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Thesis and Exhibition
Graduate (M.F.A.) Courses
Note: Graduate course offerings and their frequency are subject to change.
Graduate Teaching Associate
VIS 5001 / 0 credits / Every semester
This course provides the opportunity for a graduate student to deliver a specific undergraduate course. Existing syllabi are used as a model for courses designed for students in other disciplines. For a new course to serve visual arts majors, a new syllabus must be developed and approved by the dean of the School of Art+Design.
Prerequisite: VIS 5010 and 5870
Graduate Teaching Practicum
VIS 5010 / 2 credits / Fall
Provides pedagogical methods for the graduate teaching assistantship experience. Students examine different approaches to the teaching of art through readings, discussions, and research. Topics and activities include syllabi formatting, common teaching problems, role-playing classroom situations, and course development.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Visiting Artist Studio
VIS 5050 / 4 credits / Special topic (offered irregularly)
Three visiting artists are featured each semester. Each artist meets individually and in groups with graduate students, focusing on areas of interest to both the students and artist. Activities include studio work and critiques, field trips, and lectures. Through direct work with these artists, students become engaged with current trends in the New York City art community.
Pro-seminar: Method and Theory in Art History
ARH 5101 Refer to Art History Graduate Courses (School of Humanities) for description.
M.A. Colloquium I and II
ARH 5325 and 5326 Refer to Art History Graduate Courses (School of Humanities) for description.
Graduate Studio Seminar I, II, III, IV
VIS 5585, 5595, 5605, 5615 / 4 credits (per semester)
I: Every semester; II, IV: Spring; III: Fall
All graduate students meet weekly as a group with the seminar leader. Major figures in the art world, including artists, curators, and gallerists, join the seminar throughout the semester and participate in individual and group critiques. General thematic concerns provide continuity in a given semester. Other activities include visits to museums, galleries, and artists’ studios in the New York City metropolitan area. Successful completion of each graduate studio seminar is a prerequisite for the following semester’s seminar.
Special Topics Seminar IA, IB, IIA, IIB
VIS 5700, 5705, 5710, 5715 / 2–4 credits (per course)
Special topic (offered irregularly—IA and IIA: Fall; IB and IIB: Spring)
Focuses on the issues and practice of a specialized field of art making each semester, rotating from area to area (painting, printmaking, and drawing to sculpture/3-D media and new media). Each seminar includes studio work, readings, critiques, discussions, and peer review. The interdisciplinary nature of the M.F.A. program is emphasized by providing a forum for students to expand their practice beyond their usual media.
Graduate Teaching Assistant
VIS 5870 / 2 credits / Every semester
Students assist faculty members with the delivery of an undergraduate studio course. Duties include grading, critiques, lecture/demonstrations, and other tasks assigned by the faculty sponsor. Graduate students interested in teaching must participate as a teaching assistant and take VIS 5010 at least once before being allowed to independently teach a course.
Prerequisite or corequisite: VIS 5010
Independent Graduate Studio
VIS 5900 / 4–8 credits (per semester) / Every semester
Each M.F.A. student meets regularly with a studio sponsor. All M.F.A. students work independently in semiprivate studio spaces and have access to the majority of the School’s facilities. During the academic year, graduate students have 24-hour access to their studios. Successful completion of each graduate studio is a prerequisite for the following semester’s graduate studio.
Updated July 29, 2008