All Topics  
Master of Fine Arts

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Master of Fine Arts
 
 
  Topics Master of Fine Arts Topic Home

In the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is a graduate degree typically requiring two to three years of study beyond the bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years....
 level and usually awarded in visual arts
Visual arts

The visual arts are Art#Art forms that focus on the creation of works which are primarily visual in nature, such as drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, and filmmaking....
, creative writing
Creative writing

Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional writing, journalistic, Academic writing, and technical forms of literature....
, filmmaking
Filmmaking

Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story idea or commission through scriptwriting, shooting, editing and finally distribution to an audience....
, or theater/performing arts
Performing arts

The performing arts are those forms of art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical work of art....
. Coursework is primarily of an applied or performing nature with the program often culminating in a major work or performance
Performance

A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which one group of people behave in a particular way for another group of people ....
.

MFA programs have generally required a bachelor's degree prior to admission, but many have not required that the undergraduate major be the same as the MFA field of study.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Master of Fine Arts'
Start a new discussion about 'Master of Fine Arts'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


In the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is a graduate degree typically requiring two to three years of study beyond the bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years....
 level and usually awarded in visual arts
Visual arts

The visual arts are Art#Art forms that focus on the creation of works which are primarily visual in nature, such as drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, and filmmaking....
, creative writing
Creative writing

Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional writing, journalistic, Academic writing, and technical forms of literature....
, filmmaking
Filmmaking

Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story idea or commission through scriptwriting, shooting, editing and finally distribution to an audience....
, or theater/performing arts
Performing arts

The performing arts are those forms of art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical work of art....
. Coursework is primarily of an applied or performing nature with the program often culminating in a major work or performance
Performance

A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which one group of people behave in a particular way for another group of people ....
.

MFA programs have generally required a bachelor's degree prior to admission, but many have not required that the undergraduate major be the same as the MFA field of study. The most important admissions requirement has often been a sample portfolio
Career portfolio

Career portfolios are used to plan, organize and document education, work samples and skills. People use career portfolios to apply to jobs, apply to college or training programs, get a higher salary, show transferable skills, and to track personal development....
 or a performance audition
Audition

An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performing artist.Audition may also refer to:* The sense of hearing ...
.

The MFA differs from the Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)

A Master of Arts is a Postgraduate education academic degree master degree awarded by University in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in English language, Fine Arts, History, Humanities, Philosophy, Social Sciences or Theology and can be either fully-taught, research-based, or a combination of the two....
 in that the MFA, while an academic program, centers around practice in the particular field, whereas programs leading to the MA are usually centered on the scholarly, academic, or critical study of the field.

The MFA is seen as a terminal degree
Terminal degree

A terminal degree is generally accepted as the highest Academic degree in a field of study. An earned academic doctorate such as a Doctor of Philosophy is considered the terminal degree in most academic fields of study in some countries....
, meaning that it is considered to be the highest degree in its field. In the interest of extending the connection between creative production and continued academic research, however, some universities have established competing Ph.D
Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated Ph.D. or PhD for the Latin , meaning "teacher of philosophy", is an postgraduate academic degree awarded by University....
 programs in fields such as creative writing, visual arts, and theater.