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Academic Policies

Admission Requirements

Students planning to major in any program in the arts should contact the College of the Arts as soon as possible. Because of limitations in faculty and space, the college cannot accept all eligible applicants; admission, therefore, is selective.

Auditions are required for admission to all music programs and to the B.F.A. programs in theatre and dance. Refer to the appropriate school 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, digital arts and sciences, 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 the Arts offers professional degrees (B.F.A. and B.Mus.) and a limited access B.A. program in digital arts and sciences, 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, the School of Art and Art History or the UF Digital Worlds Institute. 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 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.
Digital Arts and Sciences: Students must submit a personal statement of intent (PSI) and supplemental support material (SSM) showcasing original student work near the end of the sophomore year.
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 the Arts (FA) classification as long as they meet the standards set by the college and UF for admission and universal tracking.

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, digital arts and sciences, music or theatre program is proficiency in the discipline. All students, except for B.A. in theatre, must present an audition, portfolio or other required support material 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 recommended for students transferring from a Florida public college (formerly known as Fla. community colleges); the degree should be posted on the student’s transcript before admission.

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. Applicants should note that the UF Office of Admissions deadline for the fall or summer B term is March 1; the submission deadline for the art portfolio is March 15. The UF Office of Admissions deadline for the spring term is September 15 and the submission deadline for the art portfolio is October 1.

The prerequisites must include:

Two basic design courses (such as 2D Design and 3D Design; please contact the art advisor directly with any questions)
Two drawing courses (Drawing 1 and Drawing 2)
Two courses in art history (Survey of Western Art History 1 and Survey of Western Art History 2)
Two studio courses in the desired major

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 that major. Refer to the School of Art and Art History website for further clarification.

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 state college program should include:

Two years of dance technique, including ballet, modern and jazz
One year of dance composition
Dance appreciation
Production and performance courses or experience

Digital Arts and Sciences: Students are admitted to the program following completion of the following:

Satisfactory submission of the personal statement of intent (PSI) and supplemental support materials (SSM) showcasing original student work

The state college program should include work required to earn the A.A. degree and the type of general education and recommended electives found in the degree description. Applicants should note that the UF Office of Admissions deadline for fall is March 1 and the submission deadline for the PSI and SSM is March 15. Refer to the Digital Worlds Institute website (www.digitalworlds.ufl.edu/) for instructions on submitting the PSI and SSM.

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 state college program should include:

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 coursework 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 state college program should include:

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 credits, including current enrollment. Art studio majors MUST consult the art advisor regarding the maximum number of credits that can be transferred. 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 critical-tracking requirements set by the college
Demonstrated a well-articulated educational goal for which the change of major is necessary

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 arts major and have fewer than 96 credits, 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., 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 credits, 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 credits. Students are required to file two degree applications with the Office of the University Registrar.

Minors

Students enrolled in colleges other than the College of the Arts may wish to consider a minor in this college: art history; dance; music with emphasis in music performance by audition, music literature/theory/composition, and ethnomusicology; studio art; and theatre with emphasis in general theatre or design/technical.

Students should review the list of minors and email the school for application information.

Minors for Arts Majors

Students with majors in the 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 credits 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 advisor from the college that houses the minor.

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 the 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).

A 2.5 minimum grade point average for music education and a minimum 3.0 GPA for art education is required for admission. Students also must pass the general knowledge portion of the FTCE.

The student must complete all coursework 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.

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 advisor to review progress toward the degree.

Students may be required to take additional courses to remove skill deficiencies when deemed necessary by proficiency exams.

Course Load

The normal load in this college is 15 credits per semester. All students are expected to carry a normal load. A student who wishes to carry more than 17 credits must get approval at the time of registration from a college academic advisor.

Normal Academic Progress

Students maintain normal academic progress by earning a minimum 2.0 (C) GPA for all work attempted while classified in the college (2.5, C+ average in music education and a 3.0 (B) average for all School of Art and Art History majors).

Students must take courses as outlined in the semester 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.

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 or 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 or 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 the academic regulations 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 advisor’s office. Anyone who believes that he or she has been discriminated against should contact the advisor 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 enable 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 credits of their program, and with careful planning and prior approval, can count coursework taken abroad as part of their major or core requirements. Interested students should consult their advisor.

Combined Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Programs

The College of the 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 advisor 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.

Office of the University Registrar, 222 Criser Hall, P.O. Box 114000, Gainesville, FL 32611-4000; 352-392-1374

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