Art—Fine Arts/Media Arts Concentrations, BA | New England College
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Bachelor of Arts in Art, Fine Arts Major Concentration or Media Arts Major Concentration 

When you pursue a BA in Art, your Fine Arts concentration includes courses in drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture. Media Arts includes courses in photography, graphic design, video, and other digital applications.

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Bachelor of Arts in Art, Fine Arts Major Concentration or Media Arts Major Concentration Program Overview

When you pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Art degree, you can choose between a Fine Arts major concentration or Media Arts major concentration. Each is designed to help you cultivate your knowledge and craft, but each emphasizes different elements. The Fine Arts concentration includes courses in drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture. Media Arts includes courses in photography, graphic design, video, and other digital applications.

When you get an art degree, you acquire foundational preparation for professional or graduate study, or for careers in teaching, museum work, and studio and commercial art.

You are encouraged to take courses in both concentrations and are required to take at least one course in the area in which you do not concentrate.

Tuition

Bachelor of Arts in Art Program Highlights

Networking Applicable Hands-on
Numerous opportunities to work with professionals in the field. Participate in a wide range of cultural experiences, from artist studio visits to museum trips. Broaden your perspective as you travel to Europe through our one- to two-week Study Away trips.

Why Earn Your Bachelor of Arts in Art?

Earning a Bachelor of Arts in Art does more than hone your skills as an artist. It encourages you to think creatively and cultivate a strong sense of collaboration. These skills can prepare you for success in numerous ways in the field of art.

 

Fine Arts Major Concentration and Media Arts Major Concentration Learning Outcomes

Whether you enroll in the Fine Arts major concentration or Media Arts major concentration, you will:

  • Develop a competent and cohesive body of work.
  • Research art histories to understand the formal analysis and cultural context of art.
  • Understand and be able to explain the interrelationship between the arts.
  • Analyze, interpret, and evaluate works of art, including your own.

What Can You Do with a Bachelor of Arts in Art with a Fine Arts Major Concentration or a Media Arts Major Concentration?

A Bachelor of Arts in Art can prepare you to pursue a broad range of dynamic art-related careers. These careers can enable you to make unique contributions to the art world, from creativity to curation.

Graphic Designer

$50,710*

 Museum Curator

$60,110*

 Librarian

$61,190*
*Median annual salary information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as of May 2021

Why Choose NEC?

New England College (NEC) is a private, nonprofit college founded in 1946 to serve the needs of servicepeople attending college on the GI Bill after World War II and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. Today, NEC is an innovative, military-friendly institution and one of the top five liberal arts colleges in New Hampshire.

NEC offers 60 associate and bachelor’s degrees, as well as more than 20 master’s degrees and one doctoral degree program, all delivered by dedicated faculty focused on giving students opportunities to live what they learn. With access to many clubs, outdoor activities, natural areas, internships, and professor-led trips, NEC students have many ways to meet new people and try new things.

At NEC, the world is your classroom.

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Recognition and Rankings

 

Best College In New Hampshire as ranked by Inteligent.com

NEC Ranked Top College in New Hampshire

New England College in New Hampshire has earned recognition as a leading college in the state, as acknowledged by Intelligent.com, a credible source for evaluating higher education programs.

 

 

 

 

Edurank logo for best college in New Hampshire

NEC Ranked Leading College in New Hampshire

New England College in New Hampshire has earned recognition as a leading college in NH, as acknowledged by EduRank, a credible source for evaluating higher education programs.

 

 

 

 

AcademicInfluence.com logo for best college in New Hampshire

NEC Ranked Top College in New Hampshire

New England College in New Hampshire has earned recognition as one of the best colleges in New Hampshire, as acknowledged by Academic Influence, a credible source for evaluating higher education programs.

 

 

Degree Requirements

Art: Fine Arts/Media Arts, BA

Download Course Requirements

Major Requirements

Core Introductory Courses

These courses are taken in the student's first four semesters.

