Courses | B.F.A. in Art
Below are the course requirements for this academic program. In addition to these program-specific requirements, all majors include Biola's traditional undergraduate core curriculum. For more program details, including a sample course sequence, visit Biola's academic catalog.
Admissions and Program Requirements
The Department of Art has an open admissions policy. Incoming first-year students and transfer students from other institutions may declare an art major when they apply for admission to Biola University. Because of the rigorous schedule and amount of work required in the B.F.A. degree program, transfer students and Torrey Honors College students may need an additional semester to complete all of their requirements.
The Department of Art offers three degree programs. The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art is a professional degree program focusing on intensive studio practice and requiring an area of concentration; the B.F.A. is the preferred degree for students who anticipate having an art-related career, or who are planning to attend graduate school. The Bachelor of Science degrees in Art and in Design contain a broader range of liberal arts general education courses, and allow students the option of choosing a wide range of general electives. The two B.S. degrees also allow greater flexibility for students completing a double major or a minor in another academic discipline.
Every year, all art majors participate in formal reviews to evaluate their progress in the department. Student portfolios are appraised using a variety of criteria, such as technical achievement, creative problem solving, and aesthetic/artistic development. Reviews are conducted at the end of the freshman, sophomore and junior years. Graduating seniors in the B.F.A. program are evaluated the semester before their thesis exhibitions.
All art majors are required to maintain a 2.5 GPA in the program. Any grade below a C- (1.67) must be repeated.
In art and design studio classes, contact hours define the meaning of a credit hour. In these courses, one semester hour of credit equals two hours of class instruction with at least one additional hour of unsupervised laboratory work each week. Studio courses receiving three credits typically meet six hours a week for class instruction with the expectation that students complete an additional three hours of assigned laboratory work. Students taking ARTS 462 or ARTS 464, and independent studies, must complete a minimum of three hours of research/laboratory work each week during the semester for one hour of credit.
All B.F.A. majors must declare an area of concentration before registering for the sophomore year. Students declaring the Interdisciplinary Concentration must choose two specific areas of concentration (animation, design, illustration, painting, photography, or sculpture).
It is recommended that all Art majors own a Macintosh laptop. Contact the Department of Art office for recommended specifications.
Concentrations
The BFA major is designed to give art students flexibility in constructing their program which will include one of seven areas of concentration.
The Animation Concentration focuses on equipping students with central skills in the discipline of animation to prepare them for professional outcomes in the entertainment industry.
The Design Concentration integrates a fine arts perspective into a curriculum that promotes conceptual thinking and transdisciplinary investigation while developing technical proficiencies to engage a contemporary practice.
The Illustration Concentration develops students' proficiencies in commercial applications of drawing, painting, and digital forms, as a means to prepare them for professional outcomes in various industries.
The Painting Concentration focuses on a wide range of painting practices including observational representation, figuration, and abstraction while engaging students in current discourses within the discipline.
The Photography Concentration focuses on integrating the skills of black and white darkroom techniques with contemporary digital color practices to produce conceptually-driven, photo-based art. As of Spring 2023, this concentration is in teach-out phase; it is not open to new or readmit students.
The Sculpture Concentration equips students to think creatively while developing proficiency in a variety of three-dimensional fabrication techniques — including additive and subtractive processes, modeling, carving, mold-making and casting.
The Interdisciplinary Concentration allows students to develop their interests in two of the above concentrations by combining key courses from each into a focused interdisciplinary concentration.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| B.F.A. majors meet the Core Curriculum requirement of 6 credits in philosophy and integration seminar within the major and are exempt from the Core Curriculum requirements in fine arts and foreign language. The Core Curriculum requirement for history is 3 credits (HIST 200 or HIST 201 or POSC 225). | ||
| Program Courses | ||
| ARTS 107 | Drawing I | 3 |
| ARTS 110 | 2-D Foundations | 3 |
| ARTS 111 | 3-D Foundations | 3 |
| ARTS 112 | 4-D Foundations | 3 |
| ARTS 116 | History of Western Art I: Prehistoric Through Renaissance | 3 |
| ARTS 126 | History of Western Art II: Baroque Through Modernism | 3 |
| ARTS 220 | Professional Practices | 3 |
| ARTS 315 | Contemporary Art Trends | 3 |
| ARTS 433 | Global Art Paradigms | 3 |
| ARTS 440 | Senior Thesis I | 3 |
| ARTS 450 | Internship | 3 |
| ARTS 475 | Senior Thesis II | 3 |
| BBST 4654 | Integration Seminar: Contemporary Art and Theology 1 | 3 |
| PHIL 216 | Introduction to Philosophy and Aesthetics 2 | 3 |
| Select one of the following upper-division Art History electives: | 3 | |
| Modernity: Realism to Surrealism | ||
| Historical Development of Design 3,4 | ||
| History of Illustration and Animation 4,5 | ||
| Seminar in Art History | ||
| History and Criticism of Photography 6 | ||
| Art Theory and Criticism | ||
| Program Course Requirements: 45 | ||
| Select a Concentration detailed below | 33 | |
| Core Curriculum Requirements 7 | 54 | |
| Total Credits | 132 | |
- 1
Fulfills the BBST 465 Biblical and Theological Studies Integration Seminar requirement.
- 2
Fulfills the Philosophy Core Curriculum requirement.
- 3
Required of all Design concentration students.
- 4
Illustration concentration students are required to take either ARTS 321 or ARTS 360.
- 5
Required of all Animation concentration students.
- 6
Required of all Photography concentration students.
- 7
See Core Curriculum Program section for details.
