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Introduction
Master of Fine Arts The MFA in Design provides a unique and collaborative program that engages students across a wide range of design disciplines. The MFA in Design is a terminal degree that qualifies graduates for careers in higher education as well as work in a range of professional positions within the design industry and other creative fields.
Graduates of this degree program will: 1) demonstrate professional competence in the creation of works in art and design; 2) produce work that shows the integration of knowledge and skills in a selected area of research; 3) complete studies associated with a subfield in design and 4) produce a final thesis project that demonstrates mastery of the field/ discipline.
Options provided in this program encourage collaboration across other disciplines to meet the anticipated needs of students, higher education, and the practicing design profession. Cross-disciplinary coursework includes the areas of industrial design, graphic design, interior design, game design, entertainment design, interactive media, studio art, and design history. Students take 30 credits of required “core” courses and select the remaining 30 credits from a wide array of options to support their professional goals.
Graduates of the MFA in Design will be able to: 1-Demonstrate an understanding of the global, cultural, and technological context of design, 2-Engage in collaboration across disciplines to adddress advanced design problems and create innovation, 3-Critique processes and methodologies used in contemporary design practice, 4-Evaluate design perspectives and precedents related to process, aesthetics, creativity, and societal need, 5-Explore and utilize appropriate design methods and tools to support creative and theoretical research, 6-Implement ethical research, leadership, and business methods in personal design practice, 7-Practice sustainable and responsible design, 8-Identify and apply appropriate methodologies to design education, practice, and research, 9-Create and evaluate advanced design solutions, and 10-Disseminate novel design-related knowledge.
Admission
To apply for admission to the MFA in Design program, students will submit the following materials:
- Completed Graduate School Application
- Completed MFA in Design Program Application - The application will require a visual portfolio, a personal statement of goals and objectives for graduate study, a resume, and three letters of recommendation.
The minimum GPA for entrance is 3.0. Applicants should have obtained, at a minimum, a bachelor’s degree in design, art or a related field prior to applying to the program.
In addition to the Graduate School processing of applicants, the MFA in Design program director will convene a selection committee comprised of tenured/tenure-track faculty members from the School of Art and Design to review application materials and recommend admission.
Requirements
The requirements for this degree include (a) a minimum of at least 60 semester hours of graduate credit with an overall graduate grade point average of 3.0 or better, with a minimum of 30 credits at 700-level or above, and a minimum of 39 credits in studio-based courses, (b) successful creative thesis project completion, (c) approval for degree candidacy at the appropriate time, (d) program requirement completed in seven years.
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