Program: Art, M.F.A. - San Diego State University

Apr 02, 2025

2024-2025 University Catalog

(Major Code: 10022) (Academic Plan Code: 660503MFAS)

Admission to the Degree Curriculum

Admission to the Master of Fine Arts in Art degree program in the School of Art and Design is limited to the fall semester. Applications and portfolios for the annual graduate review must be submitted via Interfolio by January 12 of the admission year.

All applicants must satisfy the requirements for admission to the university with classified graduate standing, as described in Admission and Registration . In general, applicants must have completed a bachelor’s degree in studio art or the equivalent from an accredited institution, including 12 units of art history. A grade point average of 3.25 or better in upper division art courses is required. Applicants who do not meet all requirements for classified graduate standing may be accepted with conditionally classified standing on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants must also be able to demonstrate that they are adequately advanced to carry out projects commensurate with graduate level standards. This requirement will be assessed by a review of a digital portfolio of recent work by the School of Art and Design’s graduate faculty in the applicant’s area of creative research.

Advancement to Candidacy

Continuation in the Master of Fine Arts in Art degree program is contingent upon advancement to candidacy. In addition to meeting the requirements for advancement to candidacy as described in Requirements for Master’s Degrees , all students must have (1) completed a minimum of 27 units of program coursework with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 [B]; and (2) passed an Art and Design graduate faculty review of creative research completed since admission to the program. An earlier or additional review may be requested by the graduate faculty at any time.

Required Core Courses (15 units)

Candidates for the Master of Fine Arts in Art degree, in addition to meeting the requirements for classified graduate standing, must complete a 60-unit graduate program which includes a minimum of 36 units of ART courses at the 600- and 700-level. The additional 24 units must be at the 500-, 600-, or 700-level. All graduate students must complete the following five core courses.

ART 612 - Graduate Interdisciplinary Critique Seminar Units: 3
ART 694 - Art and Design Theory and Criticism I Units: 3
ART 760 - Art and Design Theory and Criticism II Units: 3
ART 791 - Seminar in Professional Practice of Art and Design Units: 3
ART 792A - Pedagogy of Art and Design Units: 3

Areas of Focus and Related Art and Design Courses (33 units)

Generally, a student will focus their creative research and corresponding coursework within one of the School’s program areas (ceramics, furniture design and woodworking, graphic design, interior architecture, jewelry and metalwork, multimedia, painting and printmaking, and sculpture). In addition to courses in the chosen area(s) of focus, a student may take 500-, 600-, or 700-level courses in other art and design program areas. Graduate Teaching Associates (instructors of record) are strongly recommended to enroll in the following 1-unit course.

ART 792B - Pedagogy of Art and Design Practicum Units: 1

Art History, Criticism, and Aesthetics Courses (6 units)

A student must complete six units of 500-, 600-, or 700-level courses in art history, art criticism, and/or aesthetics. Courses offered by other SDSU departments or schools may satisfy this requirement upon approval of the graduate advisor and the art history program head.

ART 506 - Contemporary Issues Units: 3
ART 547 - The Modern Built Environment Units: 3
ART 557 - Nineteenth Century European Art Units: 3
ART 558 - Twentieth Century European Art to 1945 Units: 3
ART 559 - Twentieth Century European and American Art Since 1945 Units: 3
ART 560 - History of American Art Units: 3
ART 564 - Art of China Units: 3
ART 565 - Art of Japan Units: 3
ART 568 - Art of Ancient Greece and Rome Units: 3
ART 570 - African American Art History Units: 3
ART 571B - Contemporary Art of Latin America Units: 3
ART 573A - Italian Art of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries Units: 3
ART 573B - Italian Art in the Sixteenth Century Units: 3
ART 575 - European Art from 1600 to 1750 Units: 3
ART 576 - History of Global Performance Art Units: 3
ART 577 - History of Architecture Units: 3
ART 578 - Seminar in History of Museums and Exhibitions Units: 3
ART 593 - History and Methodology of Art History Units: 3

Course Outside the School of Art and Design (3 units)

A student must complete three units of any 500-, 600-, or 700-level course offered by another SDSU department or school.

Thesis Exhibition and Report (3 units)

The project required for the Master of Fine Arts in Art degree is a thesis exhibition of an original body of creative artwork. The project will be reviewed by the student’s graduate thesis committee and other graduate faculty members of the School of Art and Design during an oral examination. The examination will encompass an in-depth discussion of the candidate’s artwork presented in the thesis exhibition.

The thesis exhibition will be accompanied by a written report. One electronic copy of the thesis report is submitted by the candidate to the library at San Diego State University and is subject to the policies of the library with respect to the circulation or duplication of its cataloged materials. A second electronic copy is submitted by the candidate to the ProQuest ETD (Electronic Theses & Dissertations) system. A third electronic copy of the thesis report is submitted by the candidate to the School of Art and Design for retention in the School’s Graduate Theses Shared Drive. A softbound or hardbound copy of the thesis report can be submitted to the School of Art and Design as a suggested additional version.

The Thesis Exhibition and Report will satisfy the requirements of the Master of Fine Arts in Art degree program capstone course:

ART 799A - Thesis or Project Units: 3

Transfer Credit, Residency, and GPA

No more than 15 units of graduate work may be transferred from another institution. Requests for more than six units must be approved by a committee of representatives from the area of focus. Candidates must be prepared to spend at least two semesters (24 units) in residence as full-time students. Coursework taken as a graduate student to fulfill undergraduate deficiencies may not be used to satisfy any unit requirement for the Master of Fine Arts in Art degree program. A 3.0 grade point average must be maintained at all times.