The BFA in Art + Design: Integrated Studio Arts is designed for art and design students interested in developing and combining skills across the visual arts.

A panel of advisors guides students as they choose classes that are most appropriate for their personal vision. Active artist-faculty across all Art + Design concentrations offer individualized instruction emphasizing the development of each student’s visual voice.

You will be able to mix-and-match studio courses from our other programs to build your own path of study: animation & game arts; ceramics; drawing; graphic design; illustration; jewelry/metals; painting; photography; printmaking; sculpture; textiles.

The BFA is a professional degree with concentrated areas of specialization, so you will take more art courses than you would in a BA program. At UMass Dartmouth, you also have the advantages of a university education where you can diversify your studies and expand your career opportunities.

You'll develop cross-disciplinary sensitivity—with the possibility of combining painting with printmaking, photography, digital media, textiles, and other disciplines in contemporary art making. You'll also be able to explore fields across the university, such as business, engineering, and science.

Fine artists are inherent problem-solvers, negotiators, collaborators, and team-players; they have excellent hand/eye coordination and can illustrate their ideas—often quickly—so that others can understand a concept beyond the written or spoken word. The skills of a fine artist can be applied in education, business, advertising, set design, and arts management (gallery directors, administrators), to name a few.

INTEGRATED STUDIO ARTS MAJOR

Your courses—from professional preparatory courses to the senior seminar and BFA capstone course—will prepare you to pursue a creative livelihood.

You'll be invited to on-campus exhibitions and presentations and off-campus field trips. You'll have the opportunity to participate in numerous exhibitions, both locally and regionally. You'll be able to join faculty-led study abroad programs.

Our faculty will prepare you to become a creative artist, pursue graduate study, or engage in one of the fine arts-related professions.

For the BFA in Art + Design: Integrated Studio Arts, you'll complete 90 credits in courses related to your major, and 120 credits overall.

UMASSD ADVANTAGES

Internships: enhance your studies while gaining first-hand experience in creative fields

Studio facilities: located at the university's Star Store campus in New Bedford, our studios feature state-of-the-art equipment and ample work areas

Campus Gallery: exhibit your own work and gain exposure to the work of contemporary artists