Dear Transfer Student,

Thank you for your interest in our program! Whether you are transferring from a 2-year or 4-year institution, we hope the information on this page will help to you get started as you begin your transfer process. If you are looking around our website for the first time, be sure to browse through each area of study to learn more about the unique aspects of our program and see images of our student work.

Where to begin?

First and foremost you need to contact the MTSU Admissions office by calling (615)-898-2111 or visiting the website. Once you have contacted admissions and begun your transfer process, please be sure to follow all of the appropriate steps outlined for you in order to ensure better and more efficient experience.

Advice for Art transfer students about the common "pitfalls" and problems encountered during the transfer process.

One common problem transfer students encounter is a delay or denial in receiving credit at MTSU for transferred studio, art education and art history courses. Often this is caused by a lack of information about the course you are trying to transfer during your initial advising meeting with College of Liberal Arts advisors.

Before you contact the MTSU admissions office, be sure to locate not only your transcripts from your current school, but also clear course descriptions for those art classes you wish to receive credit for at MTSU. Having this course description information early in the process will result in a quicker evaluation of equivalent transfer course credit when compared with similar courses in our department.

For all potential transfer courses, including studio, art education and art history, make sure to check listed descriptions for the specific topics that are covered and/or types of studio artwork produced. You may also want to prepare a portfolio of studio work produced in classes at your current institution to bring to your advising sessions with art faculty.

Topics related to specific concentrations:

The BFA: Studio
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio is designed for those who wish to work professionally as artists in art related fields and/or wish to pursue a graduate degree, Masters of Fine Arts, MFA. Students electing a degree in Studio choose a studio emphasis from ceramics, painting, printmaking, or sculpture, see current catalog for specifics

The degree requires completion of 79 semester hours, including the following:

Foundation & Art History Courses: 30 credit hours

NOTE: Transfer and MTSU students in any Art major (except Graphic Design concentration students) must have completed each foundation course-ART 1610, 1620, 1630, 1640, 1910, 1920, and 1930-with a grade of C (2.00) or better before progressing to their major courses.

ART 1610 - Two-Dimensional Design
ART 1620 - Drawing I
ART 1630 - Three-Dimensional Design
ART 1640 - Drawing II
ART 1910 - Art History Survey I
ART 1920 - Art History Survey II
ART 1930 - Art History Survey III
ART 3940 - Art History Methods or PHIL 4100
Art History Upper Division - 3 hours
Art History Upper Division - 3 hours

Studio Emphasis Courses (Levels III - VI): 18 credit hours
Ceramics
Painting
Printmaking
Sculpture
* Requires students to take six (6) core courses sequentially, in numerical order and one per semester. This means it will take the transfer student at least six (6) semesters to finish their core courses.
* In total, the BFA requires 42 hours of Upper Division, 3000-4000 level courses. Please note, all courses taken at Community Colleges are considered Lower Division, 1000-2000 level courses.

Art Minor Courses (Level III): 9 credit hours
ChoosePick from one of the following areas:
Book Arts
Ceramics
Graphic Design
Printmaking
Painting
Sculpture

Studio Art Electives: 10 credit hours
Selected from entry and upper level courses in one or more of the following areas: book arts, ceramics, computer art, drawing, graphic design, multimedia, printmaking, painting, sculpture as it is relevant to the students area of emphasis.

Art Electives: 12 credit hours
Selected from entry and upper level courses in one or more of the following areas: art history, book arts, ceramics, computer art, drawing, graphic design, printmaking, painting, sculpture as is relevant to the students area of emphasis.

*A senior exhibition of student work is also required.

The BFA in Graphic Design
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design is designed for those who wish to work professionally as graphic designers and/or wish to pursue a graduate degree, Masters of Fine Arts, MFA. A degree in Graphic Design includes a candidacy program based on successful completion of certain required classes with specific minimum grade point expectations and performance for retention, see current catalog for specifics. The degree requires completion of 79 semester hours, including the following:

NOTE: Transfer and MTSU Graphic Design students must have an overall GPA of at least 2.0 on all university level coursework and a minimum grade of "C" (2.0) in each of the following: Art 1610, Art 1620, Art 1630, Art 1640, Art 2310, Art 2325, and Art 3325: Word and Image to be eligible for Upper Division candidacy in Graphic Design, and admittance to Art 3330, Portfolio I.

