Bachelor of Fine Arts| Indiana Wesleyan University

Bachelor of Fine Arts

Transform your creative passion into professional purpose with Indiana Wesleyan University's Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Art+Design. This comprehensive program cultivates versatile creators equipped to engage culture with innovative, meaningful, and excellent work that glorifies God and serves others.

What Will You Learn in this BFA Program?

Your artistic journey begins with foundational courses covering essential elements like color theory, creative problem-solving, and empirical drawing. As you advance, you will have the freedom to choose from specialized studio opportunities that match your interests and career aspirations. Through these focused studies, students will cultivate core competencies essential for a thriving artistic career. These include the development of advanced technical skills across multiple media, fostering critical thinking and creative problem-solving abilities.

The program also integrates professional business practices specifically tailored for artists, ensuring graduates are prepared for the economic realities of creative industries.

Furthermore, students will gain cultural sensitivity and awareness, alongside a spiritual grounding in their artistic practice, which collectively enhance their visual communication and design principles.

Why Pursue Your Bachelor of Fine Arts at IWU?

At IWU, we believe each student is made in the image of our vibrantly creative God, and their artistic giftings are part of His divine strategy for the world. Our Christ-centered approach goes beyond technical training—we mentor students as they discover their unique God-given identity while developing the skills needed to pursue their calling within God's beautiful plan.

Our program offers customizable pathways that allow you to explore the full palette of artistic opportunities, from web design to weaving, placemaking to painting, and bronze casting to business practices. This flexibility ensures your education aligns with your individual passions and career goals.

The purposeful design of our curriculum helps students progress from sharpening their sense of how God has gifted them to equipping them for where God may be leading. You'll graduate prepared for life as a professional artist, designer, educator, or leader in creative industries.

What You'll Study

Coursework for your graphic design major covers:

Our curriculum is thoughtfully structured to cultivate well-rounded artists and designers, equipping them with the foundational knowledge, advanced skills, and critical perspectives essential for impactful careers and meaningful artistic practice. Upon successful completion of this program, students will demonstrate proficiency in several key areas, including:

Mastery of diverse artistic techniques and media, enabling sophisticated visual communication and execution across various creative disciplines.
A profound understanding of art history, critical theory, and design principles, fostering analytical thinking and innovative problem-solving in their artistic endeavors.
The ability to apply professional business practices, develop a compelling artistic portfolio, and engage with cultural and spiritual awareness within their creative work.

Courses in this Program

These courses contain the program-specific knowledge. Upon completion, you should have the tools to conquer your new career with confidence. For a full list of courses and prerequisites required to complete your degree, please visit the course catalog. Click on a course below to view the description.

ART-101,DES-101,ART-131,ART-133,DES-151,ART-245,ART-390

Program Requirements

Graduation Requirements

Completion Requirements

Completion of at least 124 semester hours (some majors may have additional hours to meet the requirement).
Cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher
Completion of the designated semester hours in the major area with a major GPA of 2.25 or higher or as required by the major. Additional requirements as prescribed by each department must also be met.
Completion of general education requirements. If a student chooses to have multiple majors, the degree designation is based upon the first major.

6 Hours of Foreign Language

Foreign Language requirement - all students will be required to take 6 hours of a foreign language at the college level. The following exceptions and guidelines will be used to implement the 6-hour foreign language requirement:

Students for whom English is a second language will be exempt from the 6-hour foreign language requirement.
Students who have completed four years of a high school foreign language with no grade below a "C" will be exempt from the 6-hour foreign language requirement.
Students who pass a foreign language competency test at a level equivalent to four semesters of a single language (Intermediate 2) will be exempt from the 6-hour foreign language requirement.
Students who pass a foreign language competency test at a level equivalent to three semesters of a single language (Intermediate 1) will be exempt from 3 hours of the 6-hour foreign language requirement and will satisfy the other 3 hours by completing the Intermediate 2 course.
Students will be allowed to transfer college credit hours to satisfy the foreign language requirement.

Accreditation

Graduation Requirements

Completion Requirements

Completion of at least 124 semester hours (some majors may have additional hours to meet the requirement).
Cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher
Completion of the designated semester hours in the major area with a major GPA of 2.25 or higher or as required by the major. Additional requirements as prescribed by each department must also be met.
Completion of general education requirements. If a student chooses to have multiple majors, the degree designation is based upon the first major.

6 Hours of Foreign Language

Students for whom English is a second language will be exempt from the 6-hour foreign language requirement.
Students who have completed four years of a high school foreign language with no grade below a "C" will be exempt from the 6-hour foreign language requirement.
Students who pass a foreign language competency test at a level equivalent to four semesters of a single language (Intermediate 2) will be exempt from the 6-hour foreign language requirement.
Students who pass a foreign language competency test at a level equivalent to three semesters of a single language (Intermediate 1) will be exempt from 3 hours of the 6-hour foreign language requirement and will satisfy the other 3 hours by completing the Intermediate 2 course.
Students will be allowed to transfer college credit hours to satisfy the foreign language requirement.

Bachelor of Fine Arts