Undergraduate Degrees Graduate Degrees Courses of Instruction

Over 100 years ago, California painter William Lees Judson founded and became the first Dean of the USC School of Fine Arts, making this the oldest art school in the region. The school is dedicated to providing undergraduate and graduate students with the knowledge, skills and experience necessary for careers as artists, educators, scholars and public art planners. Attracting approximately 130 undergraduate majors, over 2,000 liberal arts students and 35 graduate students each year, the school educates students in the creative, interpretive and critical processes which form the foundation for the practice and appreciation of fine arts.

The School of Fine Arts nurtures many different aesthetics. This broad-based education imbues each student with an appreciation and sense of perspective of our artistic heritage, freeing them to find their own inner voice. Alliances with prestigious arts institutions and companies also provide students with access to invaluable internships and career opportunities. This dual emphasis on academic achievement and professional placement ensures the school remains in the forefront of innovation in the arts.

The student's personal and professional growth is stimulated and intensified by the intellectual and physical environment of the USC campus. Seminars, critiques and personal contact with the award-winning faculty, as well as with the visiting artists and scholars who comprise a strong and continuing lecture program, enrich the student's development.

The school's on-campus educational programs are conducted principally in Harris Hall, which was specifically designed and built, in 1938, to house the school, and in Watt Hall, dedicated in 1974. These two buildings provide well-equipped studios and laboratories, a student gallery, the university galleries, shop facilities and faculty and administrative offices. The library of the School of Fine Arts, located in Watt Hall, contains over 70,000 volumes and bound periodicals, micrographic facilities and a slide library with nearly 250,000 slides.

The study and practice of the fine arts are further enhanced by the particularly fertile artistic and cultural environment in which the school exists. The Los Angeles metropolitan area not only forms a major center for practicing artists and commercial galleries of significance on the contemporary art scene, but is also the home for such outstanding permanent collections as those of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art and others located in close proximity to the campus. Full advantage is taken of such local resources, with visits to galleries and museums forming an integral part of the student's course work.

Administration

Ruth Weisberg, M.A., Dean

Watt Hall of Architecture and Fine Arts 103
(213) 740-2787
FAX: (213) 740-8938
E-mail: finearts@usc.edu
http://www.usc.edu/univ/entries/finearts.html

Faculty

Professors: Jud Fine, M.F.A.; Robbert Flick, M.F.A.*; Kenneth Price, M.F.A.; Ron Rizk, M.F.A.; Ruth Weisberg, M.A.*; Jay S. Willis, M.A.

Associate Professors: Bob Alderette, M.F.A.; David Bunn, M.F.A.; Margaret Lazzari, M.F.A.*; Margit Omar, M.F.A.*

Lecturers: Kim Abeles, M.F.A.; Lisa Adams, M.F.A.; Cindy Bernard, M.F.A.; Anne Bray, M.F.A.; Robbie Conal, M.F.A.; Miles Coolidge, M.F.A.; Margaret Crawford, Ph.D.; Jessica Cusick, M.F.A.; Russell Ferguson, M.A.; Barbara Goldstein, B.Arch.; Carol Goldstein, M.A.; Carmine Iannacone, M.F.A.; Mark Johnston, M.F.A.; Karen Koblitz, M.F.A.; Caryl Levy, M.A.; Eve Luckring, M.F.A.; John Mason, M.F.A.; Robin Mitchell, M.F.A.; Marina Moevs, M.F.A.; Ann Page, M.F.A.; Jay Sagen, M.F.A.; Joseph Santarromana, M.F.A.; Rachel Slowinski, M.F.A.; Elizabeth Smith, M.A.; Mitchell Syrop, M.F.A.; Toby Tannenbaum, M.A.; Linda Venis, Ph.D.; Holly Willis, Ph.D.; Paul Zelevansky, M.A.

Adjunct Assistant Professor: Hisako Asano, M.F.A.

Emeritus Professors: Keith A. Crown, B.F.A.; Edgar Ewing, B.F.A.

*Recipient of university-wide or school teaching award.

General Information

Degrees Offered

At the undergraduate level, the school offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts. The Bachelor of Arts (fine arts-studio arts) is offered in conjunction with the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. The School of Fine Arts also offers minor programs in studio arts.

Degrees offered at the graduate level are: Master of Fine Arts and the Master of Public Art Studies.

Minimum Grade Point Average Requirements

A grade of C (2.0) or higher is required in all studio and art history courses for all undergraduate majors in the School of Fine Arts. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 must be maintained by all candidates for the Master of Fine Arts and Master of Public Art Studies.

Undergraduate Admission

Admission to the School of Fine Arts at the undergraduate level is granted through the USC Office of Admission. A supplementary application form must be obtained from and returned to USC School of Fine Arts, University Park, Watt Hall 103, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0292. Applicants applying before February 1 for the fall semester and November 15 for the spring semester will receive priority consideration for admission to the university. The deadline for transfer applicants for the fall semester is March 1.

A portfolio consisting of 10-15 slides, in addition to the supplemental application, is required for B.F.A. or B.A. (Fine Arts-Studio Arts) studio transfer applicants. Freshman applicants are strongly urged to submit a porfolio of slides for talent scholarship consideration. Portfolios must be sent directly to the School of Fine Arts. For additional information, please write or call the USC School of Fine Arts, Watt Hall 103, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0292. Telephone (213) 740-2787.

Graduate Admission

Applications for admission to the graduate programs of the School of Fine Arts are evaluated by the USC Office of Admission before being forwarded to the school. Students must be admitted by both the Graduate School and the School of Fine Arts. The Graduate School's general admission requirements include official transcripts of all previous college and university work.

Applicants to all graduate programs in the School of Fine Arts must submit a supplemental application, available from the USC School of Fine Arts, Watt Hall 103, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0292, and three letters of recommendation from instructors or persons able to comment on the applicant's creative and/or scholarly potential. Please note the additional admission requirements on the supplemental application form.

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