Concentrations
Animation
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Courses | ||
| ARTS 108 | Figure Studies I | 3 |
| ARTS 213 | Painting I | 3 |
| ARTS 319 | Figure Studies II | 3 |
| ARTS 330 | Advanced Digital Workshop | 3 |
| ARTS 335 | Storyboarding and Concept Design | 3 |
| ARTS 341 | Animation I | 3 |
| ARTS 438 | Animation II | 3 |
| Select 12 credits from the following courses: | 12 | |
| Drawing II | ||
| Painting II | ||
| New Media Art I | ||
| Seminar in Art | ||
| Advanced Studio Practicum | ||
or ARTS 464 | Advanced Studio Practicum | |
| Game Engines | ||
| Beginning Acting | ||
| Total Credits | 33 | |
Design
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Courses | ||
| ARTS 210 | Sculpture I | 3 |
| ARTS 217 | Typography I | 3 |
| ARTS 314 | Integrated Design I | 3 |
| ARTS 330 | Advanced Digital Workshop | 3 |
| ARTS 333 | Graphic Design Forms I | 3 |
| or ARTS 348 | New Media Art I | |
| ARTS 337 | Typography II | 3 |
| ARTS 423 | Integrated Design II | 3 |
| ARTS 429 | Integrated Design III | 3 |
| Select three ARTS courses (two of which must be upper-division), for a total of 9 credits | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 33 | |
Illustration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Courses | ||
| ARTS 108 | Figure Studies I | 3 |
| ARTS 213 | Painting I | 3 |
| ARTS 215 | Idea and Image | 3 |
| ARTS 324 | Illustration I | 3 |
| ARTS 328 | Printed Matter | 3 |
| ARTS 437 | Illustration II | 3 |
| ARTS 449 | Authorship | 3 |
| Select four upper-division ARTS elective courses, for a total of 12 credits | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 33 | |
Painting
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Courses | ||
| ARTS 108 | Figure Studies I | 3 |
| ARTS 213 | Painting I | 3 |
| ARTS 307 | Drawing II | 3 |
| ARTS 308 | Painting II | 3 |
| ARTS 319 | Figure Studies II | 3 |
| ARTS 408 | Drawing III | 3 |
| ARTS 413 | Painting III | 3 |
| Select one of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Sculpture I | ||
| Ceramics I | ||
| Idea and Image | ||
| Typography I | ||
| Photography I-Introduction to Darkroom and Digital Processes | ||
| Select three ARTS elective courses (two must be upper-division), for total of 9 credits | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 33 | |
Photography
As of Spring 2023, this concentration is in teach-out phase; it is not open to new or readmit students.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Courses | ||
| ARTS 221 | Photography I-Introduction to Darkroom and Digital Processes | 3 |
| ARTS 316 | Photography II-Studies in Color | 3 |
| ARTS 334 | Photography III-Advanced Black and White Photography | 3 |
| ARTS 344 | Contemporary Photographic Practices | 3 |
| ARTS 432 | Advanced Integrated Photography | 3 |
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Sculpture I | ||
| Ceramics I | ||
| Painting I | ||
| Printmaking | ||
| Installation and Time-Based Art I | ||
| Animation I | ||
| New Media Art I | ||
| Select four upper-division ARTS electives, for total of 12 credits | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
Sculpture
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Courses | ||
| ARTS 210 | Sculpture I | 3 |
| ARTS 211 | Ceramics I | 3 |
| ARTS 305 | Sculpture II | 3 |
| ARTS 330 | Advanced Digital Workshop | 3 |
| ARTS 415 | Sculpture III | 3 |
| Select two courses from the following: | 6 | |
| Figure Studies I | ||
| Painting I | ||
| Idea and Image | ||
| Typography I | ||
| Photography I-Introduction to Darkroom and Digital Processes | ||
| Select four upper-division ARTS electives, for a total of 12 credits | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 33 | |
Interdisciplinary
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Courses | ||
| Students declaring the Interdisciplinary Concentration choose two specific areas of study from the list below. | ||
| Students must complete four courses in each of the two areas and three ARTS courses (two must be upper-division) as electives for a total of 33 credits. 1 | ||
| Select two areas from the following: | 24 | |
| Animation | ||
| Figure Studies I | ||
| Figure Studies II | ||
or ARTS 335 | Storyboarding and Concept Design | |
| Animation I | ||
| Animation II | ||
| Design | ||
| Typography I | ||
| Integrated Design I | ||
| Typography II | ||
or ARTS 429 | Integrated Design III | |
| Integrated Design II | ||
| Illustration | ||
| Idea and Image | ||
| Illustration I | ||
| Printed Matter | ||
or ARTS 449 | Authorship | |
| Illustration II | ||
| Painting | ||
| Figure Studies I | ||
| Painting I | ||
| Painting II | ||
| Painting III | ||
| Photography (As of Spring 2023, this area of study is in teach-out phase; it is not open to new or readmit students.) | ||
| Photography I-Introduction to Darkroom and Digital Processes | ||
| Photography II-Studies in Color | ||
| Photography III-Advanced Black and White Photography | ||
or ARTS 344 | Contemporary Photographic Practices | |
| Advanced Integrated Photography | ||
| Sculpture | ||
| Sculpture I | ||
| Sculpture II | ||
| Select two of the following: | ||
| Ceramics I | ||
| Ceramics II | ||
| New Media Art I | ||
| Sculpture III | ||
| Advanced Studio Practicum | ||
| Elective Courses | ||
| Select three ARTS courses (two must be upper-division), for a total of 9 credits 1 | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 33 | |