special Problems 4
Interdisciplinary/Integrated Media (or Inter-media) Group
With prior approval from two advisors, students may develop their own group
Studio Elective Requirement
Select three courses from any upper division or lower division studio group or any of the following:9
Art and the Artist in the Marketplace
Theories in Art Education
Art Education for Children
Interdisciplinary Art
Overview of Secondary Art Education
Art for Exceptional Children
Barrio Art for Ethnic Groups
Art Gallery Management
Introduction to Curatorial Studies
Fieldwork
Art History Requirement
Select two upper division art history courses from the following:6
Origins of American Indian Art
Photography, Inception to Mid-Century
Art of the Ancient Mediterranean
Medieval Art
Renaissance Art
Baroque and Rococo Art
19th Century Art
Modern Art
US and Caribbean Art: Race and Representation
Latin American and Latino Art History 1
Contemporary Art
Asian Art and Mythology
Topics in Early Modern Art
Topics in Asian Art
Topics in Modern and Contemporary Art
Art of India and Southeast Asia 1
Art of China and Japan 1
Modern Architecture
California Architecture and Urban History
Public Art in the Americas
Film as an Art Form
Total Units75

General Education Requirements1

Area A: Basic Subjects (9 Units)
A1 - Oral Communication3
A2 - Written Communication3
A3 - Critical Thinking3
Area B: Physical Universe and Its Life Forms (13 Units)
B1 - Physical Science3
B2 - Life Forms3
B3 - Lab (Note: Lab experience to be taken with one of the following: B1, B2 or B51
B4 - Math Concepts3
B5 - Additional Course (Any B to reach 12 units) - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements.3
Area C: Arts and Humanities (3-6 Units)
C1 - Arts 20
C2 - Humanities3
C1/C2 - Area Course C 20
C1/C2 - Area C Course - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements. 2,30 - 3
Area D: The Individual and Society (12 Units)
Area D Course3
Area D Course3
Area D Course3
Area D Course - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements.3
Area E: Understanding Personal Development (3 Units)
Area E Course3
Total Units40-43

Graduation Requirements1

Graduation Requirements (required by CSU) (6-9 Units)
American Institutions: U.S. History3
American Institutions: U.S. Constitution & CA Government3
Writing Intensive (WI) 30 - 3
Graduation Requirements (required by Sacramento State) (12 Units)
English Composition II3
Race and Ethnicity in American Society (RE)3
Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement 26