College of Fine Arts
Admission Requirements
Students planning to major in any program in fine arts should contact the Fine Arts program as soon as possible. Due to limitations in faculty and space, the college cannot accept all eligible applicants. Therefore, admission to the college is selective.
Auditions are required for admission to all music programs and to all B.F.A. programs in theatre and dance. Refer to the appropriate school's website for audition information. A student’s entire record, including educational objective, pattern of courses completed, quality of academic record, successful audition or portfolio review and test data will be considered. Applicants to art and music education programs are required to present SAT or ACT test scores before admission to these programs. Priority in admission will be given to those applicants whose potential indicates the greatest likelihood of success in the program.
Native Freshmen and Sophomores
Because the College of Fine Arts offers professional degrees (B.F.A. and B.Mus.), the admissions process often occurs in two phases.
1. Conditional admission as a freshman to the college and a program of choice in the School of Theatre and Dance or the School of Art and Art History. There is no conditional admission for music students; they must audition for direct admission to music programs before registering for classes.
2. Direct or confirmed admission into a specific program of choice occurs in different stages of the academic career for different programs.
- Art: Students in art are required to submit a portfolio in studio courses as a freshman. Students desiring to change from another major within the university must submit a portfolio for conditional admission. All art students must pass a portfolio review at the end of their sophomore year before direct admission to a specific program.
- Music: All students must audition for admission to a music major.
- Theatre and Dance: Students must audition for direct admission to B.F.A. programs.
Students, even those in the conditional phase of their program, maintain the College of Fine Arts (FA) classification as long as they meet the standards set by the college and UF for admission and universal tracking.
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Transfer Students
To be eligible for admission to the college, a transfer student must satisfy the minimum requirements for UF admission.
The primary criterion for any art, dance, music and theatre program is proficiency in the discipline. All students, except for B.A. in theatre, must present an audition or portfolio for review.
The majority of 3000/4000-level professional courses required for the major in the junior and senior years generally cannot be taken at other schools. Students attending four-year colleges should take courses similar to the first two years’ preparatory courses for their intended major.
The associate of arts (A.A.) degree is required for students transferring from a community college; the degree should be posted on the student’s transcript before admission. Any exception to this requirement will be stated in the student’s acceptance letter.
Transfer students are advised to plan their studies as outlined below for each department or school. Transfer students, even with completed A.A. degrees, will usually be required to take additional preprofessional, lower-division (2000 level) courses beyond the minimum courses, required for entry into a specific program.
Art: Students are admitted to studio degree programs following completion of a satisfactory portfolio review. (Please note: The UF Office of Admissions deadline for Fall or Summer B is March 1. The deadline for art portfolio submission for Fall or Summer B is March 15). The community college program should include:
- two basic design courses
- two drawing courses
- two courses in art history
- two studio courses in the desired major
These courses transfer automatically. Other courses prefixed ART do not transfer automatically and will need evidence of achievement (i.e., portfolio). All majors within the School of Art and Art History require a portfolio review, except art history, which does require a letter of intent outlining the applicant’s goals as related to the art history major.
Dance: Students are admitted to the program following completion of the following:
- a satisfactory in-person or videotaped audition
- a résumé
- acceptable proficiency in dance technique
The community college program should include the following:
- two years of dance technique, including ballet, modern and jazz
- one year of dance composition
- dance appreciation
- production and performance courses or experience
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Music: Students are admitted to the program following completion of a satisfactory in person or tape-recorded audition and accomplishment of an acceptable proficiency in music theory (written, singing and aural skills). The community college program should include the following:
- four semesters of music theory, including written theory, ear training, sight singing and keyboard harmony
- four semesters of performance major study
- four semesters of ensemble participation
- four semesters of piano skills
- one semester of Music Styles (MUL 2110)
Transfer students, with or without an A.A. degree, who have satisfactorily completed these requirements must take the Comprehensive Musicianship Exam for placement within the UF music program. Only those who successfully pass all levels of this exam will be exempt from the theory sequence at UF. If remedial or lower-division theory courses are required, student must complete the course work before taking the exam again to ensure their readiness for upper-division work.
Theatre: Students are admitted to the program following completion of a satisfactory audition in performance or a portfolio review in production. The community college program should include the following:
- two courses in acting
- introduction to theatre
- costume and stage make-up
- stage production
- stage movement
- theatre practice
Change of Major
Students wishing to change majors after four semesters should do so before acquiring 96 hours, including current enrollment. Art studio majors must do so before acquiring 75 hours. In addition, students must have satisfied the following:
- met the minimum overall GPA
- completed the designated foundation courses (preprofessional courses)
- passed any required audition, portfolio review or any required preprofessional courses
- met universal-tracking requirements set by the college
- demonstrated a well-articulated educational goal for which the change of major is necessary
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Dean’s List
Double Majors
Students may choose to complete the requirements for two majors from the same division; e.g., painting and drawing or music history and ethnomusicology, or acting and scene design. Courses used for one major may be used as electives for the other major and vice versa.
