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Courses | B.F.A. in Art

Below are the course requirements for this academic program. In addition to these program-specific requirements, all majors include Biola's traditional undergraduate core curriculum. For more program details, including a sample course sequence, visit Biola's academic catalog.

Admissions and Program Requirements

The Department of Art has an open admissions policy. Incoming first-year students and transfer students from other institutions may declare an art major when they apply for admission to Biola University. Because of the rigorous schedule and amount of work required in the B.F.A. degree program, transfer students and Torrey Honors College students may need an additional semester to complete all of their requirements.

The Department of Art offers three degree programs. The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art is a professional degree program focusing on intensive studio practice and requiring an area of concentration; the B.F.A. is the preferred degree for students who anticipate having an art-related career, or who are planning to attend graduate school. The Bachelor of Science degrees in Art and in Design contain a broader range of liberal arts general education courses, and allow students the option of choosing a wide range of general electives. The two B.S. degrees also allow greater flexibility for students completing a double major or a minor in another academic discipline.

Every year, all art majors participate in formal reviews to evaluate their progress in the department. Student portfolios are appraised using a variety of criteria, such as technical achievement, creative problem solving, and aesthetic/artistic development. Reviews are conducted at the end of the freshman, sophomore and junior years. Graduating seniors in the B.F.A. program are evaluated the semester before their thesis exhibitions.

All art majors are required to maintain a 2.5 GPA in the program. Any grade below a C- (1.67) must be repeated.

In art and design studio classes, contact hours define the meaning of a credit hour. In these courses, one semester hour of credit equals two hours of class instruction with at least one additional hour of unsupervised laboratory work each week. Studio courses receiving three credits typically meet six hours a week for class instruction with the expectation that students complete an additional three hours of assigned laboratory work. Students taking ARTS 462 or ARTS 464, and independent studies, must complete a minimum of three hours of research/laboratory work each week during the semester for one hour of credit.

All B.F.A. majors must declare an area of concentration before registering for the sophomore year. Students declaring the Interdisciplinary Concentration must choose two specific areas of concentration (animation, design, illustration, painting, photography, or sculpture).

It is recommended that all Art majors own a Macintosh laptop. Contact the Department of Art office for recommended specifications.

Concentrations

The BFA major is designed to give art students flexibility in constructing their program which will include one of seven areas of concentration.

The Animation Concentration focuses on equipping students with central skills in the discipline of animation to prepare them for professional outcomes in the entertainment industry.

The Design Concentration integrates a fine arts perspective into a curriculum that promotes conceptual thinking and transdisciplinary investigation while developing technical proficiencies to engage a contemporary practice.

The Illustration Concentration develops students' proficiencies in commercial applications of drawing, painting, and digital forms, as a means to prepare them for professional outcomes in various industries.

The Painting Concentration focuses on a wide range of painting practices including observational representation, figuration, and abstraction while engaging students in current discourses within the discipline.

The Photography Concentration focuses on integrating the skills of black and white darkroom techniques with contemporary digital color practices to produce conceptually-driven, photo-based art. As of Spring 2023, this concentration is in teach-out phase; it is not open to new or readmit students.

The Sculpture Concentration equips students to think creatively while developing proficiency in a variety of three-dimensional fabrication techniques — including additive and subtractive processes, modeling, carving, mold-making and casting.

The Interdisciplinary Concentration allows students to develop their interests in two of the above concentrations by combining key courses from each into a focused interdisciplinary concentration.

Curriculum Requirements

B.F.A. majors meet the Core Curriculum requirement of 6 credits in philosophy and integration seminar within the major and are exempt from the Core Curriculum requirements in fine arts and foreign language. The Core Curriculum requirement for history is 3 credits (HIST 200 or HIST 201 or POSC 225).
Program Courses
ARTS 107Drawing I3
ARTS 1102-D Foundations3
ARTS 1113-D Foundations3
ARTS 1124-D Foundations3
ARTS 116History of Western Art I: Prehistoric Through Renaissance3
ARTS 126History of Western Art II: Baroque Through Modernism3
ARTS 220Professional Practices3
ARTS 315Contemporary Art Trends3
ARTS 433Global Art Paradigms3
ARTS 440Senior Thesis I3
ARTS 450Internship3
ARTS 475Senior Thesis II3
BBST 4654Integration Seminar: Contemporary Art and Theology 13
PHIL 216Introduction to Philosophy and Aesthetics 23
Select one of the following upper-division Art History electives:3
Modernity: Realism to Surrealism
Historical Development of Design 3,4
History of Illustration and Animation 4,5
Seminar in Art History
History and Criticism of Photography 6
Art Theory and Criticism
Program Course Requirements: 45
Select a Concentration detailed below33
Core Curriculum Requirements 754
Total Credits132
1

Fulfills the BBST 465 Biblical and Theological Studies Integration Seminar requirement.

