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Studio Arts BA

College of Liberal Arts / Fine Arts
Undergraduate major / Bachelor of Arts

About The Program

The Bachelor of Arts in studio arts at Metropolitan State University gives students the opportunity to cultivate their creativity while developing marketable skills.

A core curriculum in drawing, painting, and digitally-based arts is supplemented by other media and techniques, community-based internships, and coursework in related disciplines.

Under the guidance of accomplished arts faculty with national and international exhibition histories, students will prepare for graduate school and/or careers in the visual arts.

Student Outcomes

  • Program Student Learning Outcome 1: Apply language common to the visual arts. More specifically, students will be able to:
    1. demonstrate comprehension of art vocabulary
    2. produce various types of written documents that support their ideas
  • Program Student Learning Outcome 2: produce a cohesive body of art or craft. More specifically, students will be able to:
    1. compile a suite of works that have formal and/or conceptual similarities
    2. assemble a digital portfolio
  • Program Student Learning Outcome 3: generate documents designed for the creative arts industry. More specifically, students will be able to:
    1. write artists’ statement that address the form and content of their work
    2. create exhibition resumes that highlight their creative achievements

Digital Media Minor

Technical Communication Minor

How to enroll

Current students: Declare this program

Once you’re admitted as an undergraduate student and have met any further admission requirements your chosen program may have, you may declare a major or declare an optional minor.

Future students: Apply now

Apply to Metropolitan State: Start the journey toward your Studio Arts BA now. Learn about the steps to enroll or, if you have questions about what Metropolitan State can offer you, request information, visit campus or chat with an admissions counselor.

Get started on your Studio Arts BA

More ways to earn your degree: Metropolitan State offers the flexibility you need to finish your degree. Through programs at our partner institutions, you can find a path to getting your Studio Arts BA that works best for you.

About your enrollment options

Program eligibility requirements

To be eligible for acceptance to the Studio Arts major, students must submit a College of Liberal Arts Undergraduate Declaration form.

Courses and Requirements

SKIP TO COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Requirements (120 credits)

+ Studio Arts Required (22 credits)

This class focuses on the principles and practices of drawing, through an exploration of space, shading, volume, perspective and composition. Class discussions and projects include use of materials, color, artists and movements of the past, and contemporary trends in drawing and painting. Emphasis is placed on the development of hand-eye coordination skills.

Full course description for Introduction to Drawing

This course offers an introduction to painting in a Studio Arts curriculum. Students will learn practical mechanics of painting while working from direct observation. Focus will be placed on technique, color mixing and critical theory in a range of painting projects while developing art vocabulary. Class lectures and discussions will highlight diverse professional artists who paint from direct observation. Water-soluble paints will be utilized in this class.

Full course description for Introduction to Painting

As students visit local museums and galleries, they become familiar with many of the Twin Cities' exhibition facilities and reflect on the experience of viewing art. This course offers an approach to understanding and appreciating the visual arts as one develops critical thinking skills. Emphasis is placed on the articulation of ideas through written and spoken words. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation.

Full course description for Museums and Galleries

In this course students learn about the documents, practices and resources necessary to pursue a career in the visual arts. Some pragmatic assignments will demonstrate the artist's talents and accomplishments (such as resumes, statements and portfolios). Other logistical exercises will explore the expectations for the field (like exhibition protocols, employment opportunities, grant proposals, residencies and applications for graduate school). This course is required for all Studio Arts majors and should be executed in the student's final year of study.

Full course description for Capstone Seminar

In this course students develop a capstone studio project guided by a faculty mentor to establish a sustainable studio practice beyond graduation. Taught in preparation for the Capstone Seminar course, students will learn the physical aspects of presenting their work for exhibition while addressing contemporary issues in art. The course project will be reflected upon through individual and group critique, and may include outside art professionals as guest critics. This course is required for all Studio Arts majors and should be executed in the student's final year of study.

Full course description for Capstone Studio

Choose one

This course explores computer based image-making and printing technologies. Through the investigation of various printing materials, students will have the opportunity to produce two and three-dimensional projects using contemporary methods. Students will gain hands-on experience with digital drawing tools, photographic and graphic designs using image based software while learning about the formal elements and principles of design. Art theory and practice will be presented in conversation with lectures and peer review. Professional artists and designers using these processes in their work will be highlighted in the course.

Full course description for Introduction to Digital Arts

+ Studio Arts Electives (16 credits)

Choose 16 credits.

Introduction to Sculpture acquaints students with the basic concepts, materials and techniques associated with three-dimensional fabrication in the visual arts. Students will be exposed to the rich traditions and current trends in sculpture from various eras and cultures around the world, while simultaneously producing expressive work of their own invention. Classroom activities include lectures, demonstrations, worktime, and critiques. Emphasis is placed on the principles, elements, and practices of design. Media includes wood, paper, plaster, fabric and found objects.

Full course description for Introduction to Sculpture

Current Topics is a course designation that is used to identify timely themes and various media that supplement and enrich a student's art education. Topics will change from semester to semester. If more than one topics course is taken in fulfillment of the major, they must be different course titles. Topics may include, but are not limited to: book arts, relief printmaking, mosaic sculptures, street photography and assemblage.

