Undergraduate Program

Overview

Admission to the Programs


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Undergraduate Program Overview

The Undergraduate Program in the Department of Art & Design offers a comprehensive curriculum for students aspiring to become practicing artists, designers, teachers, gallery/museum workers, fashion professionals or art historians, to name just a few professions pursued by our graduates.

The Department offers a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree. Through concentrations such as Art Studio (including nine specializations), as well as Art Education, Art History, Industrial Design, Filmmaking and Fashion Studies, students work with faculty who are professional artists and art historians with distinguished reputations in the contemporary art world.

Opportunities to see and participate in exhibitions both on campus and in New York are among the experiential offerings, as are opportunities for interdisciplinary and experimental work. Approximately 540 students form an intensive undergraduate learning community in the Department of Art & Design.

  

Why Study
Art & Design at MSU-CART?

MSU's College of the Arts (MSU-CART) offers an art school experience in a liberal arts setting. Located just 14 miles from the cultural richness of midtown Manhattan, MSU-CART offers unparalleled advantages. Find out more .

Come Visit!

 

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Studio (BFA, BA)

The Department of Art & Design offers both a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) with a concentration in Art Studio.

In the BA program students explore their studio concentration within the context of a broad liberal arts education. Approximately one-third of the course work is in studio (including three courses in a specialization area) and two-thirds in general education subjects. It is most suited for those wanting a more diversified academic experience combined with a focus in art.

The BFA is a program designed for students seeking preparation as professional artists and designers. Studio courses comprise two-thirds of the curriculum whereby students take a minimum of six (rather than three) courses in an area of specialization plus an additional nine courses in other studio areas. The BFA is especially recommended for students wishing to continue their education in the visual arts at the graduate level.

B.A. and B.F.A. studio specializations include drawing , painting, sculpture, photography, jewelry, printmaking, ceramics, graphic design and illustration. The department also offers a BFA concentration in industrial design and a major in filmmaking. Regardless of the program selected, students initially enter as B.A. candidates and explore a diversity of foundation courses.


Curriculum, Courses and Admission

Undergraduate Curriculum/Catalogue (Select "Art & Design")
BA Studio Sequence of Study
 BFA Studio Sequence of Study
Studio Course Descriptions (Select Art & Design specialization interest)

 

Admission to the Program


Foundation Core Curriculum

The foundation core curriculum exposes students to principles and concepts that are integral to all the visual arts. Students take a total of twenty-four credits, including courses in 2-D and 3-D Design, Color Systems, Drawing and Art History. Foundation courses are to be completed by the second semester of the student's sophomore year.


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Art Education (BA)

BA Art Education Coordinator:
Dr. Dorothy Heard
973.655.4210

The Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts Education (BAFAE) is a professional degree option within the university's teacher preparation program that leads to qualification for the initial instructional certificate to teach K-12 art in New Jersey's (as well as our nation's) schools.

Two essential goals of the undergraduate program are to:

  • induct students who identify with and will, throughout the course of their program of study and into their professional careers, seek to inculcate the qualities set forth in the Portrait of a Teacher .
  • provide students the opportunity to acquire a broad range of basic and advanced knowledge and skills in studio art , art history and pedagogy to successfully guide and deepen the aesthetic development of children K-12.

 

Curriculum, Courses and Admission

The BAFAE student will participate in a combination of professional education courses and field experiences, basic studio and art history courses and K-12 art classroom methods courses. While most courses are offered in the fall and spring semesters, a limited number of courses are also offered during the summer.

