Fine Arts
Associate of Fine Arts (track available in Fine Woodworking)
Transfer Major
Decisions on the transferability of courses are made by the four-year colleges and differ from school to school. Students enrolled in this major should contact the Transfer Services Office early in their academic program to determine which courses will transfer to the college of their choice.
School of Arts & Communication
Hicks Art Center • Phone (215) 968-8425
Curriculum code No. 1001
Students interested in an Associate of Fine Arts: Fine Arts or Fine Woodworking track at Bucks need to meet with a Visual Arts faculty member for advising.
The Associate of Fine Arts contains both Fine Arts and Fine Woodworking tracks. The major equips the art student with the skills, techniques, and knowledge necessary for further training in a four-year professional or liberal arts institution and develops a strong base in arts, crafts, and design in the student whose formal education ends after two years at the College.
For all Fine Arts majors, regardless of track, a portfolio review is recommended for placement purposes. An art advisor will help select the appropriate sequence of courses.
For the non-art major many electives in art require no pre-requisite or portfolio evaluation.
Graduates of this program are able to
- apply technical skills associated with visual arts and design;
- develop a personal approach to creative problem-solving; and
- present a formal, professional-quality portfolio of work.
Bucks County Community College is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.
* In preparing and presenting a portfolio in VAFA250, students currently need an array of digital skills, such as, but not limited to, media capture, manipulation, and presentation. Students take at least one required digital course (e.g. VVAFW145, VAMM100, VAPH110, VAMM130 or VACV140) and then reinforce/develop their digital skills across the major. Essential digital competencies associated with portfolio preparation and presentation will be assessed within this course.
Check out this video about the Fine Woodworking track.
Note: Studio courses can be expensive. Lab Fees may be required .
Degree Course Requirements*
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| COLL101 Orientation to College | 1 |
| COMP110 English Composition I A,H,2,10 | 3 |
| COMP111 English Composition II H,2,4,10 | 3 |
| VAFA100 Drawing I 1 | 3 |
| VAFA101 2-D Design Fundamentals | 3 |
| VAFA102 3-D Design Fundamentals | 3 |
| VAFA103 Drawing II H | 3 |
| VAFA104 2-D Design Color H | 3 |
| VAFA105 3-D Design Materials/Modeling H | 3 |
| VAFA250 Fine Arts and Design Portfolio Studio H,5,9 | 3 |
| Art History C,H,1 | 6 |
| Digital Elective E | 3 |
| Math/Science A,D,6,7 | 3/4 |
| Social Science/Diversity B,3,8 | 3 |
| Elective G | 3 |
Fine Arts Track | |
| VAFA202 Figure Drawing H | 3 |
| Studio Electives F | 12 |
Fine Woodworking Track | |
| VAFW100 Fine Woodworking Fundamentals 1 | 3 |
| VAFW140 Cabinetmaking H | 3 |
| VAFW145 Conceptual Furniture H | 3 |
| OR | |
| VAMM130 3-D Modeling Concepts H | 3 |
| Fine Wood Electives (choose from the list) | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours | 61/62 |
Fine Wood Elective Courses (select at least 6 credits) | |
| VAFW133 Woodcarving/Furniture | 3 |
| VAFW136 Bending and Veneering H | 3 |
| VAFW137 Chair Construction H | 3 |
| VAFW138 Table Systems H | 3 |
| VAFW145 Conceptual Furniture H | 3 |
| VAFW180 Woodturning | 6 |
| VAFW181 Woodturning II H | |
| VAFW280 Cooperative Education/Fine Woodworking H | 6 |
| VAFA107 Intro to Jewelry and Metalsmithing | 3 |
| VAFA141 Introduction to Sculpture | 3 |
| VAFA147 Introduction to Glassblowing | 3 |
| VAFA181 Introduction to Ceramics | 3 |
| VAFA246 Sculpture/Foundry H | 3 |
Recommended Semester Sequence
The recommended course sequence is designed for full- time students who average l5 credit hours per semester. Students may need more time to complete major requirements based on placement testing. This additional time will entail some adjustments to the sequence recommended.
