The Master of Fine Arts in Art

Course Requirements for the Master's Degree: 60 units

Continuous enrollment is required.

Graduate Time Limit: All requirements for the degree are to be completed within seven years of the end of the semester of enrollment in the oldest course applied toward the degree. See "Graduate Education" in the University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements.

On the approval of the Graduate Coordinator and the student's graduate committee, a maximum of 30 percent of the units counted toward the degree requirements may be special session credit earned in non-matriculated status combined with all transfer coursework.  This applies to special session credit earned through Open University, or in courses offered for academic credit through Regional and Continuing Education.  All transfer coursework must be graduate level and completed at a regionally accredited institution. Applicants holding an MA in Studio Art from an accredited institution may transfer units from their previous degree program upon review and recommendation by the Graduate Coordinator and the faculty members in the pattern area of emphasis. The transferred courses must have been taken within the seven-year time limit. No coursework from another previous degree other than a master's in studio art may be applied to the MFA requirements.

The MFA in Art offers patterns in ceramics, painting/drawing, glass design, photography, printmaking, and sculpture.

Prerequisites for Admission to Conditionally Classified Status:

1. Satisfactory grade point average as specified in Graduate and Postbaccalaureate Admission Requirements in the University Catalog.

2. Approval by the department and the Office of Graduate Studies.

3. An acceptable baccalaureate (equivalent to CSU, Chico's bachelor of fine art studio) from an accredited institution, or an equivalent approved by the Office of Graduate Studies. No graduate credit is given for classes taken to make up any undergraduate deficiencies.

4. Submission of a written philosophical statement of intention (two pages, double spaced). The applicant's writing skills in the discipline will be evaluated using this writing sample.

5. Presentation of a portfolio of images of work represented in a PDF. Complete information on submission dates, department applications, and procedures is available from the department office, the Graduate Coordinator, or the department's website (www.csuchico.edu/art/).

6. Three letters of recommendation from individuals qualified to testify to the applicant's capabilities and readiness to enter graduate study in studio art.

7. Completion of a minimum of 9 units of upper-division course work in the chosen pattern for the master's degree (ceramics, glass design, painting/drawing, printmaking, or sculpture).

8. Positive recommendations from the faculty in the pattern of concentration and approval of a majority of the full faculty at the time of the portfolio review.

Prerequisites for Admission to Classified Status:

In addition to any requirements listed above:

1. Formation of the Graduate Advisory Committee (by the end of the first semester in residency).

2. Development of an approved program in consultation with the Graduate Advisory Committee and the Graduate Coordinator.

3. Positive recommendations from all members of the Graduate Advisory Committee.

Advancement to Candidacy:

In addition to any requirements listed above:

1. Classified graduate standing and completion of at least 75 percent of required course work.

2. Completion of an Advancement to Candidacy Portfolio Evaluation, to be administered by the student's Graduate Advisory Committee, and completion of the final requirement for the Graduate Requirement in Writing Proficiency. Results of the evaluation are to be filed with the Graduate Coordinator.

Requirements for the MFA in Art:

Completion of all requirements as established by the department, the Graduate Advisory Committee, and the Office of Graduate Studies, to include:

1. Completion of an approved program of 60 units of 400/500/600-level courses (at least 60 percent of these courses must be at the 600-level) as follows:

Program Requirements: 60 units

9 units required:

ARTS 696 must be taken twice.

3 units selected from:

33 units selected from:

Graduate-level art studio courses.

9 units selected from:

Graduate-level art history courses.

6 units selected from:

Graduate-level courses approved by the Graduate Coordinator.

2. On the approval of the Graduate Coordinator and the student's graduate advisory committee, a maximum of 30 percent of the units counted toward the degree requirements may be special session credit earned in non-matriculated status combined with all transfer coursework.  This applies to special session credit earned through Open University, or in courses offered for academic credit through Regional and Continuing Education.  All transfer coursework must be graduate level and completed at a regionally accredited institution. Applicants holding an MA in Studio Art from an accredited institution may transfer units from their previous degree program upon review and recommendation by the Graduate Coordinator and the faculty members in the pattern area of emphasis. The transferred courses must have been taken within the seven-year time limit. No course work from another previous degree other than a master's in studio art may be applied to the MFA requirements.

3. Not more than a total of 15 units of Independent Study (697) and Project (699); not more than a total of 3 units of project (699).

4. Prior to the required MFA exhibition, candidates are required to pass an oral defense of their project.

5. Candidates must demonstrate the ability to write and communicate clearly by meeting the department's Graduate Requirement in Writing Proficiency.

Master's Study:

Completion and approval by the candidate's Graduate Advisory Committee of a written component and an exhibition of work. The written component, evaluated for both form and content, is intended to articulate an understanding of the candidate's considered aesthetic stance and not to be simply a catalog and/or descriptive statement of the work. This statement shall demonstrate 1) an understanding of artistic intent; 2) the function of the content of the work; and 3) knowledge about the chosen processes involved and their relationship to intent, content, and the artwork's elements. Approval must be obtained prior to the graduate exhibition.

Graduate Requirement in Writing Proficiency:

Writing proficiency is a graduation requirement.

Students are required to meet this requirement in two stages. First, students must submit a two-page writing sample as part of the application to the program. This sample is evaluated by the faculty during the portfolio review. If a student's writing abilities are substandard, a second writing sample must be submitted and reviewed prior to the student's advancement to classified status. Second, students are required to submit a preliminary exhibition statement and project outline to their graduate committee for approval prior to advancement to candidacy.

Graduate Grading Requirements:

All courses in the major (with the exceptions of Independent Study - 697, Comprehensive Examination - 696, and Master's Study - 699) must be taken for a letter grade, except those courses specified by the department as ABC/No Credit (400/500-level courses), AB/No Credit (600-level courses), or Credit/No Credit grading only. A maximum of 15 units combined of ABC/No Credit, AB/No Credit, and Credit/No Credit grades may be used on the approved program (including 697, 696, 699, and courses outside the major). While grading standards are determined by individual programs and instructors, it is also the policy of the University that unsatisfactory grades may be given when work fails to reflect achievement of the high standards, including high writing standards, expected of students pursuing graduate study.

Students must earn a grade of B or higher in each course applied to the degree. In addition, students must maintain a 3.0 grade point average in both of the following categories: all course work taken at any accredited institution subsequent to admission to the master's program; and all course work taken at CSU,Chico subsequent to admission to the program.

Graduate Advising Requirement:

Advising is mandatory each semester for all students. Consult the Graduate Coordinator for specifics.