Admission to Degree Program
Admission to the Department of Art is obtained by department application after completion of the prerequisite core and a portfolio review. For further details, please refer to art.byu.edu. Students will have two opportunities to apply to their program of choice—one in March and one in November. Please see General Information below for more details, or contact the college advisement center (1-801-422-3777).
The Discipline
The Department of Art serves three main purposes: (1) to prepare competent professionals in various fields of art; (2) to prepare art educators for teaching art at the elementary and secondary levels; and (3) to generally develop individuals' aesthetic sense by helping them experience art.
Career Opportunities
The art education degree certifies the student as an art specialist in public or private institutions, grades K–12. Other opportunities for the certified art specialist are in foreign school systems, recreation programs, art museum education programs, and galleries. Students qualify for positions in artist-in-the-schools programs and arts councils and as art consultants/coordinators. The degree also provides a foundation for graduate study leading to advanced degrees.
Studio art majors are prepared to compete as freelance, self-employed artists, working through galleries, exhibitions, and museums to promote and sell their work. The MFA degree also prepares artists to teach on a college or a university level. Other career opportunities include printmaking, illustration, production crafts, teaching, gallery and museum work, computer art applications, and other related careers.
General Information
Prerequisite Core
All prospective 2D studio, 3D studio, and art education students must complete the freshman core program before applying to the Department of Art. The freshman core will consist of the following open-enrollment courses: ART 114, 115, 133, 226.
Talent Awards
All students, pre-majors and accepted majors may apply for talent awards by completing the application found online at http://art.byu.edu/. The deadline for talent award applications is February 1st of every year.
Application Procedures for Freshmen
High school students expecting to be admitted to BYU in Fall semester may apply for the talent award and can be accepted only once a year (February 1st). If accepted to the Art program through the talent award, the student will be expected to enroll in the core that first Fall semester and complete the pre-requisite classes.
Sophomore-Through-Senior BFA Degree Program Enrollment
Permission to enroll for sophomore-through-senior-level BFA degree program courses is granted to students upon satisfactory development of skills and creative abilities demonstrated in a portfolio of drawings and designs completed during the preceding year. Faculty from each major will assess portfolios of work submitted by students wishing to advance in their respective fields of study. Students invited to continue are permitted to enroll in specified courses at the next academic level.
Transfer Students
Transfer students in art disciplines must meet with the appropriate area coordinator. Transfer students are required to participate in a portfolio review; the deadline is March 15 for Fall semester, Spring term and Summer term, and November 15 for Winter semester. Contact the area coordinator.
Note: Students not accepted into BFA degree programs may elect to remain in the bachelor of arts program in studio art. Students may apply to the BFA program no more than twice.
Degree Program Coordinators/Advisors
Coordinators are appointed to counsel students in each of the three majors. Coordinators will advise students about program objectives, course content and sequence, career goals, and other matters pertaining to their major field of study.
Department Probationary Status
Students can be placed on probationary status for the following:
- Inadequate academic performance.
- Unprofessional attitude and lack of commitment.
- BYU Honor Code violations.
Licensure Option
The BA and BFA are professional degrees. This non-degree licensure option is available to the BA and BFA Art majors.
Please review the art education major requirements or contact the college advisement center. Note: This is not a second major.
