Department of Performing and Creative Arts
BFA Letter
Dear Art/Photo student and prospective BFA in Art degree applicant:
We write to inform you of our BFA in Art degree and our program requirements.
The BFA in Art is intended for students who have serious ambitions towards becoming practicing artists and/or photographers who may also aim to further their studies with an advanced degree. Students applying to the BFA in Art program must demonstrate a strong commitment to studio work outside of class time. The program provides intensive instruction in art history, drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, and sculpture as well as a broad liberal arts education. The BFA in Art offers 2 different concentrations: Art/Studio or Art/Photography. All accepted students are expected to complete their advanced BFA in Art degree requirements (300 level and higher) at the College of Staten Island. In the penultimate semester all students take ART 390/Senior Project I in Art and Photography, and ART 401/Contemporary Art: Ideas and Practices and in the final semester, ART 480/Senior Project II in Art and Photography, in tandem with a studio/photo course in the student's concentration.
All students initially enroll in the BA in Art or the BA in Art/Photography.
Students may apply for admission into the BFA in Art program providing they fulfill the following requirements:
1. Completion of Pre-Major Requirements: 17 credits
ART 120 Introductory Drawing and 2 art history courses ART 200 Art to the Renaissance and ART 201 Art Since the Renaissance; and 2 of the following 3 courses: ART 130 Introductory Painting, ART 150 Introductory Sculpture, or PHO 101* Introductory Photography with 3.0 GPA. * Students interested in the Photography Concentration must take PHO101 as one of the two pre-major required courses. You are strongly advised to complete the 100 level courses and ART 200 and ART 201 within your first 60 credits.
2. For the 2024/2025 application year, the Committee will accept digital portfolios only, preferably submitted in one pdf file; digital portfolios should include as follows:
• Portfolio presentation for drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture should include 20 works. Up to 5 pieces can be from a sketchbook.
• Presentation for photography applicants should include a complete photographic body of work.
All portfolios should contain a significant number of works created both independent of class and representative of studio work completed from your pre-major requirements.
3. For BFA consideration students must submit via email to Beatrix.Reinhardt@csi.cuny.edu, a complete application form with signed letter of intent and digital portfolio prior to Monday May 3, 2025.
No late submissions will be accepted. Notification of acceptance is sent to applicants before the end of the spring semester. https://www.csi.cuny.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/pca/art_application.pdf Applications and portfolios will be reviewed once per year.
If you are currently enrolled as a BA student and would like to apply for BFA consideration, we encourage you to schedule an appointment as soon as possible with one of our BFA advisors and to review our BFA requirements:
Best regards,
Professor Beatrix Reinhardt, Beatrix.Reinhardt@csi.cuny.edu
Professor Verene, Chris.Verene@csi.cuny.edu
Professor Livensperger, Beth.Livensperger@csi.cuny.edu
Professor Miguel A. Aragón, Miguel.Aragon@csi.cuny.edu