Students admitted to the Teacher Education program are required to complete 9 to 12 courses in Art and Design, as well as the following courses before beginning the sequence of professional education courses:

  • PSYCH 101 General Psychology I
  • SPCM 101 Fundamentals of Speech
  • PSYCH 200 Educational Psychology
  • CURR 200 Initial Field Experience
Undergraduate Curriculum/Catalogue(Select "Art & Design Dept.")
Art Education Sequence of Study
Art Education Course Descriptions (Select Art & Design/Art Education)

Admission to the Program

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Art History (BA)


Works from the MSU Permanent Collection

BA Art History Program Coordinator:
Dr. Anne Betty Weinshenker
973.655.2091

Art history is the mother-discipline of all other fields of study. - Rudolf Wittkower

Art History, a Bachelor of Arts (BA) concentration within the Fine Arts major, exposes students to the multiplicity of methods and techniques of research, interpretation and writing about art, artists and cultures. Students learn how to prepare scholarly research papers and catalog entries, make oral presentations as well as write essays and articles for the general public, often incorporating slides, powerpoint and other technology. Survey and topic courses in Art History, many available for non-majors as well as majors, provide introductory and in-depth study of the field.

What is Art History?

Spanning 35,000 years from as early as the Stone Age through to modern time humans have made images to express themselves. The history of art is as vast as it is deep. Art historians study not only painting, sculpture, architecture and the graphic arts (traditional forms of art), but also virtually all things made or decorated by man, including folk, religious, and ceremonial objects. It is therefore not surprising that art historians draw from almost any field of study, including philosophy, religion, literature, archeology, engineering and history to name a few.

What is an Art Historian? What do they Research?

Art historians are individuals passionate in their search for answers. They love art, architecture and essentially all that is visual. They enjoy writing about what they see and piecing puzzles together. They enjoy studying cultures and learning languages. They are at home in libraries and with archives.

 

Art Historians investigate many questions related to the works they study. Who made the work? From what culture and during which time period was it made? What inspired the work and how did it inspire others? Beyond inherent aesthetic characteristics, art historians explore how artifacts are used in religious, ritual and ceremonial contexts; criteria for beauty within cultures; and the impact art has on the experience of individuals, popular culture, economics and science.

Career Opportunities

Art History graduates from Montclair State pursue many paths as professionals, including:

  • Museum Curator (most positions require a Master's Degree or Ph.D.)
  • Museum Manager (many positions require a Master's Degree or Ph.D.)
  • University Professor (requires a Ph.D.)
  • Gallery Director or Assistant
  • Art Critic
  • Editor (books, newspapers and magazines)
  • Art Registrar
  • Art Appraiser
  • Careers in Art and Antiques Auction Houses
  • Careers in Corporate and Private Collections
  • Art Law (requires additional degree in law)
  • Any career which requires research skills and/or knowledge of foreign languages.


Faculty

The Art History faculty at MSU have widely published their research in scholarly publications both in the United States and abroad. They present regularly at forums for scholars at national and international conferences and symposia. While recognized for their research accomplishments, faculty are foremost dedicated to their students' own developing sense of curiosity, scholarship and intellectual output.


Curriculum, Courses and Admission

Undergraduate Curriculum / Catalogue (Select "Art & Design")
Art History Sequence of Study
Art History Course Descriptions (Select Art & Design/Art History)

Admission to the Program

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Animation/Illustration (BFA)

 

BFA Animation/Illustration Program Coordinator:
Scott Gordley
973.655.4140

It seems no matter which way you turn these days, animation is everywhere.  Movies, cartoons, video games, internet, titling, television advertising, special effects, motion graphics, LED billboards, convention displays, theme parks . . . animation is prevalent and growing─fast!  The over $100 billion industry in fact has wide reaching arms with jobs turning up sometimes in surprising places.  Animators and illustrators find work not only in professional animation houses but in a wide range of industries.

At the core of animation is illustrated movement — artists telling stories through visual illustration, movement and sound.  Highly developed drawing skills and an aptitude for observational notation is critical, as is an understanding of the dynamics of form, gesture and movement.

The BFA program in Animation/Illustration at Montclair State University trains students in their development of these skills.  The multidisciplinary curriculum offers both traditional and digital illustration courses which provide a foundation for animation course work in the 3rd and 4th years.  Illustration (which includes book cover art, magazine/newspaper illustration, comic book & graphic novel art as well as illustration for advertising) is the prerequisite for the animation component.

