BFA Art at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Programme overview

The highly ranked Department of Art’s degree programs provide creative students with the critical and artistic skills needed to excel in contemporary and multidisciplinary art and design practices. The art curriculum fosters positive collaboration, the creation of innovative and technically advanced artworks, and encourages the sharing of diverse points of view. The Bachelor of Fine Arts is the most studio-intensive, professional-level degree for artists and designers.

Faculty: School of Education | Department: School of Education Degree Requirements | Duration: 120 credits | Study mode: full-time | Location: Madison, WI, United States

What you will study

The degree requires 120 credits in total. Courses listed in the requirements include ART 107 Introduction to Digital Forms; ART 212 Drawing Foundations; ART 222 Introduction to Painting; ART 232 Life Drawing I; ART 242 Watercolor I; ART 312 Intermediate Drawing I.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applies to School of Education, not specific to this major: Program Admission Overview Students interested in the Art–BFA degree, or Art-BFA with the Graphic Design named option, initially enroll in the Art–BS degree or Art-BS with the Graphic Design named option while completing prerequisite coursework and establishing other criteria for BFA eligibility. A BFA mentoring meeting to review a portfolio of work is part of the BFA selection process. Students will typically declare the BFA in their junior year and must have attained a minimum of junior standing. For the BFA, a BFA mentoring meeting may be scheduled during the semester that the required courses will be completed.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

First-year entry terms: Fall (Early Action and Regular Decision) and Spring. Transfer entry terms: Fall (Priority and Regular Decision) and Spring.

First-year Fall Early Action: application deadline November 1, materials deadline November 9, decision on or before January 31. Fall Regular Decision: application deadline January 15, materials deadline January 22, decision on or before March 31. Spring Regular Decision: application deadline October 1, materials deadline October 15, decision on or before December 31. First-year fall and spring applications open August 1. Early Action is non-binding.

Transfer Fall Priority: application deadline February 1, materials deadline February 16, decision on or before March 31. Fall Regular: application deadline March 1, materials deadline March 15, decision on or before April 30. Spring Regular: application deadline October 1, materials deadline October 15, decision on or before December 31. Fall transfer applications open December 1; spring transfer applications open August 1.

Apply via the Common Application or the Universities of Wisconsin Application. The application fee is $80 US and is non-refundable; fee waivers are available for applicants with financial hardship. ACT and SAT scores are optional for students applying for admission through the spring 2028 term (application deadline October 1, 2027).

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