Which Fine Art Degree is Right for Me?

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While there are many questions that potential students of fine art may have, one of the most common is “What art degree should I be seeking?”

Understanding the ABCs of Art Degrees

There are three art higher-education degree options: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), with a major in studio art; Bachelor of Science (B.S.); and Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA). One of the primary differences among them is the number of liberal arts, or general education, credits required in each degree program. Typical liberal arts credit-hour requirements are 90 for B.A. students, 60 for B.S. students and 30 for BFA students. 

In addition, the number of studio art credit-hour requirements varies, in most instances, for each degree: 30 for B.A., 60 for B.S. and 90 for BFA. Clearly, students who take more academic courses will have less time for studio classes, and vice versa. 

All three programs require students to take first-year foundation courses of two- and three-dimensional design and life drawing. There’s a certain fluidity between the programs, as students who initially choose the BFA track may move into the B.A. or B.S. program, while those on a B.A. or B.S. route may find that they want to concentrate on becoming artists and move into the BFA program.

At many higher education institutions, there tends to be more similarities between the B.A. and B.S. programs in terms of required courses in one area or another than between those and the BFA curriculum. A primary difference between the B.A. and B.S. programs is that B.A. students generally are required to earn modern language credits, while many B.S. programs stipulate a required number of math and science credits. 

Choosing the Right Program

Colleges and universities offer studio art degree programs that align with their unique expectations for student preparation. “We have a number of students who want to take art classes, but they also have other interests, like business or psychology, so they do the B.A. or B.S. tracks,” says Dick Dougherty, chairman of the art and design department at Murray State University, in Murray, Ky. 

Other students may double major in art and business to “hedge their bets, keep their options open,” he says. For a sizable percentage, the B.A. or B.S. degree track is taken by students planning to become public school teachers. A BFA degree doesn’t close any options, but it tends to be the route of students who are more committed to an art career and are considering a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program in the future. 

“Half of our students are on an art education track,” says Ron Netsky, chairman of the art department at Nazareth College, in Rochester, N.Y., which offers the B.S. option (60 credits of liberal arts, 60 credits of studio). “The BFA programs mostly are studio art courses, but here we work on both sides of the brain.” 

The BFA is viewed as the professional art degree program, while the B.A. and B.S. are often described as pre-professional. Those degree programs are more academically oriented, and MFA departments at colleges and universities reluctantly acknowledge their preferences. 

“I haven’t seen many students with B.S. or B.A. degrees applying here,” says Michael Hardesty, coordinator of the MFA program at Ohio State University. This view was seconded by Erin Jakowski, associate dean of graduate studies at the Maryland Institute College of Art. 

Bridging the Gap With a Post-Bac Program

A layer of studio art study has formed between the bachelor’s and master’s degrees—the post-baccalaureate program—and a growing number of schools offer them. Some students in post-bac programs received a bachelor’s of fine art degree some time ago and use the post-bac year as a refresher or as a way to improve their skills, possibly as a first step toward applying to a MFA program. 

Others earned a bachelor’s degree in a non-studio art field and decided that they now want to pursue their interest in art. The majority tend to be graduates of BA and BS programs who are, in effect, taking another year of art school, soaking up what they didn’t have the time or opportunity to study while undergraduates. During the year, they’re provided a studio and assigned a faculty adviser. They also take a few courses or seminars at the graduate or undergraduate level (or both), depending on their chosen area of focus. There’s considerable flexibility and individual tailoring in these post-bac programs.

The BFA is viewed as the professional art degree program, while the B.A. and B.S. are often described as pre-professional. Those degree programs are more academically oriented.  

“I had never heard of a post-bac before,” says Erik Evenson, who earned a BA degree (majoring in studio art) at the University of New Hampshire, in 2001. That was the case until the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston offered him a spot in its program. He earned a post-baccalaureate certificate there in 2005. 

Evenson, who worked as a graphic designer for a few years after college, had applied to the museum school’s MFA program and was rejected. Nan Freeman, director of the post-bac program, saw his application and portfolio. “He wonderful abilities, and I knew that I wanted to keep him,” she says. 

The recommendation that Evenson consider the post-baccalaureate program, along with a scholarship that paid for half the tuition, made sense to Evenson, since, as he says, “I had a B.A. instead of a BFA, so I didn’t have as many credits or as much experience” as other MFA applicants.

Jakowski notes the average age of students entering her school’s MFA program is 27, which gives all applicants with B.A., B.S. or BFA degrees the time and opportunity to work on their art and develop their portfolios. The differences between students who took far more studio art classes as undergraduates and those who took fewer can dissolve over time if they’ve spent the intervening years developing their skills through one means or another. 

“I didn’t want an art program, because I didn’t want to limit myself,” says Hollis Pierce Erickson, of Steamboat Springs, Colo. She earned a B.S. with a concentration in painting from Skidmore College, in 2004, and an MFA in painting from Boston University, in 2010. “I wanted to earn more academic credits than I could in a BFA program,” she says. In the years between attending the schools, she worked at Christie’s auction house, the Copley Society, in Boston, and an architectural firm. “I was trying to see where I fit into the art world,” she says. Ultimately, she determined that she wanted to be an artist. 

When Erickson applied to the MFA program, she found no resistance to her undergraduate degree. “Schools want to see that applicants have the perseverance to keep developing their art,” says Laurie Fader, chair of academic affairs at the Kentucky School of Art at Spaulding University, in Louisville. She earned her B.S. degree in studio art from New York University before going on to Yale for her MFA. “People at Yale looked at my work, not at the degree,” she says. 

About the Author

Daniel Grant is an arts writer and the author of six books on building a successful art career, including The Business of Being an Artist.