Master of Fine Arts

Gone are the days when there was a limited window of career opportunities and same-old professions that everyone went for. Earlier, Arts were considered as a source of aesthetic pleasure and those who engaged in it as outcasts. But as the times changed, the conventional perceptions towards Arts as a field of career massively progressed. What’s the root of this phenomenon? It is possibly the digital age that broadened the scope of artistic careers as well as brought varied platforms for artists to express themselves more freely. Now, more and more students opt for the study of Fine Arts which comprises the varied fields of Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Creative Writing, amongst others. If you are planning to delve deeper into this domain, then a postgraduate degree might be the right option to go for. Through this blog, we aim to provide you with the key details of what a course like Master of Fine Arts entails, the universities offering this program and its variants as well as the career scope it avails.

Master Of Fine Arts Highlights

Course Level	Masters
Examination Type	Semester-wise/Year-wise
Eligibility for the program	Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from a recognized institute.
Duration of the program	2 years
Average Tuition Fee	INR 20,000- 2 Lakhs
Average Salary (per annum)	INR 4.5-6 Lakhs
Job Profiles	Curator, Graphic Designer, Animator, Art Designer, Lecturer, Art Critic, Commercial Artist, etc.

Overview

Master of Fine Arts is a postgraduate level course and is often referred to as the highest degree in the field of Fine Arts. The course offers an array of specializations such as Performing Arts, Film Studies, Visual Arts, etc. It is an ideal one for those aspiring to establish a career in the field of creative writing, drawing, illustrations, applied arts, sculpture design and ceramics. 

Master of Fine Arts Syllabus

Semester I	Semester II
History of European Art-I	History of European Art-II
Advertising Principles and Practices	Advertising Principles and Practices-II
Occidental Aesthetics-I	Occidental Aesthetics-II
Visualization/ Illustration/ Photography (Any one)	Visualization/ Illustration/ Photography (Any one)
Creative Painting/ Mural Design/ Portrait/ Landscape (Any one)	Creative Painting/ Mural Design/ Portrait/ Landscape (Any one)
Semester III	Semester IV
History of Modern Indian Art-I	History of Modern Indian Art-II
Advertising (Principles and practices)- III	Advertising (Principles and practices)- IV
Oriental Aesthetics-I	Oriental Aesthetics-II
Visualization-III Illustration-III Photography-III	Visualization-IV Illustration-IV Photography-IV

Eligibility Criteria 

If you aspire to earn MFA degree in your desired field, then, the foremost step should be getting acquainted with the prerequisites that are demanded by universities in abroad. Thus, here are the general entry requisites required for pursuing Masters in fine arts- 

• Usual formal schooling of 10 + 2 from a recognised institution
• A bachelor’s degree in the desired field you want to pursue an MFA course along with minimum GPA required
• A good score in English language proficiency tests like IELTS, TOEFL, etc
• LOR and SOP 
• Candidates must have some years of work experience in the respective industry, however, it is not compulsory 
• Some universities may demand candidates to qualify respective entrance exam for the chosen MFA degree

MFA Course Book Recommendations

Book Name	Author
Making a Good Layout	Lorisieber & Lisa Balla
Air Brushing and Photo Retouching	Brett Breckon
Applied Art Handbook	Prof. S.K. Luthra
Sign Design: Graphics, Materials & Techniques	Mitzi Sims
A History of Fine Arts in India and the West	Edith Tomory

Popular MFA Degrees

Across the globe, there are scores of MFA courses and Degrees available in various fields. From fashion designing to interior designing, you will be presented with a wide variety of options while choosing the right specialisation. Tabulated below are some popular MFA degree courses- 

Master of Fine Arts	MFA Visual Art
MFA in Illustration	Graduate Certificate in Fine Art
Master of Fine Arts Painting	MA Fine Art Print Making
Master of Fine Arts in studio Art Film Production	Post Graduate Diploma in Fine Art
Master of Fine Arts Full Residency	Master of Fine Arts in Book Arts
MA Fine Art	MA Fine Art Drawing
MFA in fine art	Master of Fine Arts in Intermediate
MA Fine Arts Sculpture	Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Dramatic Media
MA Fine Art Computational Arts	Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics
MFA Research	Master of Fine Arts in Fibres

Top Universities Offering MFA Degree 

Being a popular option among the designing students, MFA degree is offered by a majority of top universities in the world. Apart from the common specialisations, universities are now coming up with unique and trending fields in which you can pursue this degree. Listed below are the popular universities for MFA degree- 

• Massey University
• University of Canterbury
• Academy of Art University
• University of Glasgow
• RMIT University
• University of the Arts London
• University of Southampton
• Emily Carr University of Art and Design
• Concordia University
• Kingston University
• The University of Queensland

MA Fine Arts Top Colleges In India 

College Name	City	Average Annual Fees
Banaras Hindu University	Varanasi	INR 4,600
Jamia Millia Islamia	New Delhi	INR 20,800
University of Delhi	New Delhi	INR 46,600
Aligarh Muslim University	Aligarh	INR 1,18,570
Amity School of Fine Arts	Noida	INR 1,20,000
Bharati Vidyapeeth	Pune	INR 1,15,000
Kurukshetra University	Thanesar	INR 72,000

Master of Fine Arts: Career Prospects 

When it comes to a stream like Arts, career prospects highly differ based upon the kind of goals you have. If you want to delve deeper into a particular field of Arts and explore the different possibilities it offers, then a Master of Fine Arts is the right one to go for. Further, once you have completed your degree, the career prospects would entirely depend on your chosen area. Moreover, in Visual Arts students can open their own studio or start exhibiting their pieces across the globe. If you have perused performing arts, you will get to connect with theatre artists and writers by opting for a Master of Fine Arts. Generally, universities strive to equip students with maximum exposure into their field of interest so that they can make connections and meet like-minded people that will help them understand the varied career opportunities on offer. Whether you are choosing Films, Visual Arts, Music, Performing Arts or any other field, you can discover an array of work prospects in your domain and build a prosperous career in the same.

If you want to work in the corporate sector after completing a Master of Fine Arts degree, you can choose from a plethora of job opportunities in advertising agencies, digital media and print media houses, publishing houses, magazines or newspapers, etc. Industries like textile and clothing, architecture, fashion and interior design are always in need of artists who can bring revolutionary ideas and fresh perspective to the same old conventional methods. Moreover, you can also explore the educational domain if you want to impart the knowledge you have gained to those striving to build a career in the Arts.

Master of Fine Arts Future Scope

Many young individuals nowadays are pursuing their artistic dreams by pursuing an MFA in order to work in the creative profession. In the preceding part, we reviewed some of the primary job descriptions that may be obtained after completing an MFA study.A student with an MFA degree can work with the following organizations:

• Museums
• Art galleries
• Dance academies
• Music studios
• Gaming industry
• TV channels

Popular Job Profiles 

To give you a gist of the opportunities you can avail after completing your Master of Fine Arts, here is a list of popular career profiles you should know about: 

• Animator  
• Art Restorer 
• Creative Director 
• Illustrator 
• Graphic Designer/ Artist 
• Music Producer 
• Radio Jockey

Thus, we hope that this blog provided you with the essentials of pursuing a Master of Fine Arts. If you are planning to study Fine Arts courses and don’t know where to start, get in touch with our experts at Leverage Edu and we’ll guide you in selecting a suitable program and university that aligns perfectly with your interests and career preferences and equips you with the right exposure into your chosen field of study.