Academy of Art University

Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Visual Development

Graduate students will meet the following student performance criteria:

MFA Thesis Project

• Present an original thesis concept worthy of the MFA degree
• Demonstrate the feasibility of their thesis project
• Producir un proyecto de nivel profesional, con contenido de actualidad para la industria, que muestre la capacidad artística.

Artistic Ability

• Demostrar fuertes habilidades de dibujo y composición.
• Crear estudios de valor que demuestren una comprensión de la iluminación, la composición y el espacio.

Investigación y pensamiento crítico

• Aplicar la investigación visual para diseñar soluciones.
• Demostrar comprensión del proceso de producción presentando un cronograma efectivo en la revisión intermedia (solo MPR)

Collaboration

• Collaborate effectively to produce creative projects

Visual Development

• Aplique elementos de color y diseño coherentes con el aspecto general de la película.
• Elementos de diseño para apoyar la narrativa.
• Demostrar continuidad en la narración visual.

Presentation Skills

• Create visually compelling, professional-quality presentation materials
• Presentar ideas de forma clara y profesional

Professional Readiness

• Producir un portafolio digital e impreso de nivel profesional adecuado para buscar empleo dentro de la industria.
• Demostrar responsabilidad en la planificación de proyectos complejos, priorización de tareas y cumplimiento de los hitos del proyecto.

Academy of Art University Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the Academy of Art University will demonstrate the ability to:

• Produce a body of work suitable for seeking professional opportunities in their chosen field of art and design.
• Solve creative problems within their field of art and design, including research and synthesis of technical, aesthetic, and conceptual knowledge.
• Communicate their ideas professionally and connect with their intended audience using visual, oral, and written presentation skills relevant to their field.
• Execute technical, aesthetic, and conceptual decisions based on an understanding of art and design principles.
• Evaluate work in their field, including their own work, using professional terminology.
• Recognize the influence of major cultural and aesthetic trends, both historical and contemporary, on art and design products.
• Learn the professional skills and behaviors necessary to compete in the global marketplace for art and design.

Academy of Art University offers some of the best training and hands-on experience to help accelerate your career. We pride ourselves in doing an exceptional job preparing you to excel as a future visual development artist. Our degree programs are designed to equip aspiring artists and designers with a comprehensive toolbox of marketable skills that lead to success in the visual development industry.

Art Director

The job of the art director is to oversee and unify the visual look of a project. You'll control the overall look of the project, and make creative decisions based on mood, style, and target audience.

Character Designer

As a character and creature designer, you'll help create the standard appearance for a character including poses and gestures.

Concept Artist

Collaborate with creative and art directors to generate images that clarify their vision and create visual representations of the ideas that will be realized in films, animated movies, comics, and video games.

Matte Painter

As a matte painter, you'll create paintings to be used in photography and special effects to combine disparate elements into a single final image.

Production Artist

Working with art directors and designers, production artists are responsible for creating assets across various marking initiates in keeping with the visual style of the product.

Vector Artist

Using standard tools, a vector artist recreates images for high-resolution output for billboards, printing, and 3D modeling.

Unit Requirements

Degree Requirements

• Successful completion of Final Thesis Project
• A minimum grade of C in all required 63 units
• Minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA and the following Academic Study requirements:
• 1 Art Historical Awareness & Aesthetic course
• 1 Cross-Cultural Understanding course
  • 1 Art Historical Awareness & Aesthetic course
  • 1 Cross-Cultural Understanding course

Curriculum

Semester 1

• ANM 610: Figurative Concepts (Major)
• FA 602: Dibujo de cabeza (optativo)
• FA 630: Teoría del color (especialidad)
• GLA 624: Historia del desarrollo visual (Graduado en Artes Liberales)

Semester 2

• ANM 685: Storyboarding Principles (Major)
• ILL 610: Dibujo de figura vestida (principal)
• ILL 625: Perspectiva de los personajes y el entorno (principal)
• ILL 660: Pintura digital (especialidad)

Semester 3

• ANM 633: Dibujo y diseño para animación (especialidad)
• VIS 660: Fundamentos de entornos y diseño de utilería (especialidad)
• VIS 670: Desarrollo de cartera (principal)

Semester 4

• GLA 617: Mitología para el mundo moderno (Graduado en Artes Liberales)
• VIS 611: Los elementos visuales de la historia (principal)
• VIS 800: Estudio Dirigido (Estudios Dirigidos)
• VIS 900: Prácticas (Estudios Dirigidos)

Semester 5

• FA 605: Pintura de paisaje (optativa)
• VIS 800: Estudio Dirigido (Estudios Dirigidos)
• VIS 850: Estudio Dirigido en Grupo: Desarrollo Visual para Proyecto de Tesis (Estudios Dirigidos)

Semester 6

• GLA 679: Prácticas Profesionales para el Desarrollo Visual (Graduado en Artes Liberales)
• VIS 800: Estudio Dirigido (Estudios Dirigidos)
• VIS 850: Estudio Dirigido en Grupo: Desarrollo Visual para Proyecto de Tesis (Estudios Dirigidos)