Second-year students must register for the following courses for the spring semester: 08:081:703 Thesis and 08:081:704 Exhibition. To complete a degree, each student is required to develop a thesis and present an exhibition.
The written component of the master of fine arts (M.F.A.) thesis requirement follows an academic thesis format and may be 10 pages or longer.
The student is advised to maintain a written record over the two years of graduate study, producing a document that parallels his or her artistic evolution and functions as a vehicle for critique and research. The thesis may be project-specific; research-based; analytically, critically, or socially angled; or functioning as an extension of the thesis exhibition. The thesis is thus closely aligned with the individual process, and the responsibility to define and meet the writing criteria is placed on each student and his or her advisory committee.
The thesis committee is formed at the beginning of the second year. It consists of three members of the graduate faculty, chosen by the student with the faculty members' signed approval. The student asks one member to serve as chair. The faculty members who sign on as thesis advisers are committed to read, edit, and offer critical and constructive assistance to both components of the thesis, and will, in cooperation with the student, determine the relevant length and format of the thesis. No committee replacements are permitted except for reasons of illness or leave of absence by one of the committee members. The thesis is submitted to all committee members during the three stages of development (abstract, first draft, and final draft) for consultation, approval, and evaluation. The written thesis also includes slides, a CD, and/or photographs of creative work.
At the beginning of the second year, the Mason Gross School of the Arts dean's office sets the standard for the academic format. Exceptions to this format can only be made with the thesis advisory committee's consent.
The exhibition component is designed to be a presentation of the creative work of two years of study in the program and takes place throughout the final spring semester in the Civic Square building galleries. These presentations are subject to committee review, consultation, and evaluation by the thesis committee and other members of the graduate faculty. Upon recommendation of the faculty and graduate director, students who do not complete their thesis or exhibition satisfactorily must register for 08:081:800 Matriculation Continued, resubmit a new thesis and/or new exhibition, and delay graduation.
