Fine Arts Degree

Bachelor of Fine Arts

Art is not a thing, it is a way

Video: Learn Fine Arts at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design
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Vincent Van Gogh once said, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” This is how a fine artist is born. A compilation of experiences derived from being an active participant in the world of art. You paint, sculpt, draw, dream, think…and ultimately become what you are meant to be.

Fine Arts Program Overview

As a Fine Arts student, you’ll explore a variety of medias from painting, sculpture, and photography, to video art, printmaking, and ceramics. Students are taught to focus on the development of artistic theories to gain a fundamental understanding of the broader concepts in the world of art.

You’ll graduate with a mastery of your chosen artistic medium and a firm grasp of professional practices that will enhance your ability to become an active participant in the artistic community.

Fine art students in the classroom, painting
A Fine Arts student holding a canvas and surrounded by tools of her trade, including sculpting tools, camera lenses, a painting palette, and an ink roller.
Fine Arts Program Overview icon

Fine Arts Program Highlights

Painting

Students execute, through individual studio projects, a variety of painting techniques and the appropriate materials associated with each technique.

Ceramics

Students apply art and design principles in the creation of functional and sculptural works.

Sculpture

Students synthesize form, material, process, and content in freestanding sculptural works.

Printmaking

Students create visual designs that adapt to the relief, intaglio, monotype, screen-printing, and lithography printmaking processes.

Photography

Students apply technical skills in historic processes to create a portfolio of images that express a concept or narrative.

Professional Development

Students create essential documents to support freelance work, small business planning, or applications for exhibitions, residencies, or graduate school. They also create professional portfolio materials reflecting fine art career goals.

Liberal Arts

The Liberal Arts curriculum is an exciting part of every student’s academic and creative journey at RMCAD. These courses provide the opportunity for students to engage with complex questions and ideas to develop critical thinking skills, a global consciousness, and awareness of art historical foundations that are essential for their intellectual, creative, and personal growth.

Global Consciousness

The curious engagement with communities, perspectives, and narratives that do not match our own offers the opportunity to see one’s personal and creative role in our local, national, and global communities. 

Critical Awareness

The willingness to ask questions and resist easy answers & simplistic dualities offers the opportunity to more clearly understand the complexity and multifaceted reality of history, creativity, and human communities. 

Information Literacy

The ability to read closely, critique freely, and seek additional verifiable information offers the opportunity to more holistically discern the veracity of the information that inundates our lives.

Credits pie chart for the Fine Arts course. 51 credits in fine arts, 30 credits in liberal arts, 21 credits in foundations, 15 credits in art history, and 6 credits in electives for a total of 123.

Fine Arts Degree Requirements

At RMCAD, we believe a Fine Arts Degree requires a multi-dimensional education. It begins with a curriculum that is rooted in expansive thinking. You’ll learn professional practices and critical thinking in a way that allows your creativity to thrive. In addition to core classes, you’ll select elective courses to really hone in on your chosen specialty.

* RMCAD offers classes year-round in both on-campus and online delivery formats. At RMCAD, we believe that online learning is an important part of the overall college learning experience. To provide students multiple scheduling options, diverse learning modalities, and experience in the virtual environment, all on-campus students are required to take part in online education.

Tech + Tools

The best tools a student can possess in RMCAD’s Fine Arts School are an open mind and a willingness to expose yourself to new and old ideas. Because you’ll be immersed in the vast world of art, you’ll be working and learning in a wide variety of media. A few of the classroom tools you will use include: a table saw, router table, various hand tools, a ceramic 3D printer, full-range ceramic electric kilns, a resin 3D printer, laser cutters, and much more.

Wooden pottery sculpting tool

Fine Arts Careers

As a RMCAD Fine Arts graduate, the rich curriculum provided throughout the program prepares you for a variety of career opportunities including: 

Potential Career PAths

Student Work + Success

Stories @ RMCAD

Fine Arts Faculty

RMCAD’s Fine Arts instructors are cut from a different cloth. The finest cloth. With a variety of backgrounds and life experiences, you will get the kind of one-on-one attention and guidance that turns a Fine Arts student into a fine artist. Your success matters and our faculty will show you just how much!

Fine Arts Events

Get in touch with the finer things in art and life by seeing what’s happening at our next event!

Ready to Draw/Paint/Sculpt Your Creativity?

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