The MFA Classification Justifications
MA Master Degree in Art, (Initial graduate degree)
MFA Master of Fine Arts, (Terminal graduate degree, minimum 60 graduate hours)
College Art Association Guidelines and Standards
“No academic degree other than the MFA or equivalent professional achievement should be regarded as qualification for appointment to professional rank, promotion, or tenure [in studio art disciplines].” The MFA “is the terminal degree in visual arts education and thus equivalent to terminal degrees in other fields, such as the Ph.D. or Ed.D.”
The College Art Association is the oldest and largest professional society in the United States concerned with teaching and research in the studio arts and art history.
Texas Association of Schools of Art (55 Texas college and university institutional members)
From the Standards and Qualificaitons of Faculty: Qualifications for employment of new art faculty for purpose of appointment the following should be considered:
A. The terminal degrees or equivalency for art areas are:
- Studio faculty-Master of Fine Arts
- Art History-Doctor of Philosophy
- Art Education-Ph.D. or Ed.D.
National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD is the national accrediting agency for art and design)
In research terminal degrees (Ph.D.) the student’s focus is toward the “acquisition and dissemination of knowledge…where intuition and creativity are as important as the gathering and processing of information.”
The Texas Coordinating Board considers the MFA a PhD equivalent
SACS recognizes the MFA as a terminal graduate degree and the PhD equivalent in studio art
Practice Oriented Degrees vs. Research-Oriented Degrees: In practice terminal degrees (MFA) the student’s focus is toward the “creation of works of art/design and their interrelationships with each other and with other aspects of culture.”
““Most colleges and universities in the United States that have degree programs in art and design accept the creative activity of faculty artists and designers as equal to the scholarship or research of faculty members in the humanities and the sciences.””
SOURCES
CAA Letter to Richard Lubben (PDF)
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, Faculty Credentials (PDF)
The MFA Degree and Faculty Policies, A statement from NASAD, NASD, NAST (PDF)
POV: What are Visual Art Faculty Worth at a Community College? An Interview with Richard Lubben, Community College Week, August, 2010 (PDF)