Core Capstone Courses

These courses are taken after students have passed the Foundation Review and have successfully completed a number of advanced level courses in their concentration.

Art History Core Requirement

Select 8 credits from the following list:

Fine Arts Concentration Requirements

Select 16 Credits from the following list and an additional 4 credits in Media Arts.

Media Arts Concentration Requirements

Select 16 Credits from the following list and an additional 4 credits in Fine Arts.

Additional Topics Courses

The following courses may be used to meet requirements with departmental approval.

Liberal Arts & Sciences Core Curriculum, Bachelor's Degree

Electives

Select additional electives to reach 120 credits for a Bachelor's degree. 

Faculty

  • Glen Scheffer

    Associate Professor, Photography
    Phone: 603.428.2655
    Email: gscheffer@nec.edu
    Professional website: glenscheffer.com

    Educational Background
    MFA in Photography, New Hampshire Institute of Art

    Bio
    Glen Scheffer uses the language of photography to describe the world around him. Whether using the studio to create photographs linking science and art or photographing indirect social connections made within the landscape, Glen strives to make art that will stir conversation about how we interact with each other and the world. Glen uses large- and medium-format cameras to construct his interpretations and cultivate his vision. Glen’s work is finished through the darkroom as gelati silver prints, digitally as large archival pigment prints, as well as published books. Glen has exhibited his work regularly locally and nationally. Most recently, his work was part of a traveling exhibition of film-based artists. The work traveled to the Polygon Gallery in North Vancouver, Canada; SF Camerawork in San Francisco; and The Reference Gallery in Seoul, South Korea. Glen’s work is also part of Everything Is Narrative, a publication of landscape photographers. The book is an anthology of contemporary photography exploring the open-ended nature of photographic storytelling. Showcasing images from 162 artists, this book was published in the spring of 2021.

  • Jay Bordage

    Associate Professor, Art
    Phone: 603.428.2361
    Email: jbordage@nec.edu
    Professional website: jaybordage.weebly.com

    Expertise

    • Graphic Design
    • Media Arts
    • Photography
    • Video

     

    Educational Background
    MFA with concentration in photography and video, Tufts University—School of the Museum of Fine Arts
    BFA in Sculpture, Massachusetts College of Art
    BA in Psychology, Oberlin College

    Research Interests

    • Graphic design focused on Typography
    • Fine Art focused on drawing and painting

     

    Bio
    Jay Bordage has held teaching positions at Tufts University, Harvard University, and Chester College. He maintains an active studio practice in art and design. His current focus in art involves the relationship between mark-making and perception through the mediums of drawing and painting. He has exhibited nationally, and his work is in collections in the United States and Europe. Through his company, BordageDesign, he works on branding, identity, editorial, and package design projects. In addition to making and teaching art and design, Bordage has studied and lectured on critical theory as it pertains to aesthetics and epistemology. He is an ongoing member of a professional seminar that explores the relationship between psychoanalysis and art. When not teaching, Bordage lives in Boston, Massachusetts, with his family, a scruffy dog, and thousands of pencils.

  • Karen Hillson

    Assistant Professor, Art
    Phone: 603.428.2648
    Email: khillson@nec.edu

    Expertise and Awards

    Expertise:
    19th- and 20th-century art

    Awards:

    • Frank Maria Fund, NEC
    • Rockefeller II Fund, NEC
    • Faculty Development Fund, NEC
    • Samuel H. Kress Foundation Travel Fellowship

     

    Educational Background
    PhD, University of California, Santa Barbara
    BA, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles

    Research Interests

    • French Romanticism, particularly the art of Eugène Delacroix
    • Women artists

     

    Bio
    Dr. Hillson was born in Willimantic, Connecticut, and grew up in Los Angeles. Her dissertation research in Paris on the art of Eugène Delacroix was supported by a Samuel H. Kress Foundation Travel Fellowship. She lived for 10 years in Tucson, Arizona, before moving to New Hampshire in 2007. She has taught at the University of Southern California, the University of Arizona, St. Anselm College, and Rivier University. She was Chair of Art History, the Parliamentarian of the Executive Committee, and Faculty Representative on the Board of Trustees at the New Hampshire Institute of Art before joining the faculty of NEC. She created a diverse Art History curriculum that covers all major geographic regions: Asia, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Americas, and Islamic lands.

