Vince Pitelka on mon 25 oct 04
do with an applicant like me???
> One of the obstacles faced by a person my age (53)
> is not only the age factor, but the notion that one must
> ordinarily complete a BFA in order to be considered and
> accepted into an MFA.
> I am just curious to know what most academic institutions
> will grant as far as advanced credit for other degrees
> and prior experience.
Kathy -
There are no standards or generalizations about this. Some programs will
not consider someone without a BFA, but many will. It depends on a combined
equation that considers your life experience, you clay work, and the needs
and standards of the particular program. A smaller MFA program that is
looking for grad students might be quite flexible. If you want to get into
one of the better clay MFA programs, you may have to complete your BFA
first. Since you already have other degrees, that would only involve the
arft requirements, and you could do that in two years. Yea, I know, that
piles up a lot of years of education, but hey, what could be better?
At any rate, you need to be talking to faculty at the schools that interest
you.
Good luck -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
Snail Scott on mon 25 oct 04
do with an applicant like me???
At 05:00 AM 10/25/2004 -0500, you wrote:
>One of the obstacles faced by a person my age (53)
>is not only the age factor, but the notion that one must
>ordinarily complete a BFA in order to be considered and
>accepted into an MFA.
Not entirely so.
I was accepted into several well-regarded
MFA programs with no art degree. I did have
a degree in architecture and quite a lot of
courses in art - both studio and history -
though. The studio work would not have been
necessary, as the quality of the portfolio
is expected to stand for that. If I had had
less academic art history, though, most of
those programs would have required me to make
up that deficiency, either before beginning
the program or during the first semester or
two.
I found out after being accepted to my present
program that my principal transcript had
never been received, so evidently the exact
nature of my undergraduate career was not a
deciding factor in my acceptance. (I have no
doubt that I'd have been bounced out, though,
if the stated facts were contradicted by its
eventual arrival.)
The rule of thumb applied by most grad programs
in my experience is 'equivalent background'.
Sounds like you've got the studio work nailed
down, but you might have some catching up to
do on the academic side. Taking some art
history now, as a 'non-degree undergrad', will
certainly strengthen your case, I suspect.
By the way, don't expect the studio side to be
a walkover. Even if you come into school with
a strong portfolio of professional work, you'll
be pushed to try new and different things,
especially things that seem really out of step
with your past work. Seize the opportunity and
do it - it's education, after all, and you'll be
back in the real world soon enough!
-Snail Scott
Wes Rolley on wed 27 oct 04
do with an applicant like me???
This is not just a problem with Arts programs.
At one time, while working in New York City, I had applied for and was accepted into the N.Y. University MBA program. My CV included an MA in Theater from Northwestern U. I had completed about 1 semester of the MBA program when my company offered me a raise and promotion to move to Tulsa, OK. (plus with the lower cost of living, I made out well). However, when I applied to the Tulsa University MBA program, they required me to take 2 years of undergraduate work before I could get into their, less well known , MBA program.
I passed on the offer.
Later, in a corporate sponsored program conducted by the Harvard Business School, one of my classmates questioned the value of an MBA for themselves. The professor said that, after 5 years in a company, if you intend to stay with that company, the value is zero, though specialized training in some areas (e.g. financial analysis) helps. If you plan to move a lot, then the value goes up. I think that the same logic applies to the MFA. It depends on what you plan to do later.
Wesley C. Rolley
17211 Quail Court
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
(408)778-3024
"Why should we not be able to do what others have done before us? The answer must be that art is created not by human wisdom or intellect, but by human character as it is shaped by the times." Kitaoji Rosanjin.
Wesley C. Rolley
17211 Quail Court
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
(408)778-3024
"Why should we not be able to do what others have done before us? The answer must be that art is created not by human wisdom or intellect, but by human character as it is shaped by the times." Kitaoji Rosanjin.
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