What is the Difference between the BFA and the BA?

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree is considered to be the most prestigious bachelor's degree that you can receive in the visual arts. This option is for students who wish to gain as much experience and skill in art as possible. It consists of at least sixty credits of art courses.

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree is less extensive, but still contains essential art core courses. This option is for students with a strong interest in art and a desire to minor or double-major in another subject area. This enables you to tailor your academic career to fit your interests. It consists of at least thirty-nine credits of art courses.

If you're not sure which program will be the best for you, don't worry: you don't have to decide now. Since both options share the core art courses and some electives you will have time to gain some experience in the subject matter before you have to choose a specific academic path to follow. Your academic advisor will be happy to assist you with this decision.

Both the BFA and BA are part of the College of Arts and Sciences. This means that you will choose from additional liberal arts courses in other subject areas (such as Communication, Computer Science, English, Math, Psychology, and Sociology, to name a few) to provide a well-rounded and versatile education. Your academic advisor will help you identify the classes that would most interest and benefit you.