Art (M.A.)
Eligibility
The applicant must hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree or another degree and equivalent course work and/or experience. These requirements can be obtained from the Graduate Officer of the department: graduateartanddesign@wayne.edu.
Note: The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required for admission.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the Master of Arts program is an online process. Admission to this program is contingent upon admission to the Graduate School. Admission to the Graduate School means only that the applicant has satisfied the academic standards required for general University Graduate admission.
The applicant must hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree or another degree and equivalent course work. Admission by the Graduate School of the University means only that the applicant has satisfied the academic standards required for general admission. Final admission to the Master of Arts program is determined by the department and based on the following ranked criteria.
- Portfolio
- Personal Interview
- Academic Record and Experience
- Reference Letters
- Statement of Intent
- Supporting Materials
The final admission decision rests with the department’s faculty admissions committee.
Composition of Faculty (Admissions Committee)
Admissions committees are composed of three (3) full-time faculty minimum. Admission offers begin with a simple majority of positive votes from committee members. A positive vote should be understood as an agreement to serve as a graduate committee member.
Application Procedure
If an admissions interview is scheduled, the applicant should expect to present actual examples of his/her/their recent work (unless this is not feasible due to size). The applicant should expect to speak and to answer questions concerning his/her/their work, experience and plans for graduate study. The admissions committee will make one of the following decisions:
- ADMIT
- ADMIT WITH SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: The applicant’s preparation is acceptable but requires certain specific courses to be taken. These courses may or may not carry graduate credit depending on the level specified by the committee.
- PRE-MASTERS: The applicant’s preparation is not sufficient for admission but shows promise. The committee will outline the specific courses that must be taken prior to another admissions interview. These courses are taken at the 5000 level and graduate tuition is paid. If the student is subsequently admitted, up to 9 credits may be accepted as graduate credit.
- DO NOT ADMIT: The applicant lacks sufficient preparation for the program. Frequently, Post-Bachelor's status is recommended. However, Post-Bachelor's course work cannot be applied towards any degree.
Advisor
At the time of admission, the student will be assigned an Advisor by the admissions committee. The Advisor will explain the program and help the student plan the course of study. It is the student’s responsibility to know the program and to maintain close contact with the Advisor, in order to keep him/her/them informed as to the student’s progress. In addition, a graduate advising form is available from the department to help with matters such as the plan of work, the graduate essay and other specifics.
Studio Space
The department is not able to provide individual studio space for students in the Master of Arts program. Individual disciplines, however, make every effort to accommodate the needs of their graduate students. Please consult with the Advisor to see what space, if any, is available.
Transfer of Credits
Up to 4 credits can be transferred to the M.A. program at the time of admission from any graduate program outside of WSU; the number of transfer credits accepted is based on departmental approval. A student may receive up to three (3) credits from another program during the course of his/her/their course of study at WSU. The student must submit a request form and provide an official transcript to the Graduate Officer; the student’s review committee must agree to accept this work.
Credit by Examination
No credits toward graduate degrees may be obtained by examination.
Role of the M.A. Advisor
The Advisor’s responsibilities are to explain the program and help the student plan her/his/their course of study. Aspects of the Advisor’s role include the following points.
The Advisor must:
- Be in the area of concentration desired by the student;
- Be appointed by the student’s admissions committee. (Change of Advisor must be approved by both a student’s current and requested advisor.);
- Approve a student’s list of review committee members each semester (student must submit a list to the Advisor), sending the list to the area coordinator, who sends the list on to the graduate officer;
- Approve changes in a student’s review committee, sending the list to the area coordinator, who sends the list on to the graduate officer;
- Moderate a student’s reviews (including time-keeping for each section of the review);
- Approve and supervise a student’s M.A. Essay and submit the results to the graduate officer;
- Approve a student’s plan of work;
- Approve any electives that the student seeks to take outside of the department;
- Approve a student’s course schedule each semester;
- Arrange for studio space, if the student’s concentration provides studio space.
It is also the student’s responsibility to know the program and to maintain close contact with the Advisor, in order to keep him/her/their informed as to the student’s progress.
