Painting & Drawing

Express ideas through color and line. Expand your perspective. Make your mark.

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Painting and drawing are artistic practices that transform abstract ideas into visual expressions. The School of Art offers graduate and undergraduate programs in painting and drawing as well as a minor and elective courses for non-art majors. In addition to traditional classrooms, open studios provide space for experimentation and innovation. We equip our students with the critical and practical skills needed to become practicing artists, educators, or creative professionals.

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Programs in Painting and Drawing

Master of Fine Arts

The Master of Fine Arts degree in studio art with a concentration in painting and drawing offers students a rigorous, three-year interdisciplinary course of study. Our award-winning faculty mentor students to investigate critical, conceptual, and historical issues through structured coursework and self-directed studio practices. Graduate students have the opportunity to teach undergraduate courses or assist senior faculty in classrooms, labs, and workshops. Explore the options below to learn more about our graduate program.

Email faculty representative Joshua Bienko

Degree Requirements

See Graduate Catalog for MFA details

See School of Art Graduate Handbook for MFA details

Offered Courses

ART 503 Theory/Practice/Art Fundamentals
ART 504 First-Semester Graduate Seminar
ART 507 Professional Practice: Teaching Internship
ART 511 Graduate Painting + Drawing I
ART 512 Graduate Painting + Drawing II
ART 595 Visiting Artist Seminar

See Graduate Catalog for course descriptions

Option: Art History Minor

A graduate minor in art history may be arranged during the student’s first semester of study with the consent of the student’s area instructors and the art history faculty. After a review of previous undergraduate coursework, students must complete a minimum of 12 approved credit hours in art history. A reading knowledge of French, German, or Italian is a prerequisite, unless waived by the art history faculty. Graduate Council policy stipulates that a member from the minor unit must serve on the thesis committee.

Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Fine Arts

The School of Art offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in studio art and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in studio art to undergraduate students interested in painting and drawing. The Bachelor of Arts curriculum includes a higher percentage of general education courses for students pursuing a broader liberal arts education, whereas the Bachelor of Fine Arts curriculum includes more studio courses for students considering careers or graduate study in the visual arts. Our faculty work in a variety of media and modes of visual expression. Undergraduate painting and drawing students begin their studies building a solid foundation in artistic fundamentals before transitioning into more advanced courses aimed at cultivating more complex ideas, skills, and approaches. Explore the options below to learn more about our undergraduate programs.

Degree Requirements

See Undergraduate Catalog for BA details

See Undergraduate Catalog for BFA details

Offered Courses

ARTA 212 Drawing II
ARTA 213 Painting I – Introduction
ARTA 214 Painting II
ARTA 215 Watercolor I
ARTA 216 Watercolor II
ARTA 219 Special Topics in Drawing/Painting
ARTA 311 Drawing III
ARTA 313 Painting III
ARTA 411 Drawing IV
ARTA 413 Painting IV
ARTA 419 Special Topics in Drawing and Painting

See Undergraduate Catalog for course descriptions

Minor

The School of Art offers a studio art minor for students interested in painting and drawing while pursuing other fields of study. Explore the options below to learn more about our minor program.

Degree Requirements

See Undergraduate Catalog for minor details

Offered Courses