Art & Design

Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.)

Develop your artistic talents through an exceptional art program.

Develop and maximize your creative problem-solving skills while you enhance your career opportunities or prepare for graduate school by earning a comprehensive four-year Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Frostburg State University.

In this intensive studio-based learning experience with multiple curricular options, you will begin to develop your own artistic style, master creative techniques and gain a broad appreciation for the visual arts in a social, historical, and intellectual context.

  • Build a pre-professional portfolio that shows original thinking, media mastery, personal style and demonstrates an understanding of what constitutes a serious design project.
  • Choose from the following visual arts areas of focus: graphic design, photography, illustration, painting, ceramics, sculpture, or printmaking.
  • Add teacher certification to your degree to prepare to teach art in Maryland public schools.

 

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Program Requirements

Art & Design Program Highlights

  • Participate in art studies that build on a firm foundation of design exploration, technical skills, and the accrued knowledge from related coursework.

  • Put on your own art exhibit in FSU’s Stephanie Ann Roper Gallery, handling everything from publicity and invitations to hanging the works and hosting the event.

  • Take part in the Arts Connection, a student club that organizes exhibitions in Cumberland and other regional communities.

  • Gain real-world experience through an undergraduate internship in a design studio, public relations firm, advertising business or government agency.

What can I do with an art & design degree?

$52,910

Median pay for craft and fine arts (BLS 2023)

Related Occupations

Artist

Sculptor

Painter

Illustrator

Graphic Designer

A BFA from Frostburg State University can lead to a variety of career possibilities, including becoming an art teacher (with acquisition of a teaching certificate), curator, art historian, graphic artist, game designer or practicing fine artist. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates career growth of 3 percent for fine artists through 2022. For more information about this career direction, check out some of the possibilities open to art majors at the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ webpage on craft and fine artists. For information about any of the many other career directions associated with a visual arts degree, visit the crafts and arts main page (U.S. Government Occupational Outlook Handbook).

What You Will Learn

  • Learn from talented visual arts faculty members, who are professional artists who regularly exhibit their works and have expertise in a wide range of creative media.
  • Take part in small classes that maximize the opportunity for one-on-one interaction with faculty and classmates to enrich your art learning experience.
  • Explore problems in describing, analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art. Study the history, purposes, conceptual bases, and methods of art criticism.

There are so many ways to get involved and create connections on campus. I’ve had so many great experiences here and hope that students come here and create some great experiences on their own.

Tasia Smith, Communication Studies Major; Graphic Design and Computer Information System Minors

Our Alumni

Our materials engineering graduates have gone on to a variety of successful careers.

Job Titles

  • Artist
  • Graphic Designer
  • Art Teacher
  • Illustrator

Employers

  • Allegany County Public Schools

Frostburg State Student Eric Groff Creates Art Downtown

Groff designs robots on Frostburg's Main Street.

Related Programs

Art History 

Minor / Frostburg Campus

With a Minor in Art History, you will develop the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate our visual world, appreciate the formative role that images play in our lives and learn to look at the world on a thoughtful, more nuanced level.

Go to Art History

Fine Arts

Minor / Frostburg Campus

Whether you want to work in dark room photography, explore traditional and experimental illustration styles, sample paints, experiment with kilns for firing ceramics or create silkscreen prints, the fine arts possibilities are endless!

Go to Fine Arts

Graphic Design

Minor / Frostburg Campus

Wow your audience and enhance your career potential with a minor in graphic design. As the digital world continues to grow and open new opportunities, demand for professionals with skills in graphic design is rising with it.

Go to Graphic Design

P-12 Teacher Education

Bachelor's / Frostburg Campus

This program will offer you a great teacher preparation that pairs smoothly with art, music and health and P.E. programs for access to a wide range of teaching opportunities. 

Go to P-12 Teacher Education

A Frostburg State education: more valuable than ever.

With nationally recognized academic programs, real-world learning experiences, a top-notch support system, and a thriving student life, Frostburg State is a place where you can discover yourself, define your goals, and prepare for your future.

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