Master of Fine Arts Syllabus & Subjects 2023

Master of Fine Arts, MFA, is a 2 years long postgraduate course that imparts skills as well as knowledge of performing and visual arts. The MFA Syllabus is divided into 4 semesters. The course covers many aesthetic art forms and provides prime MFA subjects including Visual Communication, Applied Arts, Art History, Ceramics, Painting, Sculpture and Printmaking among others. 

MFA course syllabus is built with core and elective subjects. The syllabus and MFA course subjects may differ based on the educational institute opted by the candidates. Aspirants willing to pursue Master of Fine Arts course must note that the programme does not have a mandatory internship however it consists of in-depth research and study work during the entire period of 2 years. Keep reading to understand everything about MFA Syllabus and Subjects.

The Master of Fine Arts course syllabus is different for various specializations offered under the degree. Some of the most sought after MFA specializations are MFA in Painting, Photography, Visual Communication, Textile Design, Applied Arts, Dancing, Pottery and Ceramics, Sculpture, Filmmaking, Creative Writing, Acting, Art History etc. The stream and semester wise syllabus for various Master of Fine Arts specializations are provided below:
 

Master of Fine Arts Painting Syllabus

Check out the syllabus for MFA Painting below:

MFA Applied Arts Course Syllabus

Captured below is the syllabus for MFA Applied Arts

MFA Sculpture Syllabus

Captured below is the MFA Sculpture Syllabus:

MFA Photography Syllabus

Here is the MFA Photography Syllabus:

The year-wise Master of Fine Arts syllabus has two parts - a set of elective courses that focuses at introducing job-specific knowledge and skills and a compulsory set of Master of Fine subjects covering all basic areas in arts and literature. MFA course is the one meant for the specialization in the field of Art forms research and fieldwork. The semester wise MFA subjects that candidates generally encounter during the course are as follows:

MFA First Year Syllabus

The first year MFA course syllabus is captured below:

MFA Second Year Syllabus

Here is the second year MFA course subjects:

MFA is a popular PG level course offered at numerous prestigious institutions. Some of the popular MFA course subjects provided by most of the colleges are as follows:

MFA Optional Subjects

Candidates are offered several MFA Optional Subjects based on the course opted by them. They can select any desired MFA subject based on their respective interests. Check out a few MFA optional subjects offered at educational institutions below:

As mentioned above, MFA has various specializations. Given below are the best MFA specializations:

Both theoretical and practical techniques are adopted to impart knowledge in MFA courses. Provided below are a few MFA lab courses that aspirants encounter in their respective specializations:

The MFA course is not only offered through a full-time or regular mode but also through online/ distance education from popular educational institutes like IGNOU, Annamalai University etc. An overview of the syllabus for MFA Distance courses is captured below: 

Most of the colleges accept popular MFA entrance exams like CUET PG, LPUNEST etc. to shortlist the deserving candidates. Provided below is the MFA course syllabus for popular entrance exams:

The topics taught in the MFA course syllabus are enough but, to get in-depth understanding and knowledge of subjects, there are certain books that candidates can pick up to enhance their skills and comprehension abilities. Provided below are a few books important for MFA:

MFA course delivery methods comprises lectures, dissertations, seminars, workshops, exhibitions and practical work. At the end of every semester of most of the MFA courses, students are required to submit a research project. An aspirant pursuing MFA is assessed or judged based on their performance in theory exams, practical exams and  internal assessments. In the final evaluation the following factors are taken into account:

• Class assignments
• End-semester exams
• Internships 
• Research project/ Dissertation
• Exhibition/ Practicals and Viva Voce