What Can I Do With a Major In Art?

UGA Specific Information for Art

Students in the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (BFA) are guided by accomplished artists/professors to pursue their goals in emphasis areas including Art X, Ceramics, Drawing, Fabric Design, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Jewelry and Metalwork, Painting, Photography, Printmaking & Book Arts, Scientific Illustration, and Sculpture. Students with a Bachelor of Arts degree (AB) in Interdisciplinary Art & Design (formerly AB Studio Art) are guided in this same way and have the opportunity to combine their interests in multiple fine art emphases and additional disciplines. Generally, visual artists fall into two categories—"graphic artists" and "fine artists"—depending on the artist's purpose in creating a work of art. Graphic artists can put their artistic skills and vision at the service of clients, such as major nonprofits, corporations, government agencies, retail stores, advertising, design, or publishing firms. Fine artists create art to satisfy their own need for self-expression and may display their work in art galleries, museums, and homes. Fine artists work independently, choosing their mediums and subject matters as they see fit. Often, they specialize in one or more forms of art, i.e. painting, sculpting, or printmaking. In many instances, visual artists work in more commercially connected endeavors, while pursuing their "fine arts" goals.

Art X

Students are asked to consider historical developments, critical ideas, and current practices related to time-based art. The area emphasizes creativity, versatility, and poetics over computer-based technical skills. Students will be able to utilize a computer lab for digital imaging, digital video, editing, and robotic programming. Along with a CNC fabrication facility, digital media students have access to the haptic sensible technology lab and 3D stereo thermojet lithographic printing in sculpture. The primary media and practices in this area deal with the research and experimentation of technology and time-based forms of art. Students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in this area and must be able to work comprehensively, translating concepts and ideas into visual poetic forms.

Ceramics

The BFA candidate should have a working knowledge of the various techniques of the ceramic process including clay and glaze formulation, kiln building and firing, throwing on the potter's wheel and numerous methods of hand forming. Both utilitarian and sculptural approaches will be stressed. Students will be exposed to a wide range of contemporary and historical examples of ceramic art. The BFA candidate should be prepared to present a professional portfolio of their work as an application to graduate school. Exceptional students may be prepared to function independently as working studio artist-potters; however, further study at the graduate level is recommended. BFA candidates are required to present an exhibition that demonstrates their achievement in developing a mature and cohesive body of creative work. Students are also encouraged to enter competitive shows and attend workshops and national conferences.

Drawing

Students investigate various types of media including charcoal, pastel, colored pencil, graphite, aqueous media, oil, and acrylic paint. Through research, experimentation, and critique, they master basic drawing skills and begin to address art's relationship to contemporary issues and ideas.

Painting

Students investigate various types of media including charcoal, pastel, colored pencil, graphite, aqueous media, oil, and acrylic paint. Through research, experimentation, and critique, they master basic painting skills and begin to address art's relationship to contemporary issues and ideas.

Fabric Design

The program emphasizes studies in drawing, painting, and color as a way of building the foundation for individual artistic expression.  Whether choosing to design for industry or to create fine artwork, research into new ideas, materials, methods, and design applications is continually expected.

Graphic Design

Graphic designers work with drawn, painted, photographed, or computer-generated images (pictures), but they also design the letterforms that make up various typefaces found in movie credits and TV ads; in books, magazines, and menus; and even on computer screens. Designers create, choose, and organize these elements—typography, images, and the so-called “white space” around them—to communicate a message. Graphic design is a part of your daily life. From humble things like gum wrappers to huge things like billboards to the T-shirt you’re wearing, graphic design informs, persuades, organizes, stimulates, locates, identifies, attracts attention, and provides pleasure.

Interior Design

The Interior Design program in the Lamar Dodd School of Art is fully accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), formerly known as FIDER. The program was initially accredited in 1984. It was re-accredited in 2013 for a term extending through 2019. All potential students should note that graduation from a CIDA-accredited program is one of the prerequisites for licensing Interior Designers in the State of Georgia.

Jewelry & Metalwork

The BFA candidate should develop an understanding and competency of the various techniques associated with metalsmithing including fabrication, lost wax casting, raising, forging, stonesetting, and numerous forming and surface embellishment processes. Through the course of study, students should gain an appreciation for the history of jewelry and metals from body adornment to ritualistic and functional objects. In completing the BFA exit project, the student should present a professional portfolio that can be used towards application to graduate school or the jewelry/metals profession.

Photography

The Photography Area in the Lamar Dodd School of Art is pushing the boundaries of education in photographic fine arts. Spanning the history of the medium from large format cameras and historic printing processes to the latest in digital technology, mixed media, and installation.

Printmaking & Book Arts

The printmaking and book arts concentration provides a student the opportunity to conduct an intensive investigation in a professional studio environment. Students will develop technical competence in the diverse skills associated with most major fine-art printmaking processes including intaglio, relief, screen printing, digital printing, letterpress, book arts, papermaking, and lithography.

Scientific Illustration

The production of illustrations of measured accuracy, conceptualized illustrations, and diagrammatic illustrations are created to enable communication between scientist and author, teacher and student, or physician and patient. An artist must, therefore, be aware of the viewer's level of knowledge and relate the message in a logical sequence without confusing the viewer with too much or too little information. Because they communicate subtleties and eliminate ambiguities of language, scientific illustrations are an important, often necessary, element in precise communication in scientific education.

Sculpture

The sculpture area is an environment that encourages exploration in many ways. The undergraduate course of study allows students to develop a conceptual and technical understanding in the three-dimensional arts. Sculpture courses introduce both contemporary and traditional practices in the discipline. Students are encouraged to investigate issues of object-making, as well as installations and public art interventions.

Interdisciplinary Art & Design AB (formerly Studio Art)

In the Interdisciplinary Art and Design AB (formerly Studio AB) program, students are exposed to a variety of media and techniques associated with studio art disciplines, yet have the flexibility to build a more interdisciplinary degree program with more elective coursework outside of Art. Students pursuing the AB will understand the non-verbal language of art and design in terms of artistic principles and application, will be able to organize visual elements both rationally and intuitively according to understood artistic principles, and will become familiar with the major achievements in the history of art and visual culture.

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Class of 2023 Career Outcomes for Art*

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Campus Resources

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Additional UGA Career Center Recommendations

Additional Career Research Resources

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Employment Websites

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Professional Associations/Resources

The information below represents employers and position titles from the Class of 2023 Career Outcomes Survey. To view historical Career Outcomes for this major, click here and select "Historical Data" from the navigation menu.

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The information below represents graduate/professional schools and programs reported through the Class of 2023 Career Outcomes Survey. To view historical Career Outcomes for this major, click here and select "Historical Data" from the navigation menu.

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