Art
Program Description
The Art Transfer Pathway AFA offers students a powerful option: the opportunity to complete an Associate of Fine Arts degree with course credits that directly transfer to designated Art bachelor’s degree programs at Minnesota State universities*.
The curriculum has been specifically designed so that students completing this pathway degree and transferring to one of the 7 Minnesota State universities enter the university with junior-year status. All courses in the Transfer Pathway associate degree will directly transfer and apply to the designated bachelor’s degree programs in a related field.
Students planning to transfer outside of the Minnesota State System are advised to consult with their intended transfer institution to determine transferability of the courses in this curriculum.
Minneapolis College's Associate of Fine Arts (A.F.A.) Transfer Pathway is a combination of liberal arts general education courses and foundation courses in Art and Art History. The A.F.A. offers you an opportunity to think seriously about a career in and related to visual art.
You will complete the degree with a portfolio to prepare you for transfer to a 4-year baccalaureate program in Fine Arts (B.A. or B.F.A.). Students desiring a 2-year AFA degree for job placement or enhancement, as well as those returning to school for enrichment purposes will also benefit from this degree.
Coursework will cover art and art history from all over the world and across time periods. Additionally, core courses in design, drawing, painting, ceramics, photography, and sculpture lead students to more advanced study and creation in those areas, as well as watercolor, printmaking and direct metal sculpture.
*This transfer pathway in Associate of Fine Arts in Art will transfer to the following majors:
- Metropolitan State University: Studio Arts, BA
- Minnesota State University, Mankato: Art, BA or Art, BFA
- Minnesota State University, Moorhead: Art, BA
- St. Cloud State University: Art, BFA or Art (AFA Completer), BFA
Portfolio and Gallery
- Associate of Fine Arts Portfolio Show
- Associate of Fine Arts Virtual 3D Gallery
The Fine Arts Virtual 3D Gallery allows users to browse the work of fine arts students in a gallery setting. The 3D Gallery may take a few seconds to load.
Program Details
Award Requirements and Course Descriptions & Outlines
Please select the award below to view the degree options and requirements in the college catalog.
What You Will Learn
- Courses taught in the Arts Department at Minneapolis College will include the formal, technical and expressive qualities of fine art.
- Design elements and principles form the language of art and make up the comprehensive structural facets of its composition. You will learn to identify that language to better understand the surrounding culture and art while practicing the use of formal communication to clarify the content of your art.
- In each course, you are taught the safe and practical use of technical skills and through critiques learn to analyze the art.
- The A.F.A. degree increases your success in transferring to four-year institutions. If your primary interest is in visual art, you will have the incentive to take a balanced selection of coursework.
- The Visual Arts Department uses many areas of the building to develop new offerings such as intaglio printing, gas reduction ceramics firing, acrylic and oil painting, wood sculpture, and a full complement of art history course work. It is not a stretch to say the department is the one of the most comprehensive art programs in the two-year Minnesota State college system.
Beyond-the-Classroom Opportunities
You will have the opportunity to join Minneapolis College’s Art Club, which allows you to express, experience, interpret and understand the world of art through the examples of media, local artists and the downtown Minneapolis community.
Occupational Outlook
Employment of artists and related workers is expected to grow 12 percent through 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Though competition is intense, there are studios, galleries and clients always looking for artists, as well as commercial work for multimedia artists and animators. A degree in Art gives you an edge up in this exciting and creative field.
Potential Job Titles
- Graphic designer
- Advertising art director
- Illustrator
- Photographer
- Educator
- Technical illustrator
- Handcrafter
- Stylist
- Web designer
- Art historian
- Commercial or residential interior designer
- Fashion designer
- Practicing studio artist
- Art critic
Where You Could Work
- Advertising agencies
- Corporations
- Nonprofit organizations
- Education institutions
- Galleries and museums
- Self employed