ABOUT THE MASTERS OF FINE ARTS
The mission of the M.F.A. program at Eastern Michigan University is to provide a broad yet rigorous environment that prepares students for professional success through creative work and research.
The M.F.A. curriculum fosters experimentation, intellectual risk-taking, and critical thinking through studio work, seminar and cognate courses; students are expected to produce a body of original work that extends knowledge by making a proven contribution to the field. Cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary work is encouraged. M.F.A. coursework includes seminars in history and theory. M.F.A. work also stresses the effects of diverse cultural influences on art, the role of the artist in society, and the relationships between studio practices and art and design history and theory. Faculty teaching in these programs pursue both excellence in teaching and an active agenda of research and creative work. The M.F.A. degree is a full-time, 60-hour program that culminates in an exhibition and an optional written thesis.
Graduate student artwork can be viewed in the artwork gallery on this site. In addition the EMU Artists Collection is a public image database of thesis artwork by degree conferred graduate students.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Applicants for admission to the M.F.A. degree program must have an undergraduate degree, with a major in art or approximately 30 credit hours of undergraduate course work in art through an accredited institution; and meet degree admission standards of the Graduate School. Applicants must apply to both the Office of Graduate Admissions and the Art Department (see links below). Students without an undergraduate major in art must complete approximately 30 credit hours of undergraduate course work in art through consultation with the graduate coordinator before admission to the graduate program.
Appropriate application materials are due to the department by the following dates (see fact sheet below for more information):
- Admission for the Fall semester: February 15
- Admission for the Winter semester: October 1
In addition to materials for the department, appropriate materials are due to the Graduate School by the deadlines they establish, posted independently of the department on the Graduate Admissions Homepage.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
The Graduate Coordinator will meet with each student to construct a program of study. Students should follow closely the Graduate School requirements for "Application for Diploma." Students whose degree program includes a final exhibition of work must apply for gallery space one semester prior to the proposed exhibition.
Two years of residency (full-time enrollment) are required; exceptions may be made to this requirement with the approval of the student's adviser and the M.F.A. committee. At the end of the first year, the committee will review the work of each M.F.A. student and either allow the student to continue or formally ask the student to withdraw from the program.
AREAS OF CONCENTRATION
Prospective M.F.A. students chose from the following concentrations:
Please note before making your choice;
Students in the MFA program are welcome to pursue interdisciplinary directions within their studio practice. Applicants who produce interdisciplinary work and/or wish to pursue interdisciplinary work within the program are encouraged to apply.
Note: When asked, on the application form, to select a studio discipline/medium, indicate “Interdisciplinary.”
- Ceramics
- Drawing
- Graphic Design
- Metals
- Painting
- Photography
- Printmaking
- Sculpture
- Fibers
- Watercolor