Pathways to Discovery
The MFA student is expected to draw on the diverse strengths of MSU to create their own pathway to their degree. The program framework includes seminars, formal critique, dedicated studio practice, and opportunities for external study.
As a program, we have identified culture, identity, technology, and science as points of entry through which artists and designers could position their work. Indeed, many artists and designers, including our faculty, work at the intersection of these categories, challenging their definition.
The curriculum offers students the chance to form their personalized pathway through the program, with a set of reflective wayfinding instruments that help students situate their practice, locate resources, and understand the interplay between action, intention, and recognition in their studio practice.
If a student is interested in the interface between design, technology and identity, then she might choose the combine her studio practice with studies of digital culture in philosophy or computer science.
If a student is driven to combine studio practice with culture and science, he might explore the biodiversity collections of the MSU museum while doing research on human impact on the environment.
If a student wants to explore the boundary between art and craft in contemporary art, they might develop a studio practice in dialogue with scholars who have traced the construction of craft as a gendered cultural category.
The list goes on….
The pathways help students to draw from an evolving list of institutional partners and affiliated faculty to find their way through the university. Faculty support MFA students as they lead us to new possibilities for art and design, while students contribute to MSU’s status as a center for cutting-edge research.
Curriculum
Year 1/Exploration
Fall
MFA Seminar: Exploring Research, Resources, and Context / 3 cr
MFA Studio: Exploration and Research in Studio Art / 4-6 cr
Integrated Research (Elective) / 1-3 cr
Graduate Critique / 1 cr
Spring
MFA Seminar: Teaching and Pedagogical Practice in Studio Art / 3 cr
MFA Studio: Exploration and Research in Studio Art / 4-6 cr
Integrated Research (Elective) / 1-3 cr
Graduate Critique / 1 cr
Year 2/Integration
Fall
MFA Seminar: Theory and Writing for Artists / 3 cr
MFA Studio: Integration in Studio Art / 4-6
Integrated Research (Elective) / 1-3 cr
Graduate Critique / 1 cr
Spring
MFA Seminar: History of Art / 3 cr
MFA Studio: Integration in Studio Art / 4-6 cr
Integrated Research (Elective) / 1-3 cr
Graduate Critique / 1 cr
Year 3/Thesis
Fall
MFA Seminar: Professional Practice / 3 cr
MFA Final Research Project / 6-8 cr
Graduate Critique / 1 cr
Spring
MFA Final Research Project / 7-10 cr
Elective / 1-3 cr