2

Fulfills the Philosophy Core Curriculum requirement.

3

Required of all Design concentration students.

4

Illustration concentration students are required to take either ARTS 321 or ARTS 360.

5

Required of all Animation concentration students.

6

Required of all Photography concentration students.

7

See Core Curriculum Program section for details.

Concentrations

Animation

Concentration Courses
ARTS 108Figure Studies I3
ARTS 213Painting I3
ARTS 319Figure Studies II3
ARTS 330Advanced Digital Workshop3
ARTS 335Storyboarding and Concept Design3
ARTS 341Animation I3
ARTS 438Animation II3
Select 12 credits from the following courses:12
Drawing II
Painting II
New Media Art I
Seminar in Art
Advanced Studio Practicum
Advanced Studio Practicum
Game Engines
Beginning Acting
Total Credits33

Design

Concentration Courses
ARTS 210Sculpture I3
ARTS 217Typography I3
ARTS 314Integrated Design I3
ARTS 330Advanced Digital Workshop3
ARTS 333Graphic Design Forms I3
or ARTS 348 New Media Art I
ARTS 337Typography II3
ARTS 423Integrated Design II3
ARTS 429Integrated Design III3
Select three ARTS courses (two of which must be upper-division), for a total of 9 credits9
Total Credits33

Illustration

Concentration Courses
ARTS 108Figure Studies I3
ARTS 213Painting I3
ARTS 215Idea and Image3
ARTS 324Illustration I3
ARTS 328Printed Matter3
ARTS 437Illustration II3
ARTS 449Authorship3
Select four upper-division ARTS elective courses, for a total of 12 credits12
Total Credits33

Painting

Concentration Courses
ARTS 108Figure Studies I3
ARTS 213Painting I3
ARTS 307Drawing II3
ARTS 308Painting II3
ARTS 319Figure Studies II3
ARTS 408Drawing III3
ARTS 413Painting III3
Select one of the following courses:3
Sculpture I
Ceramics I
Idea and Image
Typography I
Photography I-Introduction to Darkroom and Digital Processes
Select three ARTS elective courses (two must be upper-division), for total of 9 credits9
Total Credits33

Photography

As of Spring 2023, this concentration is in teach-out phase; it is not open to new or readmit students.

Concentration Courses
ARTS 221Photography I-Introduction to Darkroom and Digital Processes3
ARTS 316Photography II-Studies in Color3
ARTS 334Photography III-Advanced Black and White Photography3
ARTS 344Contemporary Photographic Practices3
ARTS 432Advanced Integrated Photography3
Select one course from the following:3
Sculpture I
Ceramics I
Painting I
Printmaking
Installation and Time-Based Art I
Animation I
New Media Art I
Select four upper-division ARTS electives, for total of 12 credits12
Total Credits30

Sculpture

Concentration Courses
ARTS 210Sculpture I3
ARTS 211Ceramics I3
ARTS 305Sculpture II3
ARTS 330Advanced Digital Workshop3
ARTS 415Sculpture III3
Select two courses from the following:6
Figure Studies I
Painting I
Idea and Image
Typography I
Photography I-Introduction to Darkroom and Digital Processes
Select four upper-division ARTS electives, for a total of 12 credits12
Total Credits33

Interdisciplinary

Concentration Courses
Students declaring the Interdisciplinary Concentration choose two specific areas of study from the list below.
Students must complete four courses in each of the two areas and three ARTS courses (two must be upper-division) as electives for a total of 33 credits. 1
Select two areas from the following:24
Animation
Figure Studies I
Figure Studies II
Storyboarding and Concept Design
Animation I
Animation II
Design
Typography I
Integrated Design I
Typography II
Integrated Design III
Integrated Design II
Illustration
Idea and Image
Illustration I
Printed Matter
Authorship
Illustration II
Painting
Figure Studies I
Painting I
Painting II
Painting III
Photography (As of Spring 2023, this area of study is in teach-out phase; it is not open to new or readmit students.)
Photography I-Introduction to Darkroom and Digital Processes
Photography II-Studies in Color
Photography III-Advanced Black and White Photography
Contemporary Photographic Practices
Advanced Integrated Photography
Sculpture
Sculpture I
Sculpture II
Select two of the following:
Ceramics I
Ceramics II
New Media Art I
Sculpture III
Advanced Studio Practicum
Elective Courses
Select three ARTS courses (two must be upper-division), for a total of 9 credits 19
Total Credits33
1

Art: Interdisciplinary students may take ARTS 462 or ARTS 464 as part of their upper-division electives.

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