BFA - Drawing in Ithaca United States | Cornell University

The Department of Art has unveiled a revamped B.F.A. program tailored for students who identify as both creatives and academics. This updated curriculum merges the art department's immersive studio environment with broader opportunities to explore electives across the university. Emphasizing cross-disciplinary connections, the department strives to cultivate a generation of artists poised to engage with the world as both cultural innovators and thought leaders. Students can design a personalized academic path to develop a sophisticated artistic practice as early as possible. The B.F.A. program comprises two academic segments: department-specific art courses (64 credits) and university-wide electives (56 credits). Studio courses and seminars cover diverse areas including: Digital media, Drawing, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Plus various specialized subjects. During the initial three semesters, students take six foundational studio classes (drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, print media, and digital media) alongside an intensive art seminar.

Introductory drawing courses concentrate on building technical skills while exploring contemporary image-making approaches, along with examining both conventional and innovative drawing materials and techniques. Advanced drawing courses employ the medium as a research tool to explore interdisciplinary influences on studio work and to examine drawing's capacity for expressing intricate concepts.