Undergraduates (continued)

Admissions

Bachelor of Fine Arts Program

For an Electronic BFA Degree Requirements Form, Click Here

IInitially, all students enter as Bachelor of Arts (BA) candidates.

Prerequisites for application to the BFA Program are:

• Art 123, 125 and 135
• Beginning course work in four of six studio areas
• FA 265 and FA 266

For the first application, students must have earned more than 33 art credits and less than 39. A second application may be made sometime before the senior year (90 total credits). A student may only apply twice to the program.

Application to the Bachelor of Fine Arts program must include:

• Application form (including area faculty signature)
• Statement of intent
• Portfolio of ten 35mm slides, representing the breadth and quality of work

BFA applications are reviewed at mid-semester in the Fall of each year, two weeks prior to Spring semester advance registration. One regularly scheduled day will be set aside for the reviews.

BFA students must maintain a 3.0 in the major with a 2.5 average overall. Failure to maintain a 3.0 GPA in the major will result in the student being placed on probationary status.

BA students who continue to accumulate credits may apply to the BFA Program prior to senior status (90 credits) via the application process. The GPA requirements for the BFA Program are applied (3.0 in the major with a 2.5 average overall). Additionally, Art 494 (Professional Practices) and 499 (Senior Thesis), including the BFA show, are required. Transfer students must undergo the same procedure.

Advanced Placement Policy

Students wishing challenge foundations courses for advanced placement must adhere to the following:

Students can only try to challenge the foundations courses (Art 123-Drawing, 125-2D foundations, 135-3D foundations). Students who have taken AP exams will still need to submit a portfolio to challenge art classes.

Only Freshman, Sophmores and entering transfer students are allowed to challenge these courses. Juniors and Seniors in the program who have already completed upper division coursework will not be allowed to challenge these courses. Portfolios will be reviewed the two weeks prior to registration for each semester by a committee of representative faculty from the 2D and 3D areas.

Two weeks prior to the semester students may submit a portfolio of eight to ten slides or pieces of actual work to the department office. If you are trying to challenge more than one course, you will need eight to ten works in each area. For example: 8-10 drawing samples for 123, 8-10 color works for 125, and 8-10 3D pieces for 135.

Submission of work does not guarantee advanced placement.

Students with transfer credits from another institution must contact the Chair of the department for review of transfer transcripts to make an advanced placement assessment.

[top]

Scholarships

Scholarships are a warded to declared UM Art Majors enrolled as full-time students at the Sophomore level or above at the time the scholarship is received, with an overall grade point average of 3.0, who demonstrate exceptional talent in both technical and creative abilities. Both B.A. and B.F.A. students may apply. Selection is based on the creativity and uniqueness of the artist, as well as the donor's preferences, (if applicable).

On average, scholarship award amounts range from $250 to $1000 a piece.

THE FOLLOWING SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE TO UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS:

• Odyssey of the Stars Award / Art Scholarship Fund
  Open to all students
• Bill Kliber Memorial Scholarship for the Arts
  Open to all students
• Ashley Elizabeth Pierce Scholarship
  Open to all students
• Briar Diggs Visual Arts Scholarship
  Open to all students
• Avis Mitchell Scholarship in Visual Arts
  Open to all students
  In the case of a tie, preference will go to a student from Miles City, MT first, or a student elsewhere in Eastern Montana second
• Scott Bardsley Memorial Scholarship
  Applicants must be BFA or MFA students with a focus in Ceramics
  Applicants must not have received this scholarship in years past
• Walter Hook Memorial Scholarship
  Applicants must be junior or senior undergraduates
• Laura Bergh Barrett Scholarship
  Preference will be given to incoming students from rural areas east of Great Falls, MT who have financial need and whose portfolios demonstrate artistic ability
  Preference will also be given to female applicants
• Marie Wallace Fine Arts Scholarship
  Applicants must be worthy students reasonably demonstrating financial need but not eligible for federal student assistance
• Thomas Leslie Wickes and Heloise Vinal Wickes Scholarship in the Fine Arts
  Applicants who have received this award in years past may not apply
• Pat Williams Scholarship
  Applicants must be undergraduates
• Jacquelyn (Jackie) McElroy-Edward Scholarship
  Preference will be given to students in printmaking

Scholarship Application Process
Deadline: Mid February, 2008 (Specific Date: To Be Announced)

Selection Criteria

• Art major enrolled as a full-time student at the sophomore level or above, throughout the upcoming academic year
• Minimum grade point average of 3.0 overall
• Demonstrated exceptional talent in both technical and creative abilities

Application

• Portfolio of seven to eight (7-8) images of recent work (two may be of details) demonstrating ability and serious pursuit of fine arts. Applicants my submit either slides or digital images. Digital images must be 300 dpi JPEGs 6” high and correspond to a numbered list. Each slide must be clearly marked in ink with student's name, an arrow indicating top, and a number that corresponds to the numbered slide list.
• A 300 word artist’s statement, double spaced
• Current transcript

[top]