Faculty: Professors Brammeier, Cavanah (Interim Chair), Gillespie, Stolz, Will; Assistant Professors Metzger, Chae

Accreditation

The Department of Art and Design is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

Mission

The Department of Art and Design faculty and students endeavor to maintain an attitude and an environment in which the pursuit of a degree is a commitment to a way of life that embodies creative thought processes, the production of objects of art, and visual communication. The curriculum and the faculty who teach are focused on nurturing the fine arts in a wide variety of visual art media. Students are encouraged to dedicate themselves to academic excellence while working with skilled artistry and employing visual literacy, within an atmosphere of creative freedom. Through a balanced and consistent student/instructor relationship, coupled with both traditional and advanced technology, the faculty assist students in realizing their goals as aspiring professional artists and designers.

Degrees Offered

• Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art, with concentrations in Drawing, Graphic Design, Painting, Photography, and Sculpture.
• Studio Art and Design Major
• Art and Design Studio Complementary Major
• Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in Art History
• Art Education Major
• Minors in Art History, Comics Art, Museum Studies, and Studio Art.

Admission Requirements

1. Admission to a program of study in the Department of Art and Design begins with meeting the application requirements as provided by Bradley University for general admission.
2. Students are initially accepted into the Department of Art and Design as art majors on the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree pathways.
3. All freshmen are required to submit a digital portfolio for review at the end of their first year to progress onto the BFA pathway (or remain BA/BS) in their chosen areas of emphasis.
4. All of the required 100 level art and design foundation core courses must be completed before a candidate may be accepted onto the BFA program.
5. Acceptance to the BFA is also conditional on a required GPA of 3.0 in art at the end of the first year spring semester.
6. Students who wish to transfer from other institutions must submit a portfolio for admission to the Department of Art and Design. Continuing on the BFA, BA, or BS degree pathways is on a case by case basis, dependent on quality of their transfer portfolio, and outstanding course requirements/transfer equivalencies. Please contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions for information regarding content, submission dates, format, and mailing address. Students from other departments within Bradley University are required to have an initial advising session with the Chairperson. All students must have an overall minimum grade point average of 2.5.

Studios

Studios are sometimes open to students for extended periods of time when not occupied by classes. Policies and procedures for studios are established by the studio professor and are posted in the studio.

Non-Art Majors

Interested non-art majors may also take studio courses offered by the Department of Art and Design, subject to prerequisites and availability. Please contact the chair.

Major Requirements

General Requirements

1. Art majors must complete the studio and art history foundation core requirements in sequence before proceeding on to advanced course work. The foundation core prerequisites, 100- and 200-level courses, must also be taken in sequence before advancing to higher‑level course work. The Department of Art and Design enforces prerequisites throughout the program.
2. The foundation core courses and sequence for Art and Design majors are listed in the degree requirement descriptions below. Art and Design majors must follow the recommended prerequisite sequence in order to thoroughly prepare for advanced and upper-division course work. The curriculum for art majors contains 25 hours of foundation core courses—19 hours of studio courses and 6 hours of art history courses. This material for undergraduate art majors, BFA, BA, BS options, is specified in the catalog. Students who do not follow proper prerequisites jeopardize their progress in the curriculum and will be dropped from courses if prerequisites are not met.
3. All students on the BFA degree path are required to participate in a senior thesis exhibition. All students participating in this exhibition must have successfully completed ART 421 BFA Seminar II during the semester of their senior exhibition.
4. The department reserves the right to retain some student work for the University permanent collection. Films produced by the department are retained by the University at the discretion of the instructor.

Art Education Major

Teacher Certification

Teaching in the public schools requires a certificate issued by the State of Illinois. Art education majors desiring to teach art at the elementary or secondary level must complete the same requirements as those for a BA or BS degree with a major in studio art, as well as professional education requirements. (Consult the Teacher Education section of this catalog.) The State of Illinois requires content area competency tests for certification. Students will be assigned advisors in art and in the Department of Teacher Education. Regular consultation with both advisors is extremely important. Note: This degree requires more than 124 semester hours to complete. It is also possible to earn a BFA degree with teacher certification. However, both options will require more than four years of study.