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 120-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. In addition, you may also pursue a minor in Art to broaden your creative practice and enhance your academic program.
To learn more about the Fine Arts program, visit the Department of Art and Design website.
- Degree Type
- BFA
- Area of Interest
- The Arts
- Associated Colleges or Schools
- Program Location
- Queens Campus
- Required Credit Hours
- 120
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, 2026 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 120 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.
Required Studio Courses
| Course | Course # | Title |
|---|---|---|
| ART | 1110 | Foundation Design |
| ART | 1130 | Foundation Design II |
| ART | 1200 | Drawing I |
| ART | 1210 | Drawing II |
| ART | 2220 | Anatomy & Figure Drawing |
| Choose ONE of the following: | ||
| ART | 1135 | Digital Media I |
| ART | 1105 | Intro to Graphic Design I |
| ART | 2310 | Painting I |
| ART | 2320 | Painting II |
| ART | 1510 | Printmaking I |
| Choose ONE of the following: | ||
| ART | 2520 | Printmaking II |
| ART | 1650 | Analog Photography and Experimentation |
| ART | 2120 | Three-Dimensional Design |
| ART | 3115 | Book Arts |
| ART | 3350 | Mixed Media Concerns |
| Choose ONE of the following: | ||
| ART | 1630 | Advanced Digital Imaging |
| ART | 2135 | Digital Media II |
| ART | 3560 | Studio Seminar I |
| Choose ONE of the following: | ||
| ART | 4112 | Professional Practices for Fine Art and Illus. Majors |
| ART | 3110 | Professional Portfolio |
Studio Art courses meet for 6 hours per week.
Required Art History Courses
| Course | Course # | Title |
|---|---|---|
| ART | 1710 | History of Art I |
| ART | 1720 | History of Art II |
| ART | 2750 | Historical Modernism 1848-1945 |
| Choose ONE of the following: | ||
| ART | 2755 | Art Since 1945 |
| ART | 3720 | Global Contemporary Art |
Students are also required to take 3 courses (9 credits) of art electives.
Choose ONE of the following:
| Course | Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| ART | 4909 | Internship | 9 |
| ART | 4125 | Creative Thesis | 9 |
Required Core Curriculum Courses
| Course | Course # | Title |
|---|---|---|
| FYS | 1000c | First Year Seminar |
| FYW | 1000c | First Year Writing |
| ENG | 1100c | Literature in Global Context |
| HIS | 1000c | Emergence of a Global Society |
| Science and/or Data Analysis Course | ||
| SPE | 1000c | Public Speaking |
| MTH and/or Logical, Quantitative, and Computational Reasoning Course | ||
| PHI | 1000c | Philosophy of Human Person |
| Ethics Course in PHI or THE | ||
| PHI | 3000c | Metaphysics |
| THE | 1000c | Perspectives on Christianity |
| THE | Sacred Texts or Traditions | |
| Social Science Course in ANT, ECO, GEO, GOV, LIN, PSY, or SOC | ||
| Social Justice | ||
Department Contact
Success at St. John's
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.
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.
