Develop Your Power of Expression
Members of the art faculty at the University of Michigan-Flint have undergone rigorous training and are working artists or researchers. They come to UM-Flint because they love teaching and helping students refine their creative visions and their connections to the world around them.
Our faculty are more than professors; they serve as mentors eager to share what they’ve learned during their careers as designers, artists, animators, photographers, painters, art historians, art therapists and other creative professionals. They understand the challenges of becoming a professional artist because they’ve been there themselves. They can help guide you in planning your studies, applying for internships, pursuing jobs or graduate school, and much more. Our student-faculty ratio of 9:1 assures you’ll get lots of personal attention from them.
Undergraduate art majors can choose from three programs at UM-Flint:
- Bachelor of Fine Arts: You start with foundation courses that help you develop technical, problem-solving, and conceptual skills across multiple modes of expression. Then you dive deeper into one of four concentrations: painting and drawing, sculpture, ceramics, or photographic printmaking. To finish, you produce a professional portfolio and participate in a senior exhibition.
- Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design: This program prepares you for innovative roles in design and related fields of entrepreneurship and technology. After foundation courses, you specialize in one of three concentrations: graphic design, media design, or interaction design. When you graduate, you have a professional portfolio in your area of specialization and experience working across multiple forms of media.
- Bachelor of Science in Art Education (with Secondary Teaching Certificate): When students are asked why they chose art education, a common response is: “Because an art teacher changed my life.” This is your opportunity to study what you love while preparing to make a difference in your students’ lives. The program blends art history and studio art courses with courses required of all students pursuing teacher certification.
Why UM-Flint?
Fine arts and design majors at UM-Flint have virtually unlimited opportunities to learn and grow, both on campus and in the community. Here are just a few examples:
- You can get inspired or seek volunteer and internship opportunities at the Flint Institute of Arts, the Flint Public Art Project, the Greater Flint Arts Council, the Buckham Gallery, the Mott-Warsh Collection, and other community organizations and partners with UM-Flint.
- You can get involved with Riverbank Arts, UM-Flint’s new community-centered space for creatives, community members, and academics to develop and find support for artistic and cultural production in Flint.
- If you take ART 379: Community Design Studio, you’ll get to work on real-world projects with community partners while learning what it’s like to work in an agency setting.
- Our annual Student Art Exhibition, held each spring at the Greater Flint Arts Council Gallery in downtown Flint, provides opportunities to participate in a professionally juried show.
- Qua, our biannual student-run literary and fine arts magazine, offers opportunities to help design the publication or to submit artwork.
- At The Michigan Times and M-Times online, the student-run newspaper and website, you can shoot photographs or design the newspaper and its website.
- You can meet students who share your interests and career aspirations in the Anime Club and other student groups.
- In a paid or volunteer role, you can work side-by-side with faculty on state-of-the-art research in the Undergraduate Research Study Program or its summer counterpart, the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, which offers full-time and half-time research positions.
“ My time at UM-Flint has made me a great deal more confident in myself and my own abilities. The opportunities that I have had to participate in academic research, develop artistically in multiple fields of study, work as a designer for several projects, and gain experience in the field of education have provided me with a wide variety of skills and lessons that I maybe wouldn’t have been able to do in a larger school with more competition.”
Janice is now the 2-D Program Manager at the Flint Institute of Arts.
Janice McCoy
Art Education 2018
Fine Arts and Design Curriculum at UM-Flint
Students interested in studying fine arts and design can choose from bachelor’s degree, minor, certificate, and master’s degree programs. The bachelor’s degree programs include:
- Bachelor of Fine Arts and its honors version curriculum
- Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art & Design and its honors version curriculum
- Bachelor of Science in Art Education and its honors version curriculum (with a Secondary Teaching Certificate)
Eight minors are available to UM-Flint students:
Two 18-credit programs result in certificates:
If you’d like to continue your art education, you can pursue the Master of Art in Arts Administration. Graduates of this program are working in museums and galleries in a variety of positions including Executive Director, Director of Education and in Development.
Scholarships for Fine Arts and Design Majors
UM-Flint provides two scholarships that are specifically for art and design students. They include:
- Ralph M. and Emmalyn E. Freeman Art Scholarship
- Dr. Sarah Jordan Lippert Memorial Scholarship
Our Office of Financial Aid also offers a variety of other scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study opportunities. They’re all part of our effort to make your world-class University of Michigan-Flint education affordable.
Academic Advising for Fine Arts and Design Majors
To help ensure your success at UM-Flint, it’s important for you to develop a strong relationship with our academic advisors. They can help you choose classes, navigate program requirements, overcome personal issues, develop post-graduation plans, and more. Art students have two dedicated academic advisors:
- Kim Laux is the advisor for students pursuing degrees in fine arts and design. You can contact her at [email protected] or 810-762-3411.
- James Owen is the advisor for students seeking art education degrees with teacher certification. He’s available at [email protected].
Career Opportunities in Fine Arts and Design
Your degree in fine arts or design from UM-Flint will open the door to many career options. Consider these job projections for just a few possibilities from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- Art Directors
- Job growth through 2032: 6 percent
- Job openings annually through 2032: 13,800
- Typical entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree
- Median annual salary: $105,180
- Craft and Fine Artists
- Job growth through 2032: 4 percent
- Job openings annually through 2030: 5,500
- Typical entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree is common
- Median annual salary: $53,140
- Graphic Designers
- Job growth through 2032: 3 percent
- Job openings annually through 2030: 22,800
- Typical entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree
- Median annual salary: $57,990
- Industrial Designers
- Job growth through 2032: 2 percent
- Job openings annually through 2030: 2,200
- Typical entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree
- Median annual salary: $75,910
- Special Effects Artists and Animators
- Job growth through 2032: 8 percent
- Job openings annually through 2030: 9,400
- Typical entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree
- Median annual salary: $98,950
- Web Developers and Digital Designers
- Job growth through 2030: 16 percent
- Job openings annually through 2030: 19,000
- Typical entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree
- Median annual salary: $80,730
More information about careers for fine arts and design majors is available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Get Started on Your Fine Arts or Design Career Today
If you want to develop your artistic skills and vision – or to help others develop their own as a teacher – apply to the University of Michigan-Flint today. If you have questions, you can contact our dedicated academic advisors:
- Kim Laux is the advisor for students pursuing degrees in fine arts and design. You can contact her at [email protected] or 810-762-3411.
- James Owen is the advisor for students seeking art education degrees with teacher certification. He’s available at [email protected].
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