Spring / Summer Semester
Master of Arts course work may be done during the Spring/Summer semester only if courses are offered at the appropriate level and are taught by faculty who have been approved to teach graduate courses.
Graduate Advising
The student must meet with his/her/their Advisor every semester to review, plan, and approve the student’s course of studies. If desired, the Graduate Officer is also available for advising.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
For information concerning financial aid and scholarships, please contact the WSU Financial Aid office. Applications for graduate teaching assistantships can be obtained from the Department office.
A minimum of thirty credits in art, including at least three credits of Graduate Studio, six credits in electives, three credits in art history, and eighteen credits in Studio Electives. All course work must be completed in accordance with the regulations of the Graduate School and the College of Fine, Performing, and Communication Arts.
This program is offered under the following option:
Plan C: Thirty credits in coursework.
Candidacy: All graduate students begin their work as Master’s Applicants. After twelve credits have been completed, a Plan of Work must be signed by the faculty advisor and submitted to the Department Graduate Officer. If the student has maintained a 3.0 grade point average and the Plan is accepted, his/her status is changed to Master’s Candidate.
Plan of Work (POW)
All graduate students begin their work as Masters Applicants. After 12 credits have been completed successfully (B average or better) a Plan of Work is filed with the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts. If approved, the student’s status is changed to Masters Candidate. The Plan of Work lists courses taken and projects the remainder of the program and anticipated length of the program. Failure to submit the Plan of Work during the semester in which the student registers for his/her/their l2th credit may result in an academic “hold” which will prevent further registration. The University strongly enforces this policy, so the student must not neglect this procedure. The Plan of Work is done in conjunction with the Advisor. The Plan of Work must be signed by the student’s Advisor, who then forwards the Plan of Work to the Graduate Officer.
If the student wishes to change his/her/their course of study after the Plan of Work has been filed, another Plan of Work with the “Change of Plan of Work” line marked should be filed. The POW form is available online or in the art department office.
Any deviations from this course of study requires the approval of the faculty Graduate Committee in Art. Such requests should be addressed in writing to the Graduate Officer.
Reviews
As a requirement for the degree, the Master of Arts student must meet a faculty review committee at the end of their final semester of graduate study. The student must keep his/her/their Advisor informed as to the student’s progress so that the reviews can be scheduled at the appropriate times.
Composition of the Faculty Admission Committee
Admissions committees are composed of three (3) full-time faculty minimum. Admission offers begin with a simple majority of positive votes from committee members. A positive vote should be understood as an agreement to serve as a graduate committee member. Graduate advisors must be drawn from the student's primary discipline.
MA Advisor
The student should select a permanent advisor by 14th week of their first semester, with agreement from the newly selected faculty and formal approval from the student’s current advisor and graduate officer. The advisor must align with the student’s primary discipline. In the case of Interdisciplinary Art focus, a student may choose to work with any full-time faculty member within the department.
Composition of the Review Committee
Graduate Student Review Committees are composed of three (3) full-time faculty minimum. Each committee includes full-time faculty members, one of whom is the Advisor. The student may add or replace one faculty member per term with the support of his/her/their Graduate Advisor. Requests for graduate committee adjustments should made to the Graduate Officer by the 3rd week of the term. Committee membership may also be adjusted according to faculty schedules and assignments.
Procedure
Reviews are normally one hour in length. The student is expected to present all work done during the period under review, as well as answer questions. The following format is used for reviews.
- Opening Statement (10 minutes): The student should prepare a brief presentation about the works under review, focusing on those issues that he/she/they wish(es) the committee to address.
- Discussion Period (up to 30 minutes): An open discussion, moderated by the Advisor, addressing the works under review and focusing on the issues raised by the student during the opening statement.
- Formal Action (10 minutes): Following the discussion, the student will be requested to leave the room so that the committee can discuss and vote a formal action.
- Feedback (10 minutes): The student is invited back to rejoin the review and will be apprised of the action taken. The following is a list of formal actions that can be taken by the review committee.
- Pass: Work is proceeding without any problems.
- Pass With Warning: Work is only satisfactory. An additional review is called for at a time interval to be determined by the review committee.
