Studio Art

The Department of Art’s master's of fine arts program in studio art occupies a unique position among graduate programs in art studies. The department’s programs have been built with a strong emphasis on modern art and contemporary visual culture, comprising a range of critical, theoretical, and interdisciplinary interests. Rather than being isolated at a special or autonomous art institute or school, these programs have all the advantages associated with the intellectual environment of a major research university. Art history students also have the opportunity to gain valuable experience as managing and business editors for the respected semi-annual journal, Art Criticism, published by the department under the editorship of Donald Kuspit.

Because of the Art Department’s extensive undergraduate programs, Stony Brook is the only major university in the New York metropolitan area to offer teaching experience to first- and/or second-year graduate students. Such experience is an invaluable asset in today’s job market.

Graduate studies are facilitated by Stony Brook's ideal location half-way between the art centers of New York City and the Hamptons, along the beautifully wooded North Shore of Long Island. Classes, lectures, and conferences are also offered at the newly-opened Stony Brook Manhattan facility, at the Pollock-Krasner House in East Hampton, administered under the auspices of the Art Department and the Stony Brook Foundation, and at the Pollock-Krasner Study Center at Stony Brook Southampton. All curricula are designed to take advantage of the full range of museums, galleries and libraries of the metropolitan region as well as the facilities of a major research university campus. Thanks to the well-established ties of Stony Brook faculty to the professional art world, our students are regularly placed in internship and apprenticeship programs with artists, galleries, museums, arts agencies and other cultural institutions throughout the metropolitan area. Art history students also have the opportunity to gain valuable experience as managing and business editors for the respected semi-annual journal, Art Criticism, published by the department under the editorship of Donald Kuspit.

M.F.A. in Studio Art

The M.F.A. in Studio Art at Stony Brook is a flexible 60-credit terminal degree program combining studio work, academic studies, and theory. Although the degree requirements concentrate primarily on studio practice, the program requires several liberal arts courses as well as a teaching practicum. The program culminates in a one-person thesis show accompanied by a written thesis, as well as participation in a M.F.A. group exhibition in the University Art Gallery. Normally, the M.F.A. requires three years of full-time residency. Students are not accepted into the M.F.A. program on a part-time basis. The degree is especially suitable for students who plan professional involvement in the making of art as artists, and may also be the degree of choice for those preparing for careers in arts administration, art education, or gallery and museum work.

A. Course Offerings
Courses are offered in painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, computer and electronic media, photography, ceramics, and ceramic sculpture. In addition, studio courses offered through other departments may satisfy area of concentration requirements, subject to approval by the studio art faculty and the Director of Graduate Studies.

B. Liberal Arts Requirement
Students are required to take three or four graduate liberal arts courses (in art history and criticism, literature, history, anthropology, philosophy, musicology, dramaturgy, cultural studies, among others).

C. Demonstrations of Studio Proficiency
All M.F.A. candidates should demonstrate proficiency through the development of a comprehensive body of work. Proficiency is determined by the faculty through periodic evaluation of the work, including mid-term and final critiques each semester, and thesis exhibition review by the student’s thesis committee in the third year.

D. Final Year and One-Person Exhibition
During the final year, in addition to regular coursework, the student will prepare a one-person thesis exhibition for the Graduate Library Gallery or some other suitable venue on campus. As part of the thesis requirement, the student will submit to the department appropriate visual documentation (color slides, photographs, digital images, videos) of the exhibition and a written commentary which conforms to the Graduate School’s requirements for master’s theses. The written thesis should complement the visual work as an articulation of the student’s thoughts and objectives within the broader context of arts and ideas. Third-year students will also participate in the University Art Gallery’s annual M.F.A. group exhibition.

E. Teaching Requirement
All graduate students are required to assist in teaching a minimum of one semester; this course offers three credits toward the M.F.A. degree under ARS 531. In addition, the Art department requires a preliminary semester of observing in the course to be taught under faculty supervision during the following semester. The semester of observation offers an optional three credits toward the degree. Beyond the three or six credits teaching practicum applied toward the degree, all other teaching by students with Teaching Assistantships is part of their obligation and is done without academic credit.

F. Course Requirements
The student will be required to complete successfully 60 credits of graduate work, as outlined in the list of courses below. No graduate studio course may be taken for more than three credits per semester.

1. ARS 550 In Process Critique (3 credits) to be taken during the first year. May be repeated and counted toward studio credits.
2. At least nine graduate studio courses (27 credits).
3. Two semesters of ARS 580 Visual Arts Seminar (6 credits). Additional Visual Arts Seminars are encouraged.
4. Three courses in graduate liberal arts, e.g., art history, languages, literature, philosophy, etc. (9 credits).
5. ARS 531 Graduate Teaching Practicum (see item E, above) (3-6 credits).
6. ARS 532 Thesis Project (up to 6 credits).

Admission for full-time study will be granted to begin in the Fall semester only. Admission into the M.F.A. program is at the discretion of the graduate faculty with final approval of the Graduate School. Admission to the program assumes a minimum of a B average in undergraduate work, meeting the standards of admission to the Graduate School .  The minimum TOEFL score for admission is 550 (paper), or 213 (computer), or 90 (internet-based test); OR an IELTS total score of 6.5. In order to teach, which is a requirement for the MFA, any graduate student whose native language is not English must score 55 or above on the TSE or SPEAK test OR obtain a score of 7.0 or better in the speaking component of the IELTS test. 

All candidates for the M.F.A. program must enter with a minimum of 40 semester hours of credit or the equivalent of undergraduate work in studio art in a B.A., B.S., B.F.A., or similar program. The candidate must submit with his or her graduate application 15 to 20  images of work  and/or  other appropriate materials on  DVD or CD . Applicants should also have a minimum of 15 semester hours of credit in art history, theory, or criticism. At the discretion of the graduate faculty, those without sufficient background may be advised to complete further undergraduate coursework prior to acceptance and admission to the program. Decisions by the graduate art faculty on these matters are in addition to, and not in lieu of, the general requirements of the Graduate School.