This degree is offered to provide graduate study in depth for the professional artist and to train highly skilled artists for teaching in junior and senior colleges. The emphasis is in one studio area to allow each student to develop concepts and a high level of skill within that area of specialization. A student selects an area of specialization from Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Ceramics. The Master of Fine Arts is the terminal degree in the studio area.

Entrance Requirements

Students seeking admission to the Master of Fine Arts program offered by the Department of Art at Sam Houston State University must first meet all of the requirements for admission to Graduate Studies. Art Department entrance requirements are as follows:

1. A bachelor's degree which includes 60 semester hours of Art, of which at least 9 semester hours are in the History of Art, and at least 18 hours in an area of specialization

2. A grade point average of 2.5 in overall undergraduate work

3. A grade point average of 3.0 in Art courses

4. An acceptable score on the Graduate Record Examination with an emphasis on the verbal score

5. The student must submit one official transcript of all undergraduate and graduate work to the Art Department.

6. In addition, the student must submit:

a. 20 slides of undergraduate and graduate art work that is acceptable to a graduate review committee

b. 3 letters of recommendation

c. an artist's statement

Transfer Credit. Up to 18 hours of graduate credit may be transferred toward the Master of Fine Arts degree. However, the MFA Graduate Committee reserves the right to refuse graduate credit from another institution or from Sam Houston for any courses not done specifically under the direction of the MFA Graduate Committee.

Period of Study Required. A minimum of 9 hours per semester in two long term semesters must be completed in residence. The Master of Fine Arts degree requires a minimum of 60 semester hours of credit. A grade point average of 3.0 must be maintained. Requirements for the degree must be completed within a period of six years.

Admittance to Candidacy. A comprehensive examination for admittance to candidacy must be taken after the student has completed between 24 and 36 hours of work. The examination consists of two parts: written and a review/critique of work. The examination is given by the graduate committee and other members of the graduate faculty who have instructed the student. After passing this examination, the student is admitted to candidacy. The examination may be taken three times.

Thesis Exhibition. A thesis is required. It will consist of a formal exhibition of the student's creative work accompanied by a supporting paper. The written paper must comply with the specifications for the written thesis which are available in the Department of Art office or from the graduate advisor. Photographs of acceptable quality of the student's creative exhibition must be included in the student's written paper. The student must also pass an oral examination testing general knowledge of art concepts and traditions that relate to his/her thesis work. The oral examination will be conducted by the student's graduate committee and selected members of the Art faculty and the Dean's representative. After the oral examination has been passed and the thesis exhibition and supporting paper have been approved by the student's graduate committee, the student is recommended for the degree of Master of Fine Arts. Donated works from the student's creative exhibition will be retained permanently by the University.

9 hours Art History

21 hours Art Electives (subject to recommendation of the student's graduate committee, cannot be taken in Area of Specialization)

60 hours Total

Entrance Requirements

Students seeking admission to the Master of Arts program in studio art at Sam Houston State University must meet all of the general requirements for admission to Graduate Studies. Art Department entrance requirements are as follows:

1. A bachelor's degree with a minimum of 48 hours of art, including 9 hours of art history and 12 hours in the chosen studio area of specialization

2. Show ability in this area by:

a. submitting 20 slides of undergraduate and graduate art work that is acceptable to a graduate review committee

b. 3 letters of recommendation

c. an artist's statement

3. A grade point average of 3.0 in art courses

4. An acceptable score on the Graduate Record Examination with an emphasis on the verbal score

Specific Requirements. The requirements for the Master of Arts in Studio Art are listed below.

1. Eighteen semester credit hours in one area of specialization (Ceramics, Drawing, Jewelry, Painting, Printmaking, or Sculpture)

2. Twelve semester credit hours in studio areas listed above other than in the area of specialization

3. Three semester credit hours of graduate art history

4. Three semester credit hours in either studio art or art history

5. A written comprehensive examination and an oral review/critique are held prior to the semester of graduation.

6. In partial fulfillment of degree requirements, an exhibition of the student's work is held during the semester of graduation.

MA Graduate Committee. A Master of Arts Graduate Committee is composed of three members of the Art graduate faculty and is selected/appointed during the first semester of enrollment. The student, in consultation with the Graduate Advisor, selects the chair of his/her committee whose primary teaching assignment is in the student's studio area of specialization. The Graduate Committee chair selects the second member, and the departmental chair appoints the third.

Transfer Credit. Up to 9 hours of graduate credit may be transferred toward the Master of Arts degree. However, the MA Graduate Committee reserves the right to refuse graduate credit from another institution or from Sam Houston for any courses not done specifically under the direction of the MA Graduate Committee.

Period of Study Required. Twenty-seven credit hours of course work must be completed in residence. Requirements for the degree must be completed within a period of six years.

Master of Education, Plan II. This program is initiated in the College of Education and Applied Science and is offered for secondary teachers of Art wishing further course work in their teaching area. The student may take from twelve to twenty-four semester hours of course work in Art, six to twelve semester hours in a second field, and twelve to eighteen hours in Education for a total of thirty-six hours. A thesis is not required. Qualification in two areas of Art is required. Art 570 is required for those taking twenty-four hours of Art.