 

Animation/Illustration Faculty
Gallery of Student Work
Studio Facility



Curriculum and Courses

Essential to the Animation/Illustration curriculum are courses which develop skills in drawing, storyboarding, characterization and illustration techniques including Interactive Media/Gaming, 2-D Animation, 3-D Modeling and Computer Animation, Broadcast Graphics and Character Design.

 

First Year

In the first year students complete foundation courses in Concept, Process & Application, 2-D Design, 3-D Design and Figure Drawing.  Conceptual skills─visual thinking─as well as technical mastery are stressed.  The program offers traditional foundation courses as well as one introductory illustration course as the platform for students to explore and develop their own unique voice.  It is critical that students take courses in a sequence that develops their foundational skills in theory based color and design courses prior to creating digital graphics. 

Second Year

The second year of the program introduces students to illustration methodologies; basic computer graphics programs; introduction to video/computer multimedia; a survey course in historical perspectives in illustration and animation; painting; and an additional art history course. Students create sequential narratives unique to comic books, children’s books, graphic novels and storyboards in two separate illustration courses.  The second year focuses on aspects of interdisciplinary experience, helping students develop multiple skills.

Third Year

In the third year, students begin learning 3–D modeling on the computer, taking skills learned previously to a higher level using  complex 3–D digital software.  Learning to build both static and organic models, where texturizing and basic 3–point lighting systems are employed, is labor-intensive and intricate.   2–D animation is also explored as a supplement to the 3–D classes.  The second semester introduces students to the mechanics of animation.  Inverse and forward kinematics as well as basic character rigging are explored, stressing the importance of body movement, expression and physical nuance.  An introductory screenwriting course is also offered in the second semester.

Fourth Year

In the final year of the program, work continues in the area of illustration and animation, allowing students to more fully explore their particular area of interest.  A professional portfolio is developed in the student’s final year. Distinguished artists in both illustration and animation will lead periodic workshops on diverse topics such as storyboarding, character development, special effects, as well as  2– and 3–D animation and illustration techniques.  An active intern placement program will help to ensure student success during their senior year─either in the summer preceding the year or during the final school year.  A yearlong project is to be completed at the end of the senior year.

 

Admission Requirements

Admission to the program requires a portfolio interview. 
See undergraduate Studio requirements on Department Admission page.

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Fashion Studies (BA)

Fashion Studies Contact:
Prof. Linda Reilly
973.655.7485


Fashion Studies, a Bachelor of Arts (BA) concentration within the Fine Arts major , focuses on the multibillion-dollar industry concerned with the production and sale of fashion products. Students analyze consumer needs and learn how these needs are met by a complex and dynamic fashion industry, preparing for careers in apparel manufacturing, merchandising, management, and/or marketing of fashion products and services. Beyond the classroom students benefit from full-time internship and cooperative education experiences with companies that develop, produce and promote fashion. Formerly a program within the university's Department of Human Ecology, Fashion Studies has a new home in the Department of Art & Design.


Career Opportunities

  • Fashion Merchandising
  • Fashion Wholesale Industry
  • Fashion Marketing and Sales
  • Fashion Buying
  • Fashion Retailing
  • Merchandise Management
  • Production
  • Fashion Publications
  • Public Relations
  • Theatrical Costuming
  • Textiles
  • Stylist
  • Cosmetics
  • Accessories
  • Entrepreneur
  • Quality Assurance
  • Market Research


Curriculum, Courses and Admission

The Fashion Studies Curriculum includes courses related to the various aspects of the fashion industry, including textiles, fashion marketing, historic costume, apparel design, clothing and culture; in addition to courses in art and business.

Fashion Studies Sequence of Study
Fashion Studies Course Descriptions (Select "Art & Design/Fashion Studies")

Admission to the Fashion Studies Program

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