How to Apply to the UK Art Department
Applications for admission to the M.F.A. program are reviewed only once per year, for Fall semester entrance. The application deadline is January 1st.
Application for the M.F.A. program is a two-part process; some materials go directly to The Graduate School and some materials go directly to the Department of Art according to the following outline:
The Graduate School:
- 1. A completed application form for the Graduate School (on-line application form available at www.gradschool.uky.edu).
- 2. One official transcript from all institutions previously attended sent directly to the Graduate School from those institutions.
- 3. Official GRE scores sent directly to the Graduate School from the GRE.
- 4. Application fee.
The Department of Art:
- 1. A brief letter stating your goals for graduate study and your interest in being considered for an assistantship, fellowship, and/or internship.
- 2. A second set of official transcripts from all institutions previously attended sent directly to the Department of Art from those institutions.
- 3. A brief résumé.
- 4. Three letters of recommendation.
- 5. An appropriate portfolio of recent studio work in the form of twenty 35 mm. slides, or a CD/DVD with twenty JPEG image files (maximum resolution 8” x 10” x 72 dpi – NO PowerPoint presentations). Time-based materials on DVD (Quicktime or DVD with menus –ten minutes max.), or VHS videocassette.
- 6. An image key with title, date, size, and medium for each submitted work.
The mailing address for the Department is:
Director of Graduate Studies- Department of Art
- Room 207, Fine Arts Building
- University of Kentucky
- Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0022
Teaching Assistantships
The Department of Art awards one teaching assistantship in Art Education, two in Art History, and nine in Art Studio each year. Students wishing to be considered for assistantships and fellowships should follow the application procedures outlined in this document for their respective programs.
Assistants receive a stipend. In-state assistantships also include a tuition remission. Out-of-state assistants are required to pay in-state tuition, although this can be remitted by means of petition.
Detailed information about assistantships and instructions for applying may be obtained through the Graduate School.
Fellowships
The Graduate School offers a variety of competitive university-wide fellowships and sources for external funding.
Each of these fellowships has its own set of criteria. Incoming and continuing graduate students are advised to identify those for which they may be eligible and to apply. Some university-wide fellowships require a Departmental nomination and these often have early deadlines. If students identify such a fellowship, we request they bring this to the attention of the graduate advisor.
All new non-resident students enrolled in a University of Kentucky graduate degree program may be eligible for tuition scholarships, the Ezra Gillis Graduate Tuition Scholarship, based on their prior academic performance. These scholarships allow the candidate to attend the University of Kentucky at the in-state tuition rate.
Graduate students may also apply each year for Student Support Funds to help support research, research related travel, or travel to professional meetings/conferences.
Departmental Scholarships
Kim Adler Memorial Scholarship
Provides one or more scholarships to cover MFA thesis exhibition costs. Recipients should be third-year MFA students who are concentrating in sculpture.