The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Studio Art is a professional degree for students who want to become working artists in their chosen fields.

The BFA admission process for declared art majors is a two-step process that includes:

  • Application
  • Written statement of the student’s goals
  • Transcript review
  • Portfolio review
  • Brief interview

A student will submit their written statement and application along with their portfolio before participating in the interview one week later. Within two weeks of the interview, we will contact students in writing regarding the admissions decision.

Entering students pursuing the BFA are declared in a pre-admit status and must apply for full admit status between 60 and 80 credit hours. Transfer student application status will be reviewed on an individual basis.

Late applications are not accepted. Being late for the scheduled portfolio review time is not accepted. Students who are late or miss their review time will need to reapply at the next application date. Being late or missing the portfolio review will be considered as a “Nonaccepted” application, and will be counted as one of three possible attempts. As potential BFA in Art degree candidates, students are expected to be able to meet specific deadline.

BFA students must maintain a 3.0 GPA or better to remain in the program. Students are allowed a total of three attempts to pass the review before they are ineligible for the BFA program. Students who have not gained admission to the BFA program may graduate with a B.A. degree.
If you have any questions about the BFA in Art Program or its application process, please contact Clark Valentine at: [email protected].

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art Curriculum

Bachelor of Fine Arts Application Form

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Completion of Minimum Course Requirements(Required)
Have you completed the minimum Course Requirements to apply to the BFA Program? 15 hours Studio Prerequisites (5 courses – ARST 1310, 1315,2310, 2315, 2318) 6 hours Art History (2 courses) 3 hours Studio Foundation in intended emphasis (3000 level Intro Course) You are still eligible this semester if you are enrolled in your final Studio Prerequisite, or second Art History course. (If no, do not finish completing the application. Speak with your advisor or BFA Coordinator about the appropriate semester to apply.)
Spring or Fall 202X
You can find your cumulative department credit hours in Degree Works, accessed through BOSS here: https://boss.ualr.edu/pls/prod/wwgkmydp.p_my_degree_plan. Note: If you are an Undergraduate or Post-Baccalaureate student, and your catalog year is before Fall 2017, you will be directed to Degree Evaluation in BOSS.
Please enter a number from 0.00 to 4.00.
You can find your current department GPA in Degree Works (see above). BFA Candidates are required to maintain a 3.0 GPA in all of their Department of Art and Design courses.
Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 24 MB.
Prepare a written statement (300 – 500 words). Your statement should include your artist statement (Paragraph 1) and then address the BFA degree’s application to your career and goals, your decision in choosing your intended emphasis area, and your specific strengths and areas for improvement (Paragraph 2). Consider referencing specific images in your portfolio to support your statements. Your document must be uploaded as a pdf format labeled “yourlastname_statement.pdf”
Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 10 MB.
Portfolios must include ten (10) to twelve (12) works that demonstrate the following: a strong technical proficiency in a variety of media, understanding of design and composition, creativity and exploration, and idea development. Portfolios should additionally demonstrate proficiency in the visual arts medium in which you wish to emphasize. Portfolios should include actual works of art produced in art courses at UA Little Rock or accredited institutions for transfer students. At least three (3) works need to be observational drawings regardless of the emphasis you wish to pursue. A minimum of three (3) works should be from your intended emphasis area, unless otherwise discussed with the BFA coordinator and emphasis area faculty. All the pieces in your portfolio should be finished work that show completed ideas. Sketchbooks and sketches can also be submitted and are encouraged, but are to only be used to show your thought process and idea development of your completed pieces. Presentation of work will be considered in the review of your portfolio. Give careful attention to the preparation, documentation, and submission of your work. The submitted works of art must also include a “image list” containing the student’s name and following for each image: title of work (untitled works are acceptable), materials and size, course and assignment for which the work was created, semester and year when the course was taken. Images and image list must be organized in a single pdf file less than 10MB and labeled “yourlastname_portfolio.pdf”