Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Art

With no prerequisites for introductory courses, explore different styles of visual art and media at McNeese and discover which method of creative expression is right for you.

Program Highlights

Why Become an Art Major at McNeese?

As a visual arts major in McNeese’s National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)-accredited Bachelor of Arts degree program, you will explore your talents and potential as a creative artist or future art educator within a liberal arts framework. While developing your technical skills, you’ll also explore how the history of art has evolved in the context of contemporary culture.

Visual arts degree program options

Choose from studio concentrations in ceramics, drawing, graphic design, photography, painting or printmaking, with the option to add a secondary concentration in art education grades K–12 to earn your teaching certification. Whichever path you choose, the visual arts undergraduate degree culminates in a senior portfolio exhibition, and you’ll graduate with a high level of accomplishment in current media-specific concepts, techniques, materials, software and equipment.

At a Glance

Degree Type: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Program Length: 4 years (120 credit hours)

Availability: in person

Catalog Overview

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Program overview

Explore More for Art Majors

Make McNeese your top choice for an art bachelor’s degree, and you’ll benefit from a breadth of opportunities and experiences such as these.

Financial Aid and Scholarships:

In addition to affordable tuition, competitive scholarships are available for students majoring in art. Learn more from the Office of Financial Aid.

Studio Space:

In the Department of Visual Arts’ media-specific studio labs, you’ll gain hands-on experience with world-class equipment and facilities while learning about the study and production of visual art.

Applied Learning:

At McNeese, you’ll have opportunities for immersive learning through internships in professional settings in the community and study abroad programs, which expand your cultural understanding of the visual arts in a global context. Students interested in becoming art educators will also have the chance to observe classrooms at local schools and participate in student teaching.

Program Faculty:

Highly skilled and knowledgeable in a wide range of media forms, faculty and studio instructors provide personal attention to guide you in developing your own style in the craft of your choice. Our nationally-recognized faculty are active in their own fields of artistic production and have works featured in regional, national and international exhibitions.

Visiting Artists, Exhibitions and Workshops:

Work side-by-side with a variety of professional artists who visit campus each term to conduct lectures, workshops and exhibitions. McNeese’s on-campus Abercrombie and Grand galleries provide year-round exhibition spaces.

Excellence With a Personal Touch:

With small class sizes, each student receives individual guidance and direction. The department also maintains close, cooperative relationships with alumni and members of the local community, providing additional opportunities for partnerships, networking and resources for art majors beyond graduation.

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Art Bachelor’s Degree Program Concentrations

Ceramics

With a concentration in ceramics, you’ll investigate the full range of functional and sculptural ceramic production methods and techniques, clay and glaze formulation and kiln firing methodology. Emphasis is placed on historical and contemporary concepts in ceramics to help you develop your own personal voice within the medium.

Ceramics Curriculum

Drawing

Explore representational and innovative imagery with a concentration in drawing. You’ll learn the handling of various tools, materials and techniques as you learn the art of rendering still lifes, landscapes and figures. You will also experiment with areas such as book structures and papermaking and study historical and contemporary approaches to drawing.

Drawing Curriculum

Graphic Design

A concentration in graphic design will develop your ability to communicate ideas that inspire, inform and captivate consumers through visual elements, typography and graphics. You will learn to apply knowledge, research and problem-solving skills to computer-generated or hand-drawn visual concept designs that meet marketing needs, including logos, posters, magazines and packaging.

Graphic Design Curriculum

Painting

Broaden your understanding of design, color, composition and the conceptual aspects of painting with this concentration. As a painting major, you will become familiar with contemporary developments and historical traditions as you develop your own technical skills and unique artistic voice in the medium.

Painting Curriculum

Photography

Through the photography concentration, you'll learn the tools, techniques, processes and technologies in digital, traditional silver darkroom and alternative process photography. Course work focuses on the formal and conceptual development of imagery, informed by the history and critical theory of the photograph.

Photography Curriculum

Printmaking

A concentration in printmaking will build your knowledge and skills in the traditional and alternative print processes of monotype, relief, silkscreen, intaglio and lithography. You will learn how to develop ideas from imagery to finished print editions, as well as other concepts in printmaking, including contemporary and historical theories.

Printmaking Curriculum

Careers and Opportunities

What Can You Do with an Art Degree?

Majoring in art at McNeese is a great way to develop your talent and potential as a creative artist or future art educator within a liberal arts framework, as well as prepare for graduate art school programs across the country.

Graduate Schools or Programs

Master of Arts in Visual Arts
Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts

Potential Job Titles or Employers

Art and Creative Agencies
Art Gallery Assistant
Craft and Fine Artists
Community Arts Organizer
Freelance Photographer
Graphic Artist
K-12 Arts Educator
Muralist
Production Artist
Studio Artist
Screen Printer

High School Portfolio Day

Each year, high school juniors and seniors from Southwest Louisiana, Southeast Texas and across the country are invited to campus for a department tour and portfolio review. After the event, merit-based Distinguished Achievement Awards in Art, ranging in value up to $500, are given to select seniors who are already admitted as visual arts majors to McNeese.

Visual Arts Programming

The Department of Visual Arts presents annual and special events throughout the academic year that are open and free to all, including visiting artist lectures, workshops and gallery exhibitions.

Student Art Association

Participate in social and artistic events on campus such as the Annual Holiday Art Sale and Gumbowl Fundraiser, which raise money to send undergraduate students to national conferences and events.