Full course description for Current Topics: Variable Subtitles

This internship is designed to give students an opportunity to learn about the basic functions and day to day operations of an educational art gallery. Students will assist in the installation and dismantling of various exhibitions, featuring numerous forms of art. In doing so, students will gather practical knowledge about handling and lighting artwork, creating didactics, generating and distributing publicity, working with artists and creating corresponding programming. This knowledge should qualify a student to apply for entry level positions at other exhibition facilities, create groundwork for additional coursework in Museum Studies, and/or prepare students to mount exhibitions of their own in a professional manner. Variable meeting times. Contact instructor for details prior to registering. S/N grading only.

Full course description for Exhibition Practices

This studio course explores historical and contemporary approaches to fiber arts as well as examination of significant figures and movements. Traditional techniques and contemporary applications of paper and fabric bridge the gap between crafts and fine arts. Students should consult the Class Schedule for particular topics (such as papermaking, wearable art and surface design.) Note: This course may be taken three times for credit as long as the topic is different.

Full course description for Topics in Fibers

This course expands on techniques taught in Introduction to Painting. Students learn theory, principles and practices related to color, shading, volume, perspective and composition. The course emphasizes individual artistic growth and development while exploring a range of topics such as figure, landscape and still life. Class lectures and discussions will highlight diverse professional artists who create works based on figure, landscape and still life. Water-soluble paints will be utilized in this class.

Full course description for Intermediate Painting

This course explores the fundamental principles and techniques associated with the medium of watercolor paints, The coursework includes color theory, application techniques, and traditional/contemporary trends in painting. Once rudimentary skills are established through representational compositions, students will have the opportunity to investigate the expressive nature of watercolors through abstract imagery. Two field trips are schedules outdoors.

Full course description for Watercolors

Intermediate photographic techniques and approaches to image making using digital cameras, editing, software, printers, and lighting equipment. Class projects and discussions include image manipulation, composition, lighting, and film/analog photography, as well as artist movements of the past and contemporary trends in photography. Students explore photography as a creative form.

Full course description for Intermediate Photography

This is a hands-on course that explores traditional and experimental approaches to printmaking. Topics are offered on a rotational basis and include: relief, screen-printing, monotype and photo-based processes. A range of artists from a variety of ethnic backgrounds working in the field will be introduced. The topic will change from one offering to the next, and a particular offering¿s topic will be stated in the university¿s schedule of classes. Note: This course may be taken three times for credit as long as the topic is different.

Full course description for Topics in Printmaking

Topics in Clay is a course that explores the artistic possibilities of working with ceramics. Functional and sculptural approaches are addressed. These twelve-week, three credit courses are taught at Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis. Topics will change from semester to semester. If more than one topics course is taken in fulfillment of the major, they must be different course titles. Topics may include, but are not limited to: Wheel Throwing, Hand Building, Surface/Imagery Technique and Firing Methods.

Full course description for Topics in Clay: Variable Subtitles

This course offers intermediate level digital image making in a studio arts curriculum. The image-making techniques introduced in Introduction to Digital Arts will be developed significantly in two and three-dimensional projects focusing on theory, technology and studio practice. Students will develop research skills and practices needed to work independently and to create theme-based projects suitable for peer and instructor critique. Professional artists with a diverse range of backgrounds using these methods will be highlighted in the course.

Full course description for Intermediate Digital Arts

Internships offer students opportunities to gain deeper knowledge and skills in their chosen field. Students are responsible for locating their own internship. Metro faculty members serve as liaisons to the internship sites¿ supervisors and as evaluators to monitor student work and give academic credit for learning. Students are eligible to earn 1 credit for every 40 hours of work completed at their internship site.

Full course description for Arts Individualized Internship

Student-designed independent studies give Metropolitan State students the opportunity to plan their own study. This type of learning strategy can be useful because it allows students to focus on particular media or techniques; to pursue a unique project that requires specialized study; refine skills and ideas that may not be covered in existing curriculum. Note: This course may be taken a number of times up to a total of 16 credits under the supervision of any CAS/CWA studio arts faculty member. Students should contact the instructor to make arrangements prior to registration.

Full course description for Studio Arts Student Designed Independent Study

The course introduces the principles and practices of electronic filmmaking as a personal and creative art form. Students will engage in exercises and projects to explore and understand editing, camera work, light, composition, and sound. A variety of cinematic forms will be examined. Student screenplays may be produced. Students will film and edit individual creative projects.

Full course description for Film Production and Editing I

This course offers a rhetorically-based, process-oriented approach to strategic, effective writing of proposals and grants for individuals and organizations. The course is designed primarily for writers, artists and technical communicators who expect to find themselves, as freelancers or as employees, seeking funding for a variety of programs and projects in academic, nonprofit or corporate situations. This course provides a systematic process for analyzing audiences, writing needs statements and finding sponsors all within an electronic context.

Full course description for Writing Proposals and Grants

This upper-level course explores contemporary public art practices in a studio arts curriculum. To complement traditional studio arts practices, students will develop skills in rapid prototyping, practice-led research, social engagement, and project management. Projects will focus on drafting proposals in response to calls for public art, communicating their concepts to diverse audiences, and collaborating with groups outside of the Arts. Drawing upon examples of global and local public art initiatives addressing inclusiveness, social conditions and the use of public spaces, students will evaluate how their own work may impact dissimilar communities and culture.

Full course description for Art in Public Spaces