- Hold: Work is not acceptable. Student may not register for additional course work until the student has met with the review committee at a specified time.
- Dismiss: Work is failing. Graduate candidacy and standing is revoked.
Graduation Requirements
When registering for the final semester, the student must file for his/her/their degree at the University Graduation Office. The student must file prior to the first day of classes of his/her/their final semester. Once the student has filed for a degree, the student is then a Candidate for Graduation.
Image Portfolio
Prior to graduation, the candidate must provide his/her/their advisor with a portfolio of 15 images of works executed during graduate studies. Images are due by the end of the student’s final semester and are used for program assessment. These images will also be added to the permanent collection of the Department’s visual resource center.
Disciplines
- Ceramics
- Digital Art
- Drawing
- Fashion Design
- Fibers
- Graphic Design
- Industrial Design
- Interior Design
- Metalsmithing
- Painting
- Photography
- Printmaking
- Sculpture
Course List
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Studio Electives | 18 | |
7000-level or above studio course in the Department of Art & Art History (5000-level and above considered with approval from advisor). See list below. | ||
| Electives | 6 | |
5000-level or above course in any department or college . | ||
| Art History | 3 | |
5000-level or above. See list below. | ||
| ART 8992 | Graduate Studio | 3 |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
Studio Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ACR 7550 | Graduate Problems in Ceramics | 3 |
| AFA 7850 | Seminar | 3 |
| AFA 7990 | Directed Study | 1-4 |
| ADR 7060 | Graduate Problems in Drawing and Painting | 3-9 |
| ADR 7070 | Graduate Life Drawing | 3 |
| ADR 7080 | Landscape Drawing | 3 |
| AFI 7650 | Graduate Problems in Weaving | 3 |
| AFI 7660 | Graduate Problems: Fabric Printing and Dyeing | 3 |
| AGD 7250 | Graduate Problems in Graphic Design | 3-9 |
| AID 7300 | Graduate Industrial Design | 3-9 |
| AME 7600 | Graduate Study in Metal Arts | 3 |
| APA 7000 | Graduate Oil Painting | 3 |
| APA 7060 | Graduate Problems in Drawing and Painting | 3-9 |
| APA 7080 | Landscape Painting | 3 |
| APA 7110 | Graduate Watercolor Painting | 3 |
| APA 7130 | Graduate Problems in Figure Painting: Water Media | 3 |
| APA 7140 | Graduate Problems in Figure Painting: Oil Media | 3 |
| APH 7400 | Graduate Photography | 3-9 |
| APR 7470 | Graduate Photo Processes for Printmaking | 3 |
| APR 7480 | Graduate Intaglio | 3 |
| APR 7490 | Graduate Lithography | 3 |
| APR 7500 | Graduate Serigraphy | 3 |
| APR 7510 | Graduate Relief and Experimental Printmaking | 3 |
| ASL 7150 | Graduate Sculpture | 3 |
Art History
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AH 5210 | Hellenistic Art | 3 |
| AH 5250 | Ancient Rome | 3 |
| AH 5260 | Classical Greek Art | 3 |
| AH 5270 | Roman Painting and Sculpture | 3 |
| AH 5310 | The Ancient City of Athens | 3 |
| AH 5450 | Art and Architecture in the High Middle Ages | 3 |
| AH 5500 | Early Renaissance in Italy | 3 |
| AH 5510 | High Renaissance and Mannerism in Italy | 3 |
| AH 5520 | Art of Renaissance Venice | 3 |
| AH 5560 | Special Topics | 3 |
| AH 5570 | Performance Art of the Americas | 3 |
| AH 5710 | Trends in Nineteenth Century Art | 3 |
| AH 5715 | Modernism: Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries | 3 |
| AH 5720 | Twentieth Century Art | 3 |
| AH 5735 | Art 1900-1945 | 3 |
| AH 5755 | Gender and Race in Visual Culture | 3 |
| AH 5780 | Topics in Twentieth-Century Art | 3 |
| AH 5855 | Museum Practicum | 3 |
| AH 5990 | Directed Study | 1-3 |
| AH 5997 | Seminar | 3 |