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Fine Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts

St. John’s is accredited by the prestigious National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), which sets the highest standards in the arts for undergraduate and graduate art degrees nationwide.

Art galleries, design studios, and communications firms are in constant need of creative and professionally trained visual artists. With an overall rise in consumer preference for sophisticated images, opportunities for artists continue to grow. 

A Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) from St. John's University prepares you for these opportunities. St. John’s is accredited by the prestigious National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), which sets the highest standards in the arts for undergraduate and graduate art degrees nationwide.

Our 132-credit program provides necessary technical and creative tools as well as a rigorous liberal arts education. You gain the practical experience and intellectual preparation to develop your artistic identity. You acquire a thorough understanding of the various media used in visual arts while refining your creative skills in drawing, painting, photography, and digital media. Courses and projects expand your critical thinking and analytical skills as well as the creative conceptualization of your artist’s voice, as does the University's well-rounded liberal arts curriculum.

St. John's is located in New York City, the global capital of the arts and media. As a B.F.A. student, you have access to leading companies in the design, fine arts, photography and illustration industries, and may embark on career-enhancing internships at leading design studios and arts organizations.

As a Fine Arts major, you may also be eligible to pursue a pathway to the Master of Arts (M.A.) in Museum Administration.

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Degree Type
BFA
Area of Interest
The Arts
Associated Colleges or Schools
Program Location
  • Queens Campus
Required Credit Hours
132

Admission

You can apply directly to the B.F.A. in Fine Arts by completing the St. John's Undergraduate Application.

Please contact the Department Chair directly at [email protected] with any questions regarding this process.

For more information about admission to this and other acclaimed undergraduate programs at St. John's University, please visit Undergraduate Admission.

Scholarships

The Department of Art and Design awards two full-time, four-year scholarships to first-year students who demonstrate extraordinary proficiency and creative potential in their portfolio submission and have met the academic requirements of St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Three additional first-year students who demonstrate excellence in the visual arts are offered a $1,000 incentive scholarship. Students are selected through the portfolio review process and must submit their portfolio in our SlideRoom portal by March 1, 2024 to be considered. For more information, contact Nerissa Palad-Palermo at 718-990-6250 or [email protected].

Fine Arts Curriculum

To earn a B.F.A. in Fine Arts, students complete 132 credits in core, major-requirements and elective courses as outlined below. For more information about courses, please see the St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Science section of our Undergraduate Bulletin.

CourseCourse #Title
FYS1000First Year Seminar
FYW1000First Year Writing
ENG1100Literature in Global Context
HIS1000The Emergence of a Global Society
PHI1000Philosophy of Human Person
PHI3000Metaphysics
SPE1000Fundamentals of Public Speaking
THE1000Perspectives on Christianity

Also the following courses:

  • Ethics (Philosophy or Theology)
  • Foreign Language (6 credits)
  • Mathematics and/or Logical, Quantitive, and Computational Reasoning
  • Science and/or Data Analysis
  • Social Justice (select from approved list of courses)
  • Social Science Elective
  • THE – Sacred Texts and Traditions (select from approved list of courses)
CourseCourse #Title
ART1110Foundation Design
ART1130Foundation Design II
ART1200Drawing I
ART1210Drawing II
ART2220Anatomy & Figure Drawing I

Choose ONE of the following:

CourseCourse #Title
ART1135Digital Media
OR
ART1105Introduction to Graphic Design I
   
ART2310Painting I
ART2320Painting II
ART1510Printmaking I: Relief Printmaking
ART2120Three-Dimensional Design
ART3115Book Arts
ART3350Mixed Media Concerns
ART1630Advanced Digital Imaging
ART3560Studio Seminar I
ART4112Professional Practices for Fine Arts and Illustration Majors

 *Please note that studio art courses meet for six hours per week. 

CourseCourse #Title
ART1710History of Art I
ART1720History of Art II
ART2750Historical Modernism 1848-1945
ART2755Art Since 1945 OR Art 3750 Global Contemporary Art

Choose one of the following:

CourseCourse #Title
ART4909Internship (9 credits)
ART4125Creative Thesis (9 credits)

In addition, you must select five art electives (15 credits total).

CourseCourse #
FYS1000
FYW1000
ENG1100
HIS1000

Department Contact

Paul Fabozzi

Department Chair

Success at St. John's

Sarah Fagan Cioffi ’18C

Service Activities Aided Alumna in Her Search for a Career to Help Others

Sarah Fagan Cioffi ’18C discovered her pathway for a career in art therapy one Saturday morning as part of a printmaking class she took as a Fine Arts major at St. John’s University.

Sarah Fagan Cioffi ’18C St. John's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Highlight

Mrs. Cioffi, who was then working toward her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a minor in Psychology at St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, recalled that one of the most meaningful service opportunities for her at St. John’s was an Academic Service-Learning (AS-L) component of her Printmaking I class with Claudia Sbrissa, M.F.A., Professor, Department of Art and Design. As part of the AS-L project, they created rubber stamps and brought them to St. Mary’s Hospital for Children in Bayside, NY, to make art with the patients.

Interested in The Arts, but not sure if Fine Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts is right for you?

Explore opportunities at St. John's with our pathway generator.