Art - Professional Track Degree (RTP)

This program’s focus is studio art. Students gain a solid foundation in fine art and design to prepare for transfer to a four-year college or university to pursue fields such as: fine arts, graphic design, art education, animation, architectural, industrial, landscape, or fashion design. MWCC art students are taught primarily in small groups in a one-on-one learning environment, with close attention to individual creative development and basic skill mastery. Faculty members actively participate in the preparation of student art portfolios, which are necessary for successful transfer.

Campus/format: This program can be completed during the day at the Gardner Campus.

Helpful hints: Students should work hard to develop a sense of confidence in their ability and judgment; realize that talent alone does not guarantee success–diligence and commitment are necessary; resist the urge to package themselves up to a specific style too soon; familiarize themselves with the art world—what exists in art museums as well as commercial art galleries.

Transfer options: The MWCC Art program is renowned for graduating students who are well-prepared to transfer; many successfully compete for admission to well-established art colleges and universities. Transfer agreements exist with Art Institute of Boston at Lesley, Charter Oak State College, Montserrat College of Art and the University of Phoenix. Other popular transfer choices include: Mass. College of Art, UMass-Amherst & Dartmouth, and the Maine College of Art in Portland. Graduates have also transferred to: Smith College, Williams College, Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design, and the School of Visual Arts in New York. Visit MWCC’s transfer services website: http://transfer.mwcc.edu.

Career options: After completing this program and earning a bachelor’s degree in a related field, students can pursue careers in fine arts, design, or teaching. In fine arts, students can pursue painting, sculpture, printmaking, illustration, ceramics, or film. In design, students can pursue graphic design; or architectural, industrial, landscape, or fashion design. In teaching, students with additional education can become elementary or high school teachers, or college professors.

Special requirements: Technical standards must be met with or without accommodations.

Earning potential: Varies according to field, skill level, studio training, and on-going ability to learn and adapt to a changing marketplace.

Elective courses by abbreviation

Program Competencies

Upon graduation from these programs students shall have demonstrated the ability to:

1. Have the skills and knowledge necessary to transfer to an art program at a four-year college or university.
2. Have an understanding of the creative process.
3. Have an understanding of the language of visual design (i.e., basic design theory, design elements, composition, etc.).
4. Have an understanding of the properties of various media (i.e., clay, oils, watercolor, inks, charcoal, etc.).
5. Have an awareness and understanding of the sources, history, and development of art.
6. Have an understanding of the aesthetic and technical aspects of the studio arts.
7. Develop a professional portfolio for transferring to a four-year institution, as well as individual portfolios for each art course.
8. Analyze career/transfer opportunities and assess their own skills and abilities in relation to their future.
9. Perform critical thinking.

Technical Standards*

*general information about technical standards and accommodation.

Students entering these programs must be able to demonstrate the ability to:

1. Comprehend textbook material at the 11th grade level.
2. Communicate and assimilate information either in spoken, printed, signed, or computer voice format.
3. Gather, analyze, and draw conclusions from data.
4. Stand, stoop and walk for a minimum of four hours.
5. Walk for a minimum of six hours, not necessarily consecutively.
6. Lift 25 pounds to waist high, shoulder high and above the head.
7. Comprehend the spoken word.
8. Function cooperatively in a studio learning environment where limited space, equipment, and tools are shared.