University of Wisconsin Stout | Wisconsin's Polytechnic University

Artists and designers are makers. Creators. Innovators. Builders. Art and design are creative endeavors that communicate to the viewer in myriad ways. The artist and the designer often share the ability to visually articulate cultural values, ideals for social change, and individual conceptions of what it means to be human. The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at UW-Stout prepares you for a career as a professional artist or designer.   

Your curriculum is based on courses in art, design and art history balanced with general education courses in humanities, analytical reasoning, science and technology. As a student in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program, you can opt to pursue advanced studies in one of five concentrations: studio art, graphic design, industrial design, interior design or multimedia design. Regardless of emphasis or concentration, you’ll engage in a curriculum that is grounded in the fine arts. These courses value the critical and perceptual dynamics of art-making, the relevance of art history to contemporary art and design, and the analytical principles of aesthetics.

An Effective Learning Environment

Modern studios/classrooms provide environments that contribute to your learning experience, and extensive open studio/lab hours allow you access to these spaces outside of class periods. The University Library and the Department of Art and Design's Visual Resources Center feature collections of resources including books, periodicals and subscription-based online databases. Two galleries housed in the department – a student gallery and the John Furlong Gallery – along with other spaces on and off campus, host student, faculty and outside exhibitions throughout the academic year. Regular field trips to museums and galleries in Minneapolis and St. Paul give you further opportunities to view a changing array of exhibitions, performances, presentations, demonstrations and lectures.

The university provides access to international study in such countries as Australia, France, Great Britain, Scotland, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Thailand. As a Bachelor of Fine Arts student, you are encouraged to participate in study abroad programs and to become involved in student organizations, such as the Fine Arts Association (Studio Arts), the Graphic Design Student Association, the Industrial Design Student Association, the Interior Design Student Association or the Multimedia Design Student Association.

Preparing for UW-Stout

Preparation for the Bachelor of Fine Arts program should include a sound liberal studies background, as well as courses in the fine arts. Basic computer science, web design or design software courses are recommended additions if you are pursuing design concentrations within the program.

Starting Out

During your first semester at Stout, the Advisement and Career Center will provide advisers to help you choose your courses, and will help you successfully navigate the university community. Your first few semesters will consist of a mixture of general education, art, design, art history, and – for the design concentrations – technical courses. As a BFA in Art student, you’ll start taking art and design courses your first semester at UW-Stout.

As You Progress

Your schedule will continue to balance general education and discipline-specific art, art history and design courses. When you approach the half-way mark in your undergraduate career, you’ll participate in the art and design department's mid-program portfolio review, where you’ll present the best quality works from your art and design foundations coursework. A team of department faculty will review your progress and offer suggestions for enhancing your portfolio. A faculty adviser will assist with course and professional career options. Additional support services are offered by the Advisement Center, the Counseling Center and the Career Services Office.

During your last four semesters, you’ll take intermediate and advanced courses in your chosen emphasis or concentration. For the design concentrations, many of these upper-level courses are sequential, meaning that the courses must be taken in separate semesters. This progression in your advanced design studio courses ensures the finest quality portfolio pieces. The culmination of the final years of academic study is your senior show, which is a requirement for all BFA in Art majors. This exhibition presents the very finest art and design work created during the final stages of your coursework.

Accreditation

Since 1988 UW-Stout has been an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and since spring 2000 the Interior Design concentration has been accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (formerly known as FIDER – the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research).