Art and Design

Overview

The BFA is considered the professional degree in visual arts. A BFA prepares students to be lifelong practitioners of the studio arts who can demonstrate professional competencies — conceptual, technical and visual — in one specialized area.

Students can take coursework in:

All studio areas have access to state-of-the art technology and equipment. Faculty are practicing art professionals who maintain vigorous national exhibition schedules which makes SIUE’s art studio program one of the most comprehensive in the region.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts is considered the professional degree in visual arts. It is the entry-level degree by which students enter the professional field of graphic design, and is considered the necessary degree for a student interested in becoming a lifelong professional artist. Students will also be well prepared to pursue graduate studies.

Acceptance into the BFA program is an application process usually done in the second semester of the sophomore year, or beginning of the junior year. All art candidates begin as a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in art studio.

What can I do with a degree in art and design?

An undergraduate degree in art and design prepares majors for a wide variety of careers in:

Museums
Art galleries
Cultural institutions
Academia

Our students are also well-prepared for graduate school. Some of our recent graduates are pursuing advanced degrees at Indiana University, University of Nebraska, Maryland Institute College of Art, The State University of New York at Albany, University of Wisconsin at Madison, Syracuse University, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Rhode Island School of Design, among others.

Many alumni live and work in the St. Louis metropolitan area and our graduates have found successful careers at many established institutions including:

Craft Alliance
St. Louis Artworks
Laumeier Sculpture Park and Museum

They have also exhibited in local and regional galleries and museums. Many of our alumni have gone on to receive commissions, become master printers, preparators, gallery directors, designers, museum staff and university educators.

Hands-on Learning

At SIUE, our students have access to the extensive collection of cultural objects housed in the University Museum and installed around campus. This allows for the firsthand study of original works of art, as does SIUE's location in the St. Louis metropolitan area. St. Louis is home to many museums and cultural institutions, including:

Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM)
Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts
Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (CAM)
Laumeier Sculpture Park
Cahokia Mounds
And more!

SIUE students also participate in AIGA student events and have earned internships at the St. Louis Science Center and Missouri Botanical Gardens.

Students in the art and design program at SIUE have the opportunity for their work to be on display in the Art and Design West Gallery, which is a recently constructed, 3,600-square-foot exhibition space. The Gallery hosts approximately 10 exhibitions each year featuring national artists, as well as SIUE students and faculty members. Our students have also been regularly represented in exhibitions at the student gallery at the Edwardsville Art Center.

Our students also have the opportunity to participate in the annual Sculpture on Campus event, which gives 12 students the opportunity to design and install large-scale outdoor sculptures throughout campus. Students whose designs are chosen receive a stipend and the professional benefits of proposing, designing and installing major sculptural works that are on view for a full year. Each year, guest jurors award student prizes at the Sculpture on Campus reception after the campus-wide Sculpture Walk.

To enhance the academic program at SIUE, the Department of Art and Design has robust exhibition and visiting artist programs. These programs provide an opportunity for both majors and non-majors to become acquainted with well-known artists and artwork brought to the University.