Foundation Courses: 19 credit hours
ART 1610 - Two-Dimensional Design
ART 1620 - Drawing I
ART 1630 - Three-Dimensional Design
ART 1640 - Drawing II
ART 1910 - Art History Survey I
ART 1920 - Art History Survey II
ART 1930 - Art Survey III (Consult your advisor)

Graphic Design Emphasis (Core Courses): 21 credit hours
(please see notes below)
ART 2310 - Graphic Design Technologies
ART 2325 - Typographic Design
ART 3325 - Word and Image
ART 3330 - Portfolio I-requires portfolio review for admittance
ART 4310 - Portfolio 2
ART 4320 - Senior Project
ART 4330 - Internship

• Students are required to take the six (6) core courses sequentially, in numerical order and one per semester. This means it will take the transfer student at least six (6) semesters to finish their core courses.
• Students need to be eligible for Upper Division candidacy in Graphic Design, and admittance to Art 3330, Portfolio I, by having an overall GPA of at least 2.0 on all university level coursework and a minimum grade of "C" (2.0) in each of the following: Art 1610: 2-Dimensional Design, Art 1620: Drawing I, Art 1630: 3-Dimensional Design, Art 1640: Drawing II, Art 2310: Graphic Design Technologies, Art 2325: Typographic Design, Art 3325: Word and Image.
• Graphic Design core courses are only offered during specific semesters and rarely in the summer. Please refer to the Graphic Design Four Year Schedule to determine when courses you might be interested in are offered.
• In total, the BFA requires 42 hours of Upper Division, 3000-4000 level courses. Please note, all courses taken at Community Colleges are considered Lower Division, 1000-2000 level courses.
• Students must participate in a portfolio review after successfully completing Art 2325, Typographic Design and Art 3325, Word and Image to be eligible for admittance into Art 3330, Portfolio I.
• Admittance to Art 3330, Portfolio I is juried by the Graphic Design faculty as part of the required portfolio review after Art 3325, Word and Image.
• Students seeking college credit for Graphic Design classes taken at other institutions are required to present a representative portfolio of work done in those classes.

Portfolios for classes to be taken in

• Fall 2008, are due March 25, 2008.
• Spring 2009, are due October 28, 2008.
• Fall 2009, are due March 24, 2009.

Upper division Art History Courses: 6 credit hours
Any 2 upper division Art History Courses (Contemporary Art History: Art 4920 preferred for one course)

Graphic Design Elective Courses: 15 credit hours
(one 3 hour course from five of the following areas)
Interactive Design: ART 3930 Interactive Design I, 4390 Interactive Design II, or 4400 Interactive Design III
Books Arts: ART 3550 Book Arts I or 3770 Letterpress I
Illustration: ART 4280 Digital Illustration or 4290 Beginning Illustration
Photography: PHOT 2050 Black and White Photography or PHOT 3200 Still Digital Imaging
Computer Assisted Art: ART 3610 Intro. to Computer-Assisted Art or 3620 Intermediate Computer-Assisted Art

Studio Art Electives: 9 credit hours
(three 3 hour courses from the following areas)
ART 2130 - Silkscreen or ART 3140 - Etching/Intaglio
ART 2510 - Sculpture
ART 3650 - Figure Drawing or ART 2620 - Color Drawing
ART 2710 - Painting
ART 2810 - Throwing or ART 3820 - Handbuilding

Art Minor Courses: 9 credit hours
Choose from one of the following areas
Book Arts
Clay
Drawing
Illustration
Interactive Design
Painting
Photography
Printmaking
Sculpture

Please refer to the Graphic Design Advising Form for this information and more. Contact Your Advisor. If you don't know your advisor's name log into PipeLineMT, on the left menu select 'Registration & Student Records', and then click on 'Assigned Advisor(s)'. View contact information for current faculty teaching in the Department of Art and Design.