OVERVIEW
The Master in Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Technologies at Virginia Tech is a terminal degree program that prepares students to use digital and new media technologies to create, present, communicate and shape information and artwork. The program is supported by faculty across all areas of the School of Visual Arts, and we prioritize expansive, interdisciplinary practice that addresses emerging trends in visual art, design, and emerging media.
For more information, please contact the MFA Director, Thomas Tucker.
THE MFA PROGRAM
The MFA program connects students with faculty, research, and courses across SOVA. Research trajectories for MFA students center arts and design practice, and may be further informed by other programs across the university at the intersection of the arts, design, engineering, science, and culture.
We also strategically leverage projects and research opportunities spearheaded by the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, located at the Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech.
GRADUATE CREDITS
The MFA in Creative Technologies requires at least 60 graduate credit hours including original research led by the student which culminates in the MFA Thesis. MFA students work with a Thesis Committee in review and preparation for their thesis defense. The Thesis Committee is chaired by SOVA faculty. All MFA candidates complete a public thesis defense, an exhibition of their graduate thesis work, and a formal written thesis document.
CROSS-DISCIPLINARY
The Creative Technologies MFA program is fundamentally cross-disciplinary while being centered in art and design practice. Our graduate students develop original research and create works across a broad spectrum of art, design, and technology. Approaches to creative investigation span subjects ranging from coding, simulation, visualization, and 3D modeling, to projection mapping, interaction design, video art, installation, games, and virtual environments.
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIES MFA DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
The MFA in Creative Technologies requires the accumulation of a minimum of 60 graduate-level credit hours, including successful passing, presentation, and completion of the MFA thesis project (artwork(s) and research effort), and written Electronic Thesis Document. Below is a summary of the degree requirements.
- 15 credit hours in primary Studio courses
(5000- level course credits, specifically within SOVA) - 14 credits in additional Studio courses
(many of these may be fulfilled by SOVA’s studio courses, by the semesterly Graduate Studio course offering(s), and/or supplemented by applied graduate-level credits outside of SOVA. Up to 9 of these credits may be taken outside of the ART department if approved on the Plan of Study by the Graduate Program Director and Thesis Committee) - A minimum of 1 credit of Ethics content
(Broadly defined. This may be fulfilled by GRAD 5014 Academic Integrity and Plagiarism, OR any history/theory credit with Ethics centering, approved by the Graduate Program Director and explicitly noted as Ethics contribution on the Plan of Study). - 9 credits in Art History/Theory courses, 3 of which must be ART 5854G
(ART 5854G IS New Media Art Theory/Advanced Theories and Processes of Contemporary Art). Note that there are certain courses across the university that will not count towards these credits, please discuss with the Graduate Program Director before enrolling in any graduate art history/theory courses outside of SOVA. - 9 credits in ART 5534 Graduate Art Critique
(to be taken for the first 3 semesters the graduate student is enrolled in the MFA program, except for the MFA’s final Thesis Semester, at which point Graduate Art Critique enrollment is optional. Graduate Art Critique enrollment in the Thesis Semester, if pursued by the MFA student, may count as MFA studio credits if necessary) - 12 credits in ART 5594 Research and Thesis
(as noted above, the MFA Thesis culminates in a public presentation, exhibition of artwork(s), and submission of a written Electronic Thesis Dissertation document.)
A Note on Supplemental Courses
In addition to the required 60 credit hours, students may be required to take certain courses to strengthen their background in specific areas, as determined by the MFA faculty. Supplemental courses do not count toward the 60 hour Plan of Study, but do count toward full time status and graduate assistantships.