Art majors may pursue a program leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree or the Bachelor of Arts degree, and to provisional certification for teaching art in New York State. All twenty-two courses for the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree or sixteen courses for the Bachelor of Arts degree must receive letter-grade evaluations of at least C-.
Art (Studio) B.F.A. Major Requirements
Twenty-two courses (for a total of at least 66 credits) including:
- 18 Studio Courses
- Junior Review (required, but no credit)
- Senior Project (1.5 credits each in fall and spring semester)
- Three Art History courses (including one modern Art History)
Included in the 18 required studio courses are the following six art foundation courses:
- Creative Process
- Three-Dimensional Design
- Color/Two-Dimensional Design (prerequisite for Graphic Design and Digital Media Courses)
- Fundamentals of Drawing I
- Fundamentals of Drawing II or Figure Drawing
- and Computer Graphics I (prerequisite required)
Of the 18 studio courses, four 4000-level courses from the five following areas are required:
- One Painting Class
- One Sculpture Class
- One Printmaking class
- One Ceramics Class
- One Photography Class
The remaining 8 of the 18 required studio courses will help demonstrate a concentration in one area.
For studio art majors who minor in Art History, the Art Department requirement of three Art History courses may be replaced by three additional studio electives.
B.F.A. students wishing to have an additional major must realize that this is not usually possible. They should consult with the Chair of the Art Department, their advisor, and the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences.
Note: B.F.A. majors are required to have at least 30 liberal arts credits. Art courses do not count for liberal arts. All double majors must have an advisor in the Art Department.
Art (Studio) B.A. Major Requirements
A B.A. art major should have a second major in a liberal arts discipline in order to complete the NYS required total of 90 liberal arts credits for the Bachelor Degree. In many cases the student will graduate with over and above the 120 credits listed in the catalog.
Sixteen courses (for a minimum of 48 credits) including:
- Six studio art foundation courses:
- Creative Process
- Three-Dimensional Design
- Color/Two-Dimensional Design (prerequisite for Graphic Design and Digital Media Courses)
- Fundamentals of Drawing I
- Fundamentals of Drawing II or Figure Drawing
- and Computer Graphics I (prerequisite required, fulfills Gen Ed Tech Competency )
- Three Art History courses (including one modern Art History course)
- Senior Project Seminar (1.5 credits fall semester and 1.5 credits spring semester)
- One Junior Review (required, but no credit)
- The remaining six elective studio courses will help demonstrate a concentration in one area. For Studio Art Majors who minor in Art History, the Art Department requirement of three Art History courses will be replaced by three additional studio electives. Of these electives there must be 4000-level courses in three out of the following five areas:
- Painting
- Sculpture
- Printmaking
- Ceramics
- Photography
Each B.A. art major must submit work for a junior review, ART 3997 (0 cr.). Transfer students should contact the department about the appropriate time for this review.
Note: B.A. majors must have at least 90 liberal arts credits. ART courses do not count as liberal arts.
Art (Studio) Digital Image Requirements
All art majors are required to submit digital images as a part of their Studio Art requirement. This is done throughout the junior and senior years so that both the students and the Studio Art Department can have a comprehensive chronology of their aesthetic productions while at Manhattanville College. The students’ digital images will also act as the inaugural elements in building a professional portfolio for a post-college art career. In the spring of the senior year B.F.A. and B.A. majors are required to submit 20 quality images. New York State Provisional Certification for Teaching Art, K–12 requires a B.F.A.
Areas of Concentration and selected examples of courses:
Digital Media/Graphic Design
- Seven Foundation Courses
Examples of Courses:
Graphic Design, Illustration, Multimedia, Digital Photography and Computer Imaging, 2D Computer Animation, Photography, Art and Design for the Web, Art, Design and the Computer, Printmaking, Book as Art, Internship, and Independent Study
- Three Art History courses (one modern Art History course)
- Senior Project Seminar
Two-Dimensional Area
- Seven Foundation Courses
Examples of Courses:
Painting, Contemporary Painting, Expressive, Watercolor, Printmaking, Book as Art, Illustration, Art, Design and the Computer, Life Drawing, Installation of Public and Performance Art, Experimental Printmaking, Assemblage and Collage, Portfolio Preparation for the Visual Artist, Internship, and Independent Study
- Three Art History courses (one modern Art History course)
- Senior Project Seminar
Three-Dimensional Area
- Seven Foundation Courses
Suggested Courses:
Contemporary Sculpture, Ceramics, Wheel Throwing, Ceramic Sculpture, Installation of Public and Performance Art, Sculpture: Wire Forms and Chains, Book as Art, Assemblage and Collage, Internship, and Independent Study
- Three Art History courses (one modern Art History course)
- Senior Project Seminar
B.F.A./Education
- Seven Foundation Courses
Suggested Courses: Ceramics, Contemporary Sculpture, Photography, Printmaking, Painting, Watercolor, Expressive, Life Drawing, Experimental Printmaking, Ceramic Sculpture, Book as Art, Internship, and Independent Study
- Three Art History (including Art History 1 and Art History 2) (Please refer to current School of Education requirements for Education courses.)
- Senior Project Seminar
Education Course Requirements:
39 credits for education courses or as listed in the current Becoming a Teacher: Options for Undergraduates at Manhattanville College. In most cases the student will graduate with a minimum of 131 credits.