Bachelor of Fine Arts Program
Program Code: BFA-AS
Major Code: AAD

Art and Design​ Department
Upton Hall 402
(716) 878-6032
artdesign.buffalostate.edu/

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, 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.

Program Requirements

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
Product Design
Sculpture
Wood/Furniture

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.