Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art - Ceramics

at State University of New York at New Paltz USA

An academic major is offered in Spanish language and literature for students in liberal arts or elementary and secondary education programs. A student is admitted to the major upon completion of Intermediate Spanish or placement.

This program designed specifically for college graduates holding an appropriate liberal arts degree in Biology, Chemistry, English, Geology, History, or Mathematics who have not had a formal background in education and who wish to prepare for a teaching career in adolescence education grades 7-12.

Upon successful completion of the program, candidates will be recommended to the New York State Education Department for Initial/Professional Certification.

The Department of Digital Media & Journalism represents disciplines that combine methods from both the humanities and social sciences in the study of how people share and represent ideas through the mass media. Building upon a solid liberal-arts foundation, students in our programs develop theoretical and practical knowledge through challenging and engaging coursework and hands-on experiences that will support their intellectual and professional growth and prepare them for careers and graduate study.

The Digital Design & Fabrication (DDF) will prepare students to utilize modern digital fabrication methods in the design and fabrication process.  Modern methods of fabrication, such as 3D printing, have changed not only how objects are designed, but have also changed what can be designed and manufactured.  As modern fabrication technologies continue to advance, the worlds of design and manufacturing will change and merge into something much more seamless.  Through an approach that blurs traditional boundaries between art, engineering, design, fabrication and science, the DDF program will enable students to take full advantage of advanced manufacturing and fabrication techniques. Graduates will earn the Rhinoceros CAD certification (levels 1 & 2) and Stratasys Additive Manufacturing Certification.

Psychology is an empirically based science. Therefore, it is desirable for psychology majors to have the skills to interpret and generate new information. To that end, courses in statistics and research methodology are required of all majors. In addition, psychology majors take a writing-intensive capstone seminar in which they demonstrate their mastery of the techniques and the content areas of the discipline. Students majoring in psychology are advised to acquire a broad range of training in the Liberal Arts. Taking a variety of elective courses in other disciplines is strongly recommended.

The nationally accredited MFA program offers varied and extensive opportunities for graduate study in a unique setting. Our location is just 90 minutes north of New York City in the historic Hudson River Valley, allowing access to cutting-edge artists, historians, critics, and curators. The campus features expansive facilities, private and semi-private secure studios, and extensive computer labs and digital fabrication technologies. Additional exhibition spaces complement the prestigious Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art.

Metal - Specialization
The Metal program is an active area of study that engages a wide variety of ideas, objects, images, and modes of making toward critical and dynamic outcomes. Students and faculty form a community of inquiry that seeks to expand the field’s discourse. The rigorous curriculum provides opportunities to explore the technical, aesthetic, and conceptual aspects of contemporary jewelry and metalsmithing in a state-of-the-art facility with faculty who are actively engaged artists and who exhibit and lecture internationally. The 10,000 square-foot studios supply equipment for working in a range of traditional and contemporary methods, instruction and access to expanding digital technologies, and designated private studio spaces for each student.

• Geography is a diverse and integrative discipline that allows students to explore and make sense of place, space, and landscape and the connections between them, while also learning to analyze problems from multiple perspectives. Our programs are designed to prepare students for graduate study in geography or for employment in fields actively seeking geographers. Students may choose the general Geography major, leading to a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree, or Geography concentrations in environmental geography and in urban planning, leading to a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. The concentration in urban planning is for students who wish to undertake graduate study in planning or to obtain employment in that field. A Geographic Information System (GIS) sequence is offered in addition to courses in Cartography and Remote Sensing.
• Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary major drawing on social and physical science, the humanities and the arts to provide students a broad understanding of the relationship between humans and the earth. The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) program emphasizes environmental policy and social and economic aspects of the environment while providing a background in earth science. Much of environmental studies focuses on public and political discourse about scientific uncertainty, assessment of risks, and economic costs and benefits. Students majoring in Environmental Studies gain theoretical perspective and practical experience through a combination of coursework, activism, policymaking, applied-learning opportunities, and a capstone seminar.

Black Studies is a multi-disciplinary major devoted to the exploration and analysis of the history and culture of African people in the United States, Caribbean, and Africa.  It seeks to define the Black experience from an African and Afro-American centered perspective rather than Euro-centric perspective, to illuminate the contribution of African people to world culture and to correct a traditional approach to the study of world history that tended to bypass the Black Diaspora experience.

Accepted students enter as prospective candidates for the Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in visual arts or as a pre-major in art education. Upon completion of the art foundation core and basic studio classes in a particular medium, students in the BA or BS program may choose to apply to one of the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree programs. Entrance into a BFA program is by portfolio and interview; the student applies directly to the specific program of interest.

The nationally accredited MFA program offers varied and extensive opportunities for graduate study in a unique setting. Our location is just 90 minutes north of New York City in the historic Hudson River Valley, allowing access to cutting edge artists, historians, critics, and curators. The campus features expansive facilities, private and semi-private secure studios, and extensive computer labs and digital fabrication technologies. Additional exhibition spaces complement the prestigious Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art.

Photography & Related Media - Specialization
The Photography program engages students in an expanded field of artistic lens-based practice to critically interrogate and deepen their creative research within a vibrant community of artists. Photography is an ever-changing field with a short and tumultuous history and immense and growing relevance in today’s shifting cultural and social context. We support our students in their process of independent experimentation as they hone their critical awareness, skills, and concept, and position themselves with their unique voice and vision in the field. The Photography program offers a range of state-of-the-art digital and analog facilities and equipment.