Undergraduate · Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Art
With no prerequisites for introductory courses, explore different styles of visual art and media at McNeese and discover which method of creative expression is right for you.
At a Glance
Why Become an Art Major at McNeese?
As a visual arts major in McNeese’s National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)-accredited Bachelor of Arts degree program, you will explore your talents and potential as a creative artist or future art educator within a liberal arts framework. While developing your technical skills, you’ll also explore how the history of art has evolved in the context of contemporary culture.
Visual arts degree program options
Choose from studio concentrations in ceramics, drawing, graphic design, photography, painting or printmaking, with the option to add a secondary concentration in art education grades K–12 to earn your teaching certification. Whichever path you choose, the visual arts undergraduate degree culminates in a senior portfolio exhibition, and you’ll graduate with a high level of accomplishment in current media-specific concepts, techniques, materials, software and equipment.
Explore More for Art Majors
Make McNeese your top choice for an art bachelor’s degree, and you’ll benefit from a breadth of opportunities and experiences such as these.
Financial Aid and Scholarships:
In addition to affordable tuition, competitive scholarships are available for students majoring in art. Learn more from the <a href="Office of Financial Aid
Studio Space:
In the Department of Visual Arts' media-specific studio labs, you'll gain hands-on experience with world-class equipment and facilities while learning about the study and production of visual art.
Applied Learning:
At McNeese, you’ll have opportunities for immersive learning through internships in professional settings in the community and study abroad programs, which expand your cultural understanding of the visual arts in a global context. Students interested in becoming art educators will also have the chance to observe classrooms at local schools and participate in student teaching.
Program Faculty:
Highly skilled and knowledgeable in a wide range of media forms, faculty and studio instructors provide personal attention to guide you in developing your own style in the craft of your choice. Our nationally-recognized faculty are active in their own fields of artistic production and have works featured in regional, national and international exhibitions.
Visiting Artists, Exhibitions and Workshops:
Work side-by-side with a variety of professional artists who visit campus each term to conduct lectures, workshops and exhibitions. McNeese’s on-campus Abercrombie and Grand galleries provide year-round exhibition spaces.
Excellence With a Personal Touch:
With small class sizes, each student receives individual guidance and direction. The department also maintains close, cooperative relationships with alumni and members of the local community, providing additional opportunities for partnerships, networking and resources for art majors beyond graduation.
Art Bachelor’s Degree Program Concentrations
Ceramics
With a concentration in ceramics, you’ll investigate the full range of functional and sculptural ceramic production methods and techniques, clay and glaze formulation and kiln firing methodology. Emphasis is placed on historical and contemporary concepts in ceramics to help you develop your own personal voice within the medium.
Drawing
Explore representational and innovative imagery with a concentration in drawing. You’ll learn the handling of various tools, materials and techniques as you learn the art of rendering still lifes, landscapes and figures. You will also experiment with areas such as book structures and papermaking and study historical and contemporary approaches to drawing.
Graphic Design
A concentration in graphic design will develop your ability to communicate ideas that inspire, inform and captivate consumers through visual elements, typography and graphics. You will learn to apply knowledge, research and problem-solving skills to computer-generated or hand-drawn visual concept designs that meet marketing needs, including logos, posters, magazines and packaging.
Painting
Broaden your understanding of design, color, composition and the conceptual aspects of painting with this concentration. As a painting major, you will become familiar with contemporary developments and historical traditions as you develop your own technical skills and unique artistic voice in the medium.
Photography
Through the photography concentration, you'll learn the tools, techniques, processes and technologies in digital, traditional silver darkroom and alternative process photography. Course work focuses on the formal and conceptual development of imagery, informed by the history and critical theory of the photograph.
Printmaking
A concentration in printmaking will build your knowledge and skills in the traditional and alternative print processes of monotype, relief, silkscreen, intaglio and lithography. You will learn how to develop ideas from imagery to finished print editions, as well as other concepts in printmaking, including contemporary and historical theories.
Ceramics Art Education Grades K-12
Drawing Art Education Grades K-12
Printmaking Art Education Grades K-12
Graphic Design Art Education Grades K-12
Painting Art Education Grades K-12
Photography Art Education Grades K-12
What Can You Do with an Art Degree?
Majoring in art at McNeese is a great way to develop your talent and potential as a creative artist or future art educator within a liberal arts framework, as well as prepare for graduate art school programs across the country.
Graduate Schools or Programs
- Master of Arts in Visual Arts
- Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts
Potential Job Titles or Employers
- Art and Creative Agencies
- Art Gallery Assistant
- Craft and Fine Artists
- Community Arts Organizer
- Freelance Photographer
- Graphic Artist
- K-12 Arts Educator
- Muralist
- Production Artist
- Studio Artist
- Screen Printer
More Information
High School Portfolio Day
Each year, high school juniors and seniors from Southwest Louisiana, Southeast Texas and across the country are invited to campus for a department tour and portfolio review. After the event, merit-based Distinguished Achievement Awards in Art, ranging in value up to $500, are given to select seniors who are already admitted as visual arts majors to McNeese.
Visual Arts Programming
The Department of Visual Arts presents annual and special events throughout the academic year that are open and free to all, including visiting artist lectures, workshops and gallery exhibitions.
Student Art Association
Participate in social and artistic events on campus such as the Annual Holiday Art Sale and Gumbowl Fundraiser, which raise money to send undergraduate students to national conferences and events.