The University of South Carolina offers the M.F.A. degree program with a major in studio arts. Within the major, studies specialize in drawing, ceramics, painting, photography, sculpture (3-D studies), and printmaking. The M.F.A. degree provides the opportunity for professional growth and mastery of skills in the selected major and minor areas of concentration in studio art. Completion of the degree primarily affirms a candidate’s mastery in studio production. Also, through competitively assigned assistantships, opportunities are provided for candidates to develop professional competency in the teaching of studio art. The M.F.A. degree requires a minimum of 60 hours of graduate level course credit and a combined undergraduate and graduate total of 124 credit hours in art. The M.F.A. program itself consists of 60 credit hours: 33 hours of art studio; 12 hours from a group that comprises art history, theory, criticism, and art education; 6 to 9 hours of a creative terminal project, including a written proposal and project documentation; and 6 to 9 hours of electives. An oral defense of the project is also required.

* All MFA Studio Art graduate students will identify the processes, techniques, materials and technologies of art as they pertain to specific areas of studio art. * All MFA Studio Art graduate students will explore the development of art, within their own and other cultures, from pre-history to the present. * All MFA Studio Art graduate students will critically analyze aspects of the design and art making proces and evaluate theories, philosophies, and research in the practice of the studio arts. * All MFA Studio Art graduate students will, through their artwork, demonstrate their competency of aesthetic literacy.