"I was surprised to find how strongly the faculty advocates unbridled self-expression." -Anna Hodges, BFA '14
Studio Training Enhanced by the Liberal Arts
The Bachelor of Fine Arts program pairs demanding studio training with a creatively focused liberal arts education to meet each student’s specific interests. A four-year program, the PAFA BFA enhances artistic skill and personal expression with critical thinking using the full scope of the humanities.
Liberal Arts by Working Artists
Taught by experts in academic disciplines, the in-house BFA combines outstanding training and mentoring in studio fine art with an education in liberal arts specifically tailored to the working artist. The experience furnishes the mind, cultivates skill and intellect, and promotes exploration of each student’s artistic calling.
This program maintains the intensity and immersion of studio-centered training and complements it with the added value of an academic degree. Students graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with concentrations in painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture or illustration.
Program Structure
In the first year, BFA students take the same courses as those in the Certificate studio art program. The second and third years are devoted to coursework in liberal arts studies and in one of the five concentrations in studio art. During their fourth year, BFA students are assigned individual studio workspaces and are mentored by faculty critics. Fourth-year BFA students develop a portfolio documenting their artwork and artist’s statement. The program culminates at the end of the fourth year with participation in the Annual Student Exhibition.