Students applying for a double major must already be admitted to one Fine Arts major and have fewer than 96 hours (including current enrollment). They must meet all admission requirements set by the college for the second major and be able to complete the degree within a reasonable number of semesters.
Dual Degrees
A dual-degree program is defined as the completion of two degree programs; e.g., a B.A. and B.F.A.; B.Mus. and B.F.A. Students may not receive a dual degree when the degree title is the same, such as two B.A.s or two B.F.A.s in the same disciplines.
Courses used for one major may be used as electives for the other major and vice versa. Students applying for a dual degree must already be admitted to one major and have fewer than 96 hours (including current enrollment.) They must meet all admission requirements set by the college for the second degree if the second degree is within the college. If the second degree is outside the college, applicants must be admitted to the second degree program by the appropriate college.
Students should be able to complete both degrees within a reasonable number of hours. Students are required to file two degree applications with the Office of the University Registrar.
Minors
Students enrolled in colleges other than fine arts may wish to consider a minor in this college. The following minors are available: art history; music with emphasis in music performance by audition, music literature/theory/composition, and ethnomusicology; theatre with emphasis in general theatre or design/technical; and dance.
Students should review the list of minors and email the school for application information.
Minors for Fine Arts Majors
Students with majors in the fine arts may pursue a minor in another department or college. Students in any art studio major may pursue a minor in art history. The minor, however, does not reduce the number of hours required for the major. Students interested in an outside minor are encouraged to discuss the requirements and certification procedures, and to seek approval with an adviser from the college that houses the minor.
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Teaching Certification
An applicant for initial regular certification in Florida must first pass the state teacher certification examination.
In cooperation with the College of Education, the College of Fine Arts offers programs for teaching art and music in the public schools in grades K-12. Students completing these programs’ curricula fulfill the educational requirements for teaching certification K-12 in Florida and in most other states through the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
As a prerequisite for admission, a student must receive a minimum composite score of 20 on the American College Test or a minimum composite score of 960 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. If taken before April 1995, a score of 840 is required. A minimum grade point average of 2.5 for Music Education and 3.0 for Art Education is required for admission. Students must also pass the GK portion of the FTCE.
The student must complete all course work before the student-teaching semester. Because student teaching is a full-time commitment, student teachers may not register for any other course during the student-teaching semester. A student may not be employed on weekdays while student teaching.
General College Requirements
Student Responsibility
Students are responsible for staying on track, for registering for the proper courses and for fulfilling all requirements for their degrees.
While the college maintains an academic advisory service and carefully works to keep accurate records of individual students in the college, the student is responsible for meeting all degree requirements. Students should read their online-tracking audits each term and visit an adviser to review progress toward the degree.
Students may be required to take additional courses to remove skill deficiencies when deemed necessary by proficiency exams.
Normal Course Load
The normal load in this college is 15 credit hours per semester. All students are expected to carry a normal load. A student who wishes to carry more than 17 hours must get approval at the time of registration from a college academic adviser.
Normal Academic Progress
Students maintain normal academic progress by earning a minimum GPA of 2.0 (C) for all work attempted while classified in the college (2.5, C+ average in music education and a 3.0 average in all of the School of Art and Art History majors). Students must take courses as outlined in the tracking plan for each major. Students are required to take courses in sequence. Students may be excluded from a program of study in the college if they fail or refuse to maintain normal academic progress.
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College Probation and Dismissal
A junior or senior whose GPA falls below 2.0 (or other required minimum) will be placed on college probation, and the student will be notified in writing. As long as a student has a deficit record, he/she will remain on probation, and must continue to remove deficits each term. Failure to remove the deficits in a timely way could result in a college suspension for one term.
While on suspension, a student cannot enroll at another institution unless he/she has successfully petitioned the college. If a student is permitted to enroll in approved courses at another institution, grades earned will not reduce the deficit points at UF nor will they count toward UF credit. Students cannot graduate from this college with deficit points on their records.
Adding/Dropping/Withdrawing
Refer to the policy for dropping courses in academic policies section.
Petitions
Any student who feels that college regulations created a particular hardship or injustice may petition for a waiver of the regulation. Information on procedures is available in the adviser’s office. Anyone who believes that she/he has been discriminated against should contact the adviser or associate dean for student affairs.
International Opportunities
The college encourages study abroad for a semester or a full academic year and has established exchange agreements with foreign colleges and universities. These programs allow UF students to experience other cultures and to count the credits earned toward their degrees.
Participants in approved college programs can receive financial aid, can count summer courses taken abroad as part of their summer study obligation, can study abroad during the last 30 hours of their program, and with careful planning and prior approval, can count course work taken abroad as part of their major or core requirements. Interested students should consult their adviser.
Combined Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Programs
The College of Fine Arts offers juniors and seniors the opportunity to begin graduate study early by taking graduate-level courses before completing the bachelor’s degree. A combined-degree program normally requires a 3.2 GPA, a verbal and quantitative GRE score of 1100 (when required) and admission to the Graduate School. Contact the graduate coordinator or academic adviser for more information.
Additionally, juniors and seniors with at least a 3.0 GPA may, with instructor permission, take up to six graduate credits that will count toward an undergraduate degree.
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