    When she is not teaching, Dr. Hillson enjoys observing the flora and fauna in her native perennial garden, which has been certified as a Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. She and her husband, Jim, also tend a prolific vegetable garden.

  • Ryan O'Rourke

    Associate Professor, Illustration
    Phone: 603.428.2649
    Email: rorourke@nec.edu
    Professional website: ryanorourke.com

    Expertise and Awards
    Illustration: children’s books, editorials, advertising, institutional, and murals

    My work has been awarded by The Society of Illustrators, SILA, 3×3 Magazine, Children’s Book Council, and The International Reading Association.

    Educational Background
    MFA in Illustration, University of Hartford
    BFA in Illustration, University of Hartford

    Bio
    Ryan O’Rourke has taught in higher education since 2006. Since he started teaching at the former New Hampshire Institute of Art (NHIA) in 2010, Ryan has taught a wide variety of classes focused on the various markets and mediums essential to the field of illustration. He has enjoyed working with a wide range of students across various levels of development, continually helping students discover their own unique way of telling a story visually.

    In his tenure teaching at NHIA and NEC, Ryan has helped develop a robust illustration curriculum implementing a broad variety of digital and traditional approaches to solving visual problems. His classes put a heavy emphasis on consistent process, building images from initial ideation and sketch to final output for print or web format. One of Ryan’s greatest achievement as an educator has been the numerous professional opportunities he has obtained for his students prior to graduation. Many of his students have continued to develop successful careers off of the professional relationships established under Ryan’s tutelage with real-world clients.

    His professional work outside of academia includes illustration for a wide variety of editorial, advertising, institutional, and book publishing clients. Ryan has written and illustrated two children’s books—Bella, Lost and Found and Bella Up, Up, and Away—for HarperCollins Publishers. He has also illustrated 12 other children’s books for clients such as Clarion Publishing, Boyds Mills Kane Press, Sterling Publishing, and Charlesbridge Publishing. His editorial clients include The Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, Hawaii Magazine, Honolulu Magazine, Houston Press, New Jersey Monthly, New Hampshire Magazine, Spider Magazine, Cricket Magazine, The Hartford Courant, TIME for Kids, Rhode Island Monthly, Yankee Magazine, and more.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Art with a Fine Arts Major Concentration or Media Arts Major Concentration?

The average time it takes to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Art with a Fine Arts major concentration or Media Arts major concentration is four years.

 

How is the Bachelor of Arts in Art with a Fine Arts Major Concentration or Media Arts Major Concentration program structured?

The program consists of 44 credits, spread over core introductory courses, core capstone courses, art history core courses, and fine arts or media arts concentration courses. These combine with the requisite liberal arts and sciences core curriculum and electives to meet the program’s required 120 credits.

 

What are the benefits of a Bachelor of Arts in Art?

Earning a Bachelor of Arts in Art degree can help you develop the skills to take a creative approach to any professional role you may choose. It also helps fortify your appreciation of the arts, providing you with a distinctive base of cultural enrichment. It also helps prepare you for a wide range of intriguing careers connected to the art world, from creativity to curation.

 

How do I enroll in the Fine Arts Major Concentration or Media Arts Major Concentration?

You can enroll in either concentration by applying online or via mail and submitting your transcripts. NEC does not require an application fee.

Start Your Application

The art world always has room for, and actively invites, innovative thinking and original forms of expression. The field will always have an appreciation for those who can analyze, interpret, protect, and produce art for future generations to enjoy. By pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Art with a Fine Arts major concentration or Media Arts major concentration, you can prepare yourself to be part of an industry that drives cultural enrichment for all people.

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