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Thesis and Exhibition

Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) Program

About the M.F.A. Program
The Master of Fine Arts Program in the School of Art+Design is small and highly selective. Its purpose is to foster the artistic, intellectual, and professional growth of each student through exposure to a variety of viewpoints represented by the graduate faculty, visiting artists, critics, and the current group of graduate students. The program provides an environment in which a student may intensively pursue independent studio work, as well as pertinent art historical and other academic studies.

• The extensive facilities of the School, including photography, video, and digital labs, are available to M.F.A. students. In addition, each M.F.A. student is assigned a semiprivate studio space.
   
  
• For those interested in developing teaching skills and pedagogical approaches to art making, opportunities to assist in the teaching of undergraduate courses and, when appropriate, to develop and offer courses, are available.
   
  
• Thirty-five miles south of the campus, the vast art resources in New York City play a crucial role in every student’s curricular and extracurricular studies.

The program emphasizes the development of originality, clarity, and studio discipline that will carry into the student’s professional career. The focus on independent studio work encourages discovery of individual forms of expression. This is accomplished through one-on-one meetings with faculty sponsors chosen each term, group critiques, and cross-disciplinary critiques with the M.F.A. faculty. The course of study culminates in an M.F.A. exhibition accompanied by a written thesis.

M.F.A. Areas of Concentration and Facilities
While areas of concentration in the graduate program are identified individually, the nature of the program is interdisciplinary and pluralistic. M.F.A. candidates are encouraged to explore and expand their ideas within the context of their own art-making processes, choosing the faculty members and facilities best suited to their needs.

• Painting/Drawing
  In the painting/drawing area, emphasis is placed on the development of originality, clarity, and studio discipline to prepare students for professional careers. By focusing on independent studio work, students are encouraged, with faculty assistance, to discover their individual forms of expression. Instructional methods include one-on-one meetings with faculty sponsors, group critiques with the Painting/Drawing Board of Study, and cross-disciplinary critiques with the M.F.A. faculty.
   
  
• Printmaking/Art of the Book
  The printmaking area is equipped for large-scale work in all of the major printmaking media: lithography, silkscreen, intaglio, woodcut, papermaking, photomechanical, and digital printmaking. In addition, the Center for Editions in the School of Art+Design provides students with an unusually wide array of traditional letterpress and offset presses and digital technologies for book publishing. Digital media is served by several state-of-the-art computer labs and large-format printers. To aid in navigating the conceptual and technical choices, group and individual critiques are employed. M.F.A. candidates are provided with a large, well-equipped atelier as well as semiprivate studio space.
   
  
• Sculpture/3-D Media
  This area accommodates a varied focus of content and context to include traditional object making, installation art, and video/multimedia work. Studios include a major facility for woodworking and an extensive metal shop with facilities for direct welding, construction, and bronze casting. There are also dedicated labs for digital video editing and sound experimentation. Faculty members assist and instruct students through individual mentoring and group and individual critiques.

M.F.A. in Visual Arts/M.A. in Art History
Graduate students have an opportunity to earn both an M.A. degree in art history (through the School of Humanities) and an M.F.A. degree in visual arts at Purchase College. For information on this option, visit MFA/MA Academic Requirements.

Updated Feb. 26, 2007