Find your medium, then master it. Florida Southern's BA and BFA in Studio Art give you nine discipline-specific studios, nationally recognized artist-faculty who work with you on every project, and the technical command and aesthetic judgment to build a professional practice or pursue an MFA.
A career in art is not limited to being a painter of canvases that get framed and sold in a gallery. Your creativity and ability to express yourself are skills highly sought by employers.
Florida Southern College's BA and BFA in Studio Art develop your understanding of the creative process and your knowledge of traditional and contemporary artistic concepts, preparing you for professional practice and continued study at the graduate level. Throughout the program, you will be exposed to a number of different mediums and concepts — drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, and more; allowing you to discover and explore your interests and talents. You will graduate having developed not just technical competence, but aesthetic judgment and a strong commitment to artistic quality.
Our expert faculty are nationally recognized artists and art historians devoted to teaching. They will guide you through various theories, work with you individually on every project, and foster the open discourse and evaluation that makes the artistic critique process thrive.
A portfolio review is required for admission into the Studio Art Program. Your portfolio is automatically considered for scholarship awards.
To submit your portfolio, upload digital images of your best work to a Google Drive or Dropbox folder and add the link to the registration form. Please do not send physical artwork by mail. Virtual portfolio reviews with faculty are available upon request.
Submit 15 to 20 of your best images, including works from as many of the following categories as possible:
General Painting, Sculpture, Ceramics, Photography, Printmaking, Digital Media
Drawing Contour Line, Modeling/Value Drawing, Perspective, Still Life, Figure Drawing, Self Portrait
Design Compositional Studies, Color Theory, Value Theory, Investigation of Form/Counter-Form, Linear Mark-Making
Rather than creating new work to fill specific categories, submit images from your existing work that match these requests as best you can. We value variety and quality.
Submit Portfolio Portfolio RequirementsAll freshman applicants to Florida Southern Colleges full-time degree programs must submit the following information:
Applying to Florida Southern as a transfer student is easy. Submit:
If transferring fewer than 24 credits, also include your official high school transcript and SAT/ACT scores.
Learn More about transfer admissionsFSC's Studio Art curriculum is available in two degree paths.
The Bachelor of Arts certifies the completion of major study in the visual arts as an integral part of a general liberal arts degree program. With more than 50 percent of coursework in areas outside art, including the humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences, the BA is designed for students who want to develop strong studio skills within a broad intellectual foundation. Courses outside the major are actively encouraged. As one alumna notes, they enabled a more in-depth study of anatomy that still informs her work today.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts provides comprehensive, professionally focused training in studio art and art history, with an emphasis on developing the technical competence, aesthetic judgment, and artistic quality needed for professional practice and graduate study. The BFA culminates in a senior thesis exhibition.
Both degrees expose students to a wide range of mediums and concepts across nine fully equipped, discipline-specific studio classrooms; a rarity for any small college.
Core areas of study include:
Studio Art students at FSC are part of a creative community with a forty-year membership in Kappa Pi, the international honorary art society. Get involved with Kappa Pi to connect with fellow artists, participate in exhibitions, and engage with the broader art world on and off campus.
FSC's studio art program is equipped with not one, not two, but nine fully equipped discipline-specific studio classrooms — a rarity for any small college. Each studio is dedicated to a specific discipline, giving you the professional-grade space and equipment to develop your craft in drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, printmaking, digital media, and more.
A Studio Art degree from FSC prepares graduates for professional practice, graduate study, and careers that draw on creativity, visual communication, and artistic skill across a wide range of fields. Within six months of graduating, 98.6% of FSC students are employed or in graduate school.
FSC graduates pursue careers as professional artists, exhibiting in galleries and institutions nationally and internationally. The BFA's professional-level training and senior exhibition provide the portfolio and presentation experience that professional art careers require.
Studio Art graduates are well prepared for teaching careers at the studio, school, and university level. FSC alumna Jessica Artman '06 is now a full-time instructor at the Paris Academy of Art; a testament to the quality of training and the encouragement to deepen studies across disciplines.
FSC's rigorous studio training and art historical foundation make graduates competitive candidates for MFA programs at leading art institutions. The BA provides a broad liberal arts context for students who want to explore before specializing; the BFA provides the intensive preparation that top MFA programs expect.
The technical and conceptual skills developed through Studio Art translate naturally into careers in graphic design, illustration, and visual communication. FSC's related Graphic Design program offers an easy path for students who want to combine fine arts training with design specialization.
From advertising and film to product design and user experience, creativity and visual intelligence are in high demand across the modern economy. A Studio Art degree develops exactly the aesthetic judgment, problem-solving, and expressive communication skills that creative employers seek.
"My dream of working as a professional artist came true because the faculty is genuinely engaged in each student's development which establishes an energetic environment for the exchange of ideas! Taking courses outside the major was encouraged; it enabled me to incorporate a more in-depth study of anatomy into my artistic practice, a practice which still informs my work today."
From nine fully equipped studio classrooms and individual faculty mentorship to study abroad in Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin, FSC Studio Art students are always making, always growing, and always building the portfolio and perspective that a professional art career demands.
Instead of just looking at masterpieces online or in a textbook, see them in person. Through FSC's Junior Journey program, Studio Art students have the opportunity to travel to Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin to experience Western art history firsthand — getting up close and personal with works that define the canon and inform contemporary practice.
Get an inside look into the Florida Southern College experience with on-campus tours and events designed to show you what it will be like to live, study, and play at FSC.
Spend a day and discover what it's like to be a part of our amazing campus community!
Admissions
Meet FSC Mocs before a fun-filled experience at Southern Select! You can enjoy light refreshments...
Admissions
Much more than a traditional campus visit, Southern Select includes team building activities, a...
Admissions
At FSC, you are the focus. Our team loves connecting with prospective students to answer questions about the BA and BFA in Studio Art, portfolio requirements, and what a career as a professional artist looks like from here.
Department Chair, Professor of Art
Your creativity and ability to express yourself are skills the world needs. Take your next step toward a BA or BFA in Studio Art at Florida Southern College.