Fine Arts Track
First Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| COLL101 Orientation to College | 1 |
| COMP110 English Composition I A,H,2,10 | 3 |
| VAFA100 Drawing I 1 | 3 |
| VAFA101 2-D Design Fundamentals | 3 |
| VAFA102 3-D Design Fundamentals | 3 |
| Art History C,H,1 | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours | 16 |
Second Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| COMP111 English Composition II H,2,4,10 | 3 |
| VAFA103 Drawing II H | 3 |
| VAFA104 2-D Design Color H | 3 |
| Art History C,H,1 | 6 |
| Studio Electives F | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 15 |
Third Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| VAFA105 3-D Design Materials/Modeling H | 3 |
| OR | |
| VAFA141 Introduction to Sculpture H | 3 |
| VAFA202 Figure Drawing H | 3 |
| Digital Elective E | 3 |
| Math/Science A,D,6,7 | 3/4 |
| Studio Elective F | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 15/16 |
Fourth Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| VAFA250 Fine Arts and Design Portfolio Studio H,5,9 | 3 |
| Elective G | 3 |
| Social Science/Diversity B,3,8 | 3 |
| Studio Electives F | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 15 |
Fine Woodworking Track
First Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| COLL101 Orientation to College | 1 |
| COMP110 English Composition I A,H,2,10 | 3 |
| VAFA100 Drawing I 1 | 3 |
| VAFA101 2-D Design Fundamentals | 3 |
| VAFW100 Fine Woodworking Fundamentals 1 | 3 |
| Art History C,H,1 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 16 |
Second Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| COMP111 English Composition II H,2,4,10 | 3 |
| VAFA103 Drawing II H | 3 |
| VAFA104 2-D Design Color H | 3 |
| Digital Elective E (VAFW145 is recommended in wood( | 3 |
| Fine Wood Elective (choose from list) | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 15 |
Third Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| VAFA102 3-D Design Fundamentals | 3 |
| VAFW140 Cabinetmaking H | 3 |
| Art History C,H,1 (VAFW190 recommended for wood) | 3 |
| Fine Wood Electives (choose from the list) | 3 |
| Math/Science A,D,6,7 | 3/4 |
| Total Credit Hours | 15/16 |
Fourth Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| VAFA105 3-D Design Materials/Modeling H | 3 |
| OR | |
| VAFA141 Introduction to Sculpture H | 3 |
| VAFA250 Fine Arts and Design Portfolio Studio H,5,9 | 3 |
| Elective G | 3 |
| Fine Wood Electives (choose from the list) | 3 |
| Social Science/Diversity B,3,8 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 15 |
A Placement testing required.
B Any of the following may be chosen: COMM111, ECON111, GEOG110, MUSC103, POLI111, PSYC110, SOCI110, SOCI120, WMST110.
C Any of the following may be chosen: VAFA191, VAFA192, VAFA193, VAFA194, VAFA195, VAFW190, VAGD190.
D Any of the following may be chosen: SCIE101, SCIE102, SCIE104, CHEM101.
E Any of the following may be chosen: VAFW145, VAMM100, VAPH110, VAMM130, VACV140.
F Any 3-credit studio course with the prefix of VAFA, VACV, VAGD, VAPH, VAFW, and/or VAMM may be selected.
G Any college-level course may be chosen..
H Course requires prerequisite and/or co-requisite.
1 Satisfies Arts/Humanities.
2 Satisfies Critical Thinking.
3 Satisfies Cultural Competency.
4 Satisfies Information Literacy.
5 Satisfies Oral Communication.
6 Satisfies Quantitative Literacy.
7 Satisfies Scientific Literacy.
8 Satisfies Social Sciences.
9 Satisfies Technological Competence.
10 Satisfies Writing.
Credits exceeding the required minimum cannot be used to satisfy required credits in other course requirements.