About the Program

National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) Accredited

The B.F.A. in Art and Design offers a broad selection of program concentrations for the visual arts student; ceramics, design history, digital media arts, fibers, graphic design, metals/jewelry, painting, photography and documentary studies, printmaking, product design, sculpture, and wood/furniture. This 78-credit hour degree, (81 credits for graphic design concentration), prepares students for advanced studies, graduate studies, or for beginning careers as professional designers, artists, or historians.

All concentrations have the same 27 credit required foundation studies course sequence so that whichever concentration is selected, all these courses will count toward that concentration’s requirements. In addition to completing the major concentration course requirements, the remaining credits are completed in the required General Education 23 courses. To remain in, and graduate from the B.F.A. program a 2.5 GPA or higher in the major must be maintained.

For freshman, there is no entrance portfolio review for admission. Transfer students are urged to submit their portfolios the semester before transfer to facilitate placement in departmental courses and/or for possible portfolio review. For more specific information and additional program requirements please refer to each individual concentration program.

Students in the B.F.A. program will enjoy the opportunity to display their strongest work in exhibitions and during special events. The Art and Design Department reserves the right to temporarily retain students’ work for official purposes, such as exhibitions, program display, special events, and recruitment, etc.; and to use images of the students and/or their work for publicity, documentation, and recruitment.

Students are expected to assume the costs of materials used in courses. Some studio courses may have an additional charge for materials used in class. Students enrolled in a studio course are expected to work a minimum of two additional hours each week outside of class for each credit granted for that class and the hours gradually increase as the student progresses in the concentration.

About the Art and Design Department

402 Upton Hall
1300 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY 14222
Phone: (716) 878-6032
Fax: (716) 878-4231
https://artdesign.buffalostate.edu/

Learning Outcomes

1. Aesthetics and Visual Language: Students will demonstrate a mastery of the visual language of art and design through the aesthetic application of the formal elements and relational and organizational principles of art/design.
2. Craftsmanship: Students will demonstrate a mastery of advanced skills and techniques in the use of the materials, tools, and processes necessary to produce artwork from concept to finished object.
3. Creativity: Students will demonstrate a mastery of imaginative and advanced creative problem-solving abilities.
4. Conceptual Development: Students will demonstrate a mastery of referential, ideation, and conceptual framework leading to individual expression through a cohesive body of work.
5. Historical Perspective: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the history of the chosen medium and the place of design and its related areas in the history of art and society, including contemporary perspectives.
6. Professional Practice: Students will demonstrate a sophisticated level of artistic achievement through completion of a final project and exhibition of a body of creative work and a professional portfolio.

Program Requirements

General Education 23 Requirements
33 credit hours

Foundation Studies Courses - Required for all Concentrations (27 credit hours)
AAD 101 DRAWING I 3
AAD 102 INTRODUCTION TO TWO-DIMENSIONAL DESIGN 3
AAD 103 INTRODUCTION TO THREE-DIMENSIONAL DESIGN 3
AAD 104 DIGITAL PRESENTATION METHODS 3
AAD 105 INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL DESIGN AND FABRICATION 3
AAD 150 THEMES AND ISSUES IN THE CONTEMPORARY ARTS 3
AAD 251 ART HISTORY I 3
AAD 252 ART HISTORY II 3
AAD 470 SENIOR SEMINAR 3
or AAD 495 SPECIAL PROJECT
or HIS 400 SENIOR SEMINAR IN HISTORY

Concentrations (Select one, each will open in a new browser tab)

Ceramics

Design History

Digital Media Arts

Fibers

Graphic Design

Metals/Jewelry

Painting

Photography and Documentary Studies

Printmaking

Product Design

Sculpture

Wood/Furniture