Division of Community Engagement – Master of Interdisciplinary Studies

Master of Interdisciplinary Studies

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The Master of Interdisciplinary Studies in interdisciplinary arts degree program enables off-campus students to earn a graduate degree by taking studio art courses offered off campus in a variety of locations. It is not the equivalent of a Master of Fine Arts degree but is an additional option for art teachers who are interested in studio art classes.

Admission
Degree requirements
Focus areas and electives
Final project
Questions

Admission

An admissions committee in the School of the Arts will review applications to the M.I.S. degree program. The committee will look for demonstrated strength in at least one discipline.

An applicant to the M.I.S. degree program should:

Be a graduate of an accredited college or university or its equivalent
Have a minimum GPA of 2.8 (4.0 scale) in the last 60 hours of undergraduate work
Have a minimum of 36 undergraduate and/or graduate studio credits
Articulate his or her interest in working in at least two disciplines in order to explore interdisciplinary potential in the arts as part of the personal statement within the online application
Complete the online VCU Application for Graduate School
Present three letters of recommendation
Prepare a portfolio, with a minimum of 12 images (jpg, tiff, etc. acceptable), demonstrating excellence in at least one discipline, but preferably in more than one. Include the title, size, medium and date of each piece and submit the portfolio on-line at http://app.art.vcu.edu/portfolio/login.php Be sure to select "Off-Campus MIS Arts" as your discipline from the drop-down menu.
Send all supporting materials directly to the Graduate School at:

Virginia Commonwealth University
Graduate School
P.O. Box 843051
Richmond, VA 23284-3051

PLEASE NOTE: It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all supporting documents have been received and posted to the application file by the application deadline. This can be done by logging back in to the application at the same website where it was first created. The MIS Program will not review incomplete applications.

Many students prefer to take a course before deciding to apply to the M.I.S. degree program. Students who are interested in working toward a degree should apply to the program as soon as possible. The VCU Graduate School will accept, to count toward the degree, no more than six credits taken at VCU or elsewhere.

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Degree requirements

The M.I.S. degree requires the completion of 39 graduate semester credit hours in the following pattern:

At least nine and no more than 15 credit hours in each of two focus areas
From three to 15 credit hours of art electives, either studio or art education, outside the two chosen focus areas
Six semester credit hours of an approved final project, resulting in a graduate exhibition and written documentation

Focus areas and electives

Focus areas include, but are not limited to the following:

Painting
Drawing
Printmaking
Crafts, including ceramics, paper, textiles, etc.
Sculpture
Computers and the arts
Photography
Mixed Media

No more than 15 credits in any one discipline may be applied to the M.I.S. degree. A maximum of six credits taken at VCU or from another institution may be transferred; students with special circumstances may ask for a waiver of these rules.

Final project

The final project is the creation of a graduate exhibition, a public showing of work, and the writing of a final paper with visual documentation. Students who have earned 24 credit hours in the M.I.S. program should contact the program director or their advisers to discuss the final project.

The graduate exhibition should represent the student’s creative, intellectual and technical mastery of the disciplines pursued during the M.I.S. program. The artist’s statement must be available at the exhibition. In addition, the artist should provide any autobiographical material or analysis of the work that might prove helpful to the viewer.

The final paper analyzes the works exhibited from conception through creation to completion. It demonstrates the interrelatedness of the pieces chosen around the unifying idea of the show and discusses the position of the body of work in the “bigger picture of art.” An adviser will work with each student in preparing the final paper and must approve the final version.

Guidelines for the M.I.S. in Interdisciplinary Arts [PDF]

Questions

For questions about the academic content of courses, the M.I.S degree or administrative issues such as registration, payment and degree requirements, please contact:

Virginia Commonwealth University
Off-campus Graduate Art Program
P.O. Box 843062
Richmond, Virginia 23284-8819
Phone: (804) 828-8819
Fax: (804) 828-2756