Fine Arts
Associate of Fine Arts
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: Art at Bucks need to meet with a Visual Arts faculty member for advising.
The Associate of Fine Arts allows students to prepare for a future career in studio art, art history, art education, or pre-art-therapy. 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, 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 are available in art without a 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. VAFW145, VAMM100, or VAPH110) 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.
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,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 |
| OR | |
| VAMM250 Digital Arts Portfolio Studio H,5,9 | 3 |
| Art History C,H,1 | 6 |
| Digital Elective E,9 | 3 |
| Electives G | 12 |
| Math A,D,6 | 3 |
| Science A,D,7 | 3/4 |
| Social Science/Diversity B,3,8 | 3 |
| Studio Elective F | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 61/62 |
| Please note that although specific tracks are not required, we offer the following suggestions for use of General Elective Credits toward specific career goals. | |
*Suggested General Electives (based on focus): | |
| Studio Art | 12 |
| VAFA202 Figure Drawing H | 3 |
| * Studio Elective 2 G | 3 |
| * Studio Elective 3 G | 3 |
| * Studio Elective 4 G or Gen Ed | 3 |
| Fine Woodworking | 12 |
| VAFW100 Fine Wood Fundamentals | 3 |
| VAFW140 Cabinetmaking F | 3 |
| Fine Wood Studio Elective 1 I | 3 |
| Fine Wood Studio Elective 2 I | 3 |
| Recommended in woodworking track: | |
| VAFW145 Technological Competence 9 | 3 |
| VAFW190 as one Art History course. | 3 |
| Art History | 12 |
| Foreign Languages (1) | 3 |
| Foreign Languages (2) | 3 |
| Art History C,H,1 | 3 |
| Art History/Hist Elective or Gen Ed | 3 |
| Pre-Art Therapy | 12 |
| PSYC180 Human Growth and Dev H | 3 |
| VAFA202 Figure Drawing H | 3 |
Painting or Ceramics | 3 |
| * Studio Elective 2 G or Gen Ed | 3 |
| Art Ed ** | 12 |
| PSYC190 Educational Psychology H | 3 |
| Painting or Figure Drawing H | 3 |
| Ceramics or Intro to Sculpture H | 3 |
| * Studio Elective 2 G or Gen Ed | 3 |
| Recommend transfer to teacher preparation program with PK-12 Art Education certification | |
Recommended Studio Elective Courses | |
| VAFA107 Intro to Jewelry and Metalsmithing | 3 |
| VAFA108 Jewelry 2 H | 3 |
| VAFA147 Introduction to Glassblowing | 3 |
| VAFA148 Glassblowing 2 H | 3 |
| VAFA160 Introduction to Printmaking | 3 |
| VAFA161 Screenprinting | 3 |
| VAFA171 Introduction to Painting | 3 |
| VAFA181 Ceramics- Hand-building | 3 |
| VAFA200 Drawing Anatomy H | 3 |
| VAFA202 Figure Drawing H | 3 |
| VAFA246 Sculpture/Foundry H | 3 |
| VAFA260 Printmaking 2 H | 3 |
| VAFA271 Painting 2 H | 3 |
| VAFA0282 Ceramics- Wheel Throwing | 3 |
| VAFW100 Fine Woodworking Fundamentals | 3 |
| VAFW133 Woodcarving- Furniture | 3 |
| VAFW180 Woodturning | 3 |
| VAGD101 Layout and Typography H | 3 |
| VAGD102 Illustration- Drawing and Digital H | 3 |
Recommended Fine Wood Studio Elective Courses | |
| VAFW133 Woodcarving/Furniture | 3 |
| VAFW136 Bending and Veneering H | 3 |
| VAFW137 Chair Construction H | 3 |
| VAFW138 Table Systems H | 3 |
| VAFW145 Digital Design Concepts H | 3 |
| VAFW180 Woodturning | 3 |
| VAFW181 Woodturning II H | 3 |
| VAFW200 Special Topics in Woodworking H | 3 |
| VAFW280 Cooperative Education/Fine Wood H | 6 |
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,2,10 | 3 |
| VAFA100 Drawing I 1 | 3 |
| VAFA101 2-D Design Fundamentals 1 | 3 |
| VAFA102 3-D Design Fundamentals 1 | 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 Elective F | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 15 |
Third Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| VAFA105 3-D Design Materials/Modeling H | 3 |
| Digital Elective E,9 | 3 |
| General Electives G | 6 |
| Math A,D,6 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 15 |
Fourth Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| VAFA250 Fine Arts and Design Portfolio Studio H,5,9 | 3 |
| OR | |
| VAMM250 Digital Arts Portfolio Studio H,5,9 | 3 |
| General Electives G | 6 |
| Science A,D,7 | 3/4 |
| Social Science/Diversity B,3,8 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 15/16 |
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.
DConsult the list of courses approved for this subcategory.
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, but suggestions are offered based area of focus.
H Course requires prerequisite and/or co-requisite.
I Any course with the prefix VAFW.
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.