Bachelor of Fine Arts

Professors Cetlin, Krehbiel, Neuman de Vegvar
Associate Professors Bogdanov, Hobbs, Nilan
Continuing Part-time Associate Professor Quick

The fine arts department at Ohio Wesleyan, created in 1864, was one of America’s first college art departments. The department offers general experience through a broad B.A. program and/or professional preparation with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Majors in fine arts may concentrate in studio art, art history, or fine arts education. Non-art majors may satisfy the Group IV distribution requirement by taking ART 110 , ART 111 , ART 112 , ART 113 , or any other course for which the student qualifies or to which the student can gain admission by permission of the instructor, excluding art education courses (ART 301 , ART 302 , ART 307 ).

Qualified students seeking either the B.F.A. or the B.A. degree in fine arts are encouraged to participate in one or more of the University honors programs. Students should refer to the Honors chapter of this Catalog and consult with their academic advisors as to how best to include these opportunities in their programs.

The department faculty recommends that students in the department consider participation in the GLCA Arts Program in New York (see Off-Campus Study Programs ).

This degree is for students preparing to become professional artists, art teachers, graphic designers, or to enter any of the related professions.

Admission to the Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree

Students may be admitted to the B.F.A. studio program after having completed ART 110 , ART 111 , ART 112 , ART 113 , and ART 351 , and by presenting a portfolio of their work to the art faculty. The application can be submitted only after the completion of these courses but must occur before the end of the sophomore year. For unusual circumstances, an extension can be granted on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the department faculty. Acceptance into the B.F.A. program is based on an evaluation of the portfolio materials and the student’s previous performance in all Fine Arts Department courses. Those who are not admitted into the B.F.A. program have one semester to develop work for a second submission.

All B.F.A. majors are required to successfully exhibit their work in a senior thesis show to fulfill graduation requirements.

Learning Objectives

1. Visual literacy in observing art, both in one’s own work and that of others

2. Oral and written fluency in the language of visual art

3. Foundational knowledge of a global history of art

4. Critical thinking and technical skills in a range of 2D and 3D studio media

5. Specialization in at least one artistic medium as the primary vehicle of a student’s artistic expression, focusing on personal visual language, content, and form through visual exploration and problem solving

Major Requirements

17 to 22 courses. These shall include ART 110 , ART 111 , ART 112 , ART 113 , ART 345 or ART 347 , ART 351 ; two 2D studio courses from among ART 354 , ART 355 , ART 356 ; two 3D studio courses from among ART 358 , ART 359 , ART 360 ; at least two additional art history courses; and at least one additional drawing or figure drawing course. In addition, each B.F.A. candidate takes at least two upper levels of the same two-dimensional or three-dimensional studio area of concentration. A minimum of four drawing and/or figure drawing courses is required of the student who chooses drawing for his/her studio concentration. The declaration of major form will be submitted upon completion of ART 110 , ART 111 , ART 112 , and ART 113 or by the end of the sophomore year. Courses taken credit/no entry may not be applied toward the major. All candidates for the B.F.A. degree must complete the following distribution requirements (see REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL DEGREES and DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENTS ): any three units from Group I , one unit from Group II , two units from Group III , and one unit from outside the fine arts department in Group IV . Art education courses (ART 301 , ART 302 and ART 307 ) and credits awarded for an apprenticeship/internship cannot be counted among the seventeen basic units required for the B.F.A. degree.

Note(s):

To qualify as a candidate for Phi Beta Kappa, students choosing the B.F.A. degree must complete all additional distribution requirements as stated under REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL DEGREES and DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENTS.

Candidates for either the Bachelor of Arts degree or the Bachelor of Fine Arts can obtain the additional background necessary for graduate study in art therapy by also following a course of study in psychology, which would include a minimum of the following courses: PSYC 110 , two in the personality/abnormal category from PSYC 322 , PSYC 327 ; and one in developmental psychology from PSYC 333 , and PSYC 336 .

Students working toward the combined degree must fulfill the departmental and distribution requirements for the B.A. degree, as well as the art course requirements for a B.F.A. degree. Requirements for a major in a different department must also be completed.

The combined degree program is a five-year program that requires 17 to 22 art courses and 25 courses from other departments.