What is a BFA or 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.

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.

The ‘arts generalist’ approach establishes a stronger foundation of fundamental art skills while enabling the student to explore many artistic approaches. The student with an arts generalist approach will have a greater sense of which fine arts discipline suits them as they mature in their studies.