Studio Art, BFA

Location(s): Main Campus

The Department of Art and Design provides a creative environment for academic excellence in the areas of drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and graphic design. Students receive rigorous training and individualized attention by faculty who are committed to teaching excellence in traditional practices, expanded media and transdisciplinary approaches to art. Our curriculum emphasizes experimentation, problem solving and collaboration, and provides creative learning experiences for liberal arts students who wish to explore studio practices through elective courses. Students can choose to major in drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and graphic design.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a pre-professional degree with intense focus on studio arts for students who wish to pursue art as their career. Students graduate with an exhibition and professional portfolio and are prepared for careers in creative industries, fine arts or the pursuit of a graduate degree. The degree requires 74 credits in the area of concentration within the art major.

Program Requirements

University General Education Requirements

All Binghamton University undergraduate students are required to fulfill this set of university-wide requirements to ensure that every graduate acquires the essential core of a SUNY university undergraduate education. Please refer to the General Education page for more information.

Harpur College Requirements

All students in Harpur College must fulfill additional requirements designated by Harpur College to complement and extend the general education requirements. Please refer to the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences page for more information.

Restrictions on Double Majors

ARTS BFA majors may not double major with the ARTS BA due to considerable overlap in the programs.

Major Requirements

There are six tracks for the BFA: Drawing, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Graphic Design. Consult with the department for appropriate courses for each track.

Course Requirements

Students must fulfill the following requirements for the Art and Design major (74 credits total):

Four introductory courses, by advisement
Five elective courses from the intermediate level (300 level or higher), by advisement
Five studio courses in one specialization track, by advisement (no more than three transfer courses allowed)
Three art history courses, by advisement
Seminar in Studio Art (ARTS 496)
Senior Exhibition Seminar (ARTS 499) critique and exhibition

Students planning to transfer to Binghamton University from a SUNY school or from Binghamton University to another SUNY school and pursue the SUNY Transfer Path in Design through the Graphic Design track should take ARTS 210 (Graphic Design I) as one of their five studio courses in graphic design, ARTS 171 (Drawing I) as one of their four introductory ARTS courses, and ARTH 110 (Intro to Art History I) and ARTH 111 (Intro to Art History II) as two of their three art history courses.

Students planning to transfer to Binghamton University from a SUNY school or from Binghamton University to another SUNY school and pursue the SUNY Transfer Path in Art Studio Drawing track should take ARTS 210 (Graphic Design I), ARTS 230 (Sculpture I) and ARTS 271 (Intermediate Drawing) as their three 200-level ARTS courses. Additionally, they should take ARTH 110 (Intro to Art History I) and ARTH 111 (Intro to Art History II) as their two art history courses.

Note: A maximum of six transferred courses may count toward the BFA.

Additional Information About the Program

The department requires a grade of C or better in courses counted toward the major. No courses for the major may be taken Pass/Fail. Advanced courses may be repeated for further development, with the approval of the chair. Certain courses can be repeated for credit and may count toward the major.

For more information on the Art BFA program, please refer to the Art and Design website. To apply to the Art BFA program, please visit the University Admissions website.