University of Michigan . Art & Design
GRADUATE REQUIREMENTS

COGNATE COURSES The School of Art & Design, in conjunction with the Graduate School, recognizes the need for a breadth of inquiry in graduate studies. Therefore, we require that courses in other areas be taken as a necessary part of the graduate program. A cognate is a course numbered 400 or above that is offered by units other than the School of Art & Design and approved for graduate credit by Rackham (See Rackham Bulletin). MAXIMUM TIME LIMIT A student must complete all work toward the graduate degree within six consecutive years of the first date of enrollment in the graduate school. GRADUATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE Each student in the MFA program must select a graduate advisory committee by the end of September. The Committee serves as an advisory group for the student and a liaison to the School of Art & Design Graduate Committee. The student is required to meet at least once a semester with the Committee; a written report of that meeting must be filed in the Student Services Office. The first meeting should take place by Thanksgiving. The purposes and responsibilities of the Graduate Advisory Committee are: To review graduate's current work and clarify, critique, support and recommend avenues of inquiry To assess the student's progress in the graduate program and approve his/her plan of study To notify the Graduate Committee of concerns or potential problems confronting the graduate student To conduct the final oral examination at the time of the MFA exhibition; to approve the student for graduation. Each committee must have a minimum of three full-time faculty. At least one must be from the student's major area; that faculty member will chair the committee. At least one member must represent an area outside the graduate's major area. Additional committee members from inside or outside the School of Art & Design may be invited to the meetings, either as formal members of the committee or informal participants. EXHIBITIONS MFA students are required to participate in two exhibitions: A Works-in-Progress Exhibition usually scheduled for the end of the first year. An MFA Exhibition held at the conclusion of the program. Graduates are also encouraged to exhibit work in galleries and in national and local exhibitions. However, this is always secondary to the concentrated study and artistic inquiry, which is the primary purpose of the graduate program. The School of Art & Design maintains an active program of international, national, and student exhibitions in both the Jean Paul Slusser Gallery and the Warren Robbins Center for Graduate Studies. Lectures and special programs accompany many shows. The Dean and Director of Exhibitions approve all activities in Jean Paul Slusser Gallery. Proposals for exhibitions, including student-curated exhibitions, are submitted to the Director of Exhibitions; proposals for the use of the Robbins Center are made to the Robbins Center Gallery Graduate Student Coordinator. The Robbins Center has the capacity for exhibits generated by graduate students and forms a curatorial option within the School. For more information about exhibitions contact Todd Cashbaugh, Director of Exhibitions (734.647.6412) or Robbins Center Coordinator: curator.grads@umich.edu. Policies and procedures for the use of gallery space are available through the gallery coordinators. WORKS-IN-PROGRESS EXHIBITION The Works-in-Progress Exhibition is a group show composed of work by the first year graduate students. It is held in the Jean Paul Slusser Gallery and/or Robbins Center, and can extend into other exhibition areas in the School. The intent of this exhibition is to provide a forum for display of new work and current directions. This show provides an opportunity for faculty and other students to review the work and become acquainted with the direction of new graduate students. During this exhibition, graduates schedule reviews with their committees, and the faculty usually nominate graduate students to be selected for the Dybvig and the Redstone Awards (described in detail in the section on Endowment Funds). The Graduate Committee makes the final selection. MFA EXHIBITION A final exhibition of work completed in the MFA program is a graduation requirement. The MFA Exhibition is scheduled prior to graduation, and held in Slusser, the Robbins Center, and the Media Union Gallery. National and international advertising in magazines such as Artforum and the New Art Examiner, as well as publicity cards and the reception will be provided by the school EXHIBITION RECEPTIONS The receptions for the Works-In-Progress Exhibition and the MFA shows are planned by the group exhibiting with the assistance of the gallery coordinator and the graduate program office. SLIDE LECTURE All MFA candidates are required to present a public slide lecture prior to graduation. The School in the final weeks of the program schedules these lectures. These twenty to thirty minute public lectures, consist of a discussion of the development of one's work and its relationship to the work of past and contemporary artists. ORAL EXAMINATION A final meeting of the student's committee takes place during the MFA exhibition, and an examination is conducted. This generally consists of an oral presentation by the student followed by questions and discussion of the work and related issues raised by the faculty. At the close of the examination, the committee deliberates on the content of the examination and the work presented in the exhibit. If this is approved, the committee signs the review form and recommends the student for graduation. PORTFOLIO Visual documentation of work completed in the program and a statement on this work must be turned in to the School Registrar prior to graduation. These are kept on file in the School archive.