Bachelor of Fine Arts

What is a BFA? Bachelor’s of Fine Arts Degree. This degree is the ‘industry standard’ for degree-seeking studio artists. Undergraduates with BFAs are admitted into graduate schools with greater frequency as the BFA requires a greater concentration of art courses than other undergraduate art degrees.

STUDIO ART

What is so unique about Black Hills State University’s BFA in Studio Arts? The greatest aspect of the BFA at BHSU is the fact that we have a comprehensive studio art degree. At many other universities, you have to declare an art concentration early in your course of study, such as in painting, drawing, ceramics, etc. However, many young artists want to explore a variety of fine arts courses as a way to discover their talents in a variety of techniques. The BFA in Studio Art at BHSU allows students takes an ‘arts generalist’ approach. Students are required to take 60 credits in general studio arts courses in a variety of mediums. Then, students are required to take an additional 15 elective fine arts credits- whether in a selected discipline or across other art spectrums.

PHOTOGRAPHY

The BFA in Photography at BHSU offers many opportunities to students interested in photojournalism, commercial photography, or fine art photography. BHSU has among the finest darkroom and digital imaging facilities in South Dakota and the surrounding region. Photography students have access to a brand new photo studio, state of the art computers, printers and photo manipulating programs, and several darkrooms. The BHSU photography program is proud to have Canon USA as a sponsor of our photography program. Through Canon's generous support BHSU photography students have the opportunity to use the latest camera equipment and digital printers available.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

The phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” is brought to life with a BFA in Graphic Design from BHSU. Gain the necessary graphic and computer design skills and experience to prepare for an exciting, cutting-edge career in advertising, publishing, or public relations. The ability to effectively communicate thoughts and ideas is one of the most highly regarded skills when seeking employment in a creative field. Students learn the basics of graphic and computer design, photo imaging and web design, as they relate to advertising and graphic communication. BHSU’s facilities maintain a high-tech and creative environment with Macintosh computer labs, three fully-equipped multi-purpose darkrooms, a professional graphic design production studio, a dedicated digital imaging lab, a student–run newspaper production lab, and student-operated radio and television stations.