Course General Description

The Drawing and Painting Area offers a competitive two-and-a-half-year Master of Fine Arts degree. The diverse faculty in the Drawing and Painting Area are working contemporary artists that exhibit both nationally and internationally. Working alongside these and other faculty in the department offers students the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of experimentation and interdisciplinary pursuits, all the while receiving critical feedback from a variety of perspectives. An emphasis is placed on conceptual rigor and the current dialog of each student’s inquiry. MFA students choose a graduate committee comprised of no fewer than four faculty members, with two from the Drawing and Painting Area and all others from any other department on campus. First year MFA students must pass a first-year review in order to advance onto the second year. A second review occurs prior to the student’s final thesis semester; this is called the pre-thesis review. A final thesis review takes place during the student’s MFA thesis exhibition held in the CU Art Museum. The MFA thesis includes both the exhibition and a written paper addressing the student’s practice. Equal weight is given to the written thesis and creative work. Students must pass the final thesis review in order to receive a degree.

School General Description

As one of only 36 public research institutions in the Association of American Universities (AAU), the University of Colorado Boulder is all about realizing the positive impacts of new knowledge. From offering dozens of exciting programs in a range of academic fields, to serving as one of the world’s most dynamic research and innovation hubs, to working closely through hundreds of public outreach efforts with communities across Colorado and the world, we take pride in helping our students, faculty, staff and partners turn new ideas into productive outcomes that change lives. CU Boulder’s vision is grounded in its statutory mission as a national public research university. In Colorado statute, the university is defined as the “comprehensive graduate research university with selective admissions standards . . . offer(ing) a comprehensive array of undergraduate, master and doctoral degree programs” of what is now designated the University of Colorado System. CU Boulder recognizes the exceptional opportunities associated with its role as a research university, and values the unique strength and character research achievements bring to undergraduate education. It is keenly aware of its responsibility for educating the next generation of citizens and leaders, and for fostering the spirit of discovery through research. Indeed, CU Boulder believes that its students, both graduate and undergraduate, benefit from the comprehensive mix of programs and research excellence that characterize a flagship university. Thus, CU Boulder’s statutory mission is relevant today and will remain relevant tomorrow.