M.F.A. in Studio Art & the Computer

The M.F.A. in Studio Art and the Computer provides students an opportunity to inform and enhance their artistic practice using 21st Century electronic media. This emphasis on electronic media is pliable enough to encompass the many ways in which technology intersects with contemporary art and design. Students in the program are invited to combine their backgrounds in traditional art or computer-related disciplines within a conceptually driven, interdisciplinary environment. Courses provide exposure to time-based media, performance art, video art, sound works, kinetic sculpture, computer-based art, and art using the Internet in order to understand how these forms are driving 21st century artistic practice and informing our understanding of contemporary cultural identities.

Students entering this program should be interested in critical exploration of the international dialogue of contemporary art and should be intent upon developing innovative concepts within their own creative work. Full-time students who are interested in becoming practicing artists, college instructors, and industry innovators should flourish in this creative, integrative, and interdisciplinary studio environment.

Graduate fellowships as well as teaching and research assistantships are available on a competitive basis.

Admissions

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Graduate Catalog. Applicants are encouraged to apply online via this link: www.graduate.ucf.edu/gradonlineapp.

If possible, please submit all requested application material by the established deadlines. If not possible, please submit as soon as you can before the final application deadline of April 1. Applicants to the M.F.A. program must normally hold an earned BFA degree in Visual Art from an accredited institution normally acquired with a 3.0 or higher GPA. In addition to the online application, applicants must submit the following:

• A portfolio of original creative work on CD or DVD (to be submitted directly to the Art Department)
• A letter of research intent (to be submitted directly to the Art Department)
• An official copy of the TOEFL test score if the applicant is an international student (minimum score: 230)
• Official transcripts of all prior college work attempted (note that a 3.0 or higher GPA in the last 60 credits of course work is required to be considered for fellowship awards)
• Two letters of recommendation preferably from former visual art professors

Meeting minimum UCF admission criteria does not guarantee admission to the M.F.A. program. Final admission is based on evaluation of the applicant's abilities, past performance, recommendations, match of this program and faculty expertise to the applicant's career/academic goals, and the applicant's potential for completing the degree.

Applicants should note that admittance into the M.F.A. program is also based very strongly on review of the portfolio of original creative work and the letter of research intent. The portfolio should contain at least 20 original works created by the applicant. The letter of research intent is a page or more written by the applicant to describe, for example, his or her creative background, proposed research interests, and the relationship between this program and the applicant's future goals. Please note that "research" in the context of the M.F.A. program primarily means: full-time creation of an original body of art work over the course of three years of residence.

Applicants who hold an earned BA, BS, or other baccalaureate degree in Visual Art or a related discipline with a 3.0 or higher GPA ranking from an accredited university may also apply.

Fellowship Application Due Dates

All students applying for fellowships must apply by the Fall Priority deadline date. At this time, the Fall Priority deadline date and the application due date for both U.S. applicants and international applicants is the same: January 15. Those who miss the priority deadline are encouraged to apply as soon as possible before the final application deadline of April 1.

Degree Requirements

For information on curriculum and application deadlines, see the UCF Graduate Catalog entry for M.F.A. in Studio Art and the Computer.

Financial Support

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Financing Grad School, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Key points about financial support:

• If you're interested in financial assistance, you're strongly encouraged to apply for admission early. A complete application for admission, including all supporting documents, must be received by the priority date listed for your program under "Admissions."
• You must be admitted to a graduate program before the university can consider awarding financial assistance to you.
• If you want to be considered for loans and other need-based financial assistance, review the UCF Student Financial Assistance website at http://finaid.ucf.edu and complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form, which is available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Apply early and allow up to six weeks for the FAFSA form to be processed.
• UCF Graduate Studies awards university graduate fellowships, with most decisions based on nominations from the colleges and programs. All admitted graduate students are automatically considered in this nomination process. To be eligible for a fellowship, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a degree program and be enrolled full-time. To receive need-based fellowship awards, the student must have demonstrated need as determined by FAFSA. Merit fellowship awards are not affected by FAFSA determination of need.
• Please note that select fellowships do require students to fill out a fellowship application (either a university fellowship application, an external fellowship application, or a college or school fellowship application).
• For information on assistantships (including teaching, research, and general graduate assistantships) or tuition support, contact the graduate program coordinator of your major.

Work samples

Facilities

The M.F.A. in Studio Art & the Computer is pleased to announce a new off-campus location in the heart of downtown Orlando. Master's degree candidates will begin occupying the 7000+sq/ft space when classes begin in fall 2009. New facilities include a state of art digital imaging lab and private studio spaces located in an interdisciplinary environment, which fosters M.F.A. research and collaborative projects. The new classrooms are located inside UCF's Center for Emerging Media, Orlando and joins the already extant UCF programs: Film, FIEA, Visual Language & Create which are all a part of the city's greater vision of a Creative Village for Orlando. Flying Horse Press Editions and University of Florida's CitiLab Orlando joins the M.F.A. SA&C in the launch of the new facilities at CEM. Click here for a view of the new space.

Contact

E. Brady Robinson, M.F.A.
Assistant Professor & Assistant Chair for Art
Phone Number: 407-823-3108
ebrobins@mail.ucf.edu

Charles Porter
M.F.A. Program Assistant
Phone Number: 407-235-3596
cporter@mail.ucf.edu

For more program information and general inquiries: artmfa@mail.ucf.edu
Fax: 407-235-3600

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