California College of the Arts Fine Arts Department

Graduate Program in Fine Arts

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Dual Degree

MFA/MA Dual Degree

The MFA/MA dual degree in Fine Arts and Visual and Critical Studies is a three-year program directed toward students who wish to merge their studio practice with rigorous visual analysis.

This program is ideal for artists who wish to further their artistic explorations through critical writing.

VCS + Fine Arts

For students first matriculating in Fall 2016, the curricular requirements for the three-year Visual and Critical Studies (MA) + Fine Arts (MFA) dual-degree option are as follows:

VCS courses (30 units):

  • Methodologies (12 units)
  • Strategies (3 units)
  • Identities (3 units)
  • Voices (3 units)
  • VCS Topics (3 units)
  • Master’s Project 1 & 2 (6 units)

Fine Arts courses (39 units):

  • Graduate Studio Practice (GSP) (21 units)
  • Dialogues & Practices I and II (6 units)
  • Contemporary Art History & Theory (3 units)
  • Studio Research Lab (SRL)(3 units)
  • Fine Art Seminar or SRL (3 units)
  • Exhibitions (3 units)

Electives

  • Grad-wide electives (9 units)

Total units: 78

 

Below is an example of how these courses sequence over three years:

First Year

Fall (15 units)

  • Strategies (3 units)
  • Grad Studio Practice (6 units)
  • Dialogues & Practices 1 (3 units)
  • Contemporary Art History and Theory (3 units)

Spring (17 units)

  • Identities (3 units)
  • Grad Studio Practice (5 units)
  • Dialogues & Practices 2 (3 units)
  • Fine Arts Seminar (3 units)
  • Grad-wide Elective (3 units)

Second Year

Fall (14 units)

  • Methodologies (3 units)
  • VCS Topics (3 units)
  • Grad Studio Practice (5 units)
  • Studio Research Lab (3 units)

Spring (14 units)

  • Methodologies (3 units)
  • Voices (3 units)
  • Grad Studio Practice (5 units)
  • Exhibitions (3 units)

Third Year

Fall (9 units)

  • Methodologies (3 units)
  • Master’s Project 1 (3 units)
  • Grad-wide Elective (3 units)

Spring (9 units)

  • Methodologies (3 units)
  • Master’s Project 2 (3 units)
  • Grad-wide Elective (3 units)

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