The short version
- Every Art major starts here, whatever you concentrate in later.
- Five courses and a portfolio review stand between you and the BFA.
- ART 298 Portfolio Review carries zero credit hours, and there is no way around it.
Foundations is not a concentration. It is the year and a half that everyone in the department shares before they specialize, and it is where you learn to draw, to see, and to build a project before anyone asks you what kind of artist you are. It is 24 of the 81 hours in the major.
The reason it comes first is practical. A printmaker and a graphic designer need the same eye for composition, the same command of drawing, and the same habit of working through an idea rather than stopping at the first one. Foundations builds that, and it is also where faculty from every area get to know your work before you choose a direction.
The foundation coursesWhat each one is, and what has to come first
| Course | What it is | Prerequisite |
|---|---|---|
| ART 111 Survey of Art I | A study of the major visual arts from the Prehistoric Period to the Middle Ages. | None |
| ART 112 Survey of Art II | A study of the major visual arts from the Renaissance to the Contemporary World. Writing intensive. | None |
| ART 134 Drawing I | Practice in different basic drawing techniques and media. | None |
| ART 233 Design I | Two dimensional projects related to design principles, theories, and techniques. | None |
| ART 234 Drawing II | Refining technical proficiency, with emphasis on the expressive potential of drawing media. | ART 134 Drawing I |
| ART 240 Design II | Advanced problems in two dimensional and three dimensional design, theories, and techniques. | ART 134 Drawing I and ART 233 Design I |
| ART 298 Portfolio Review | Taken after all foundations courses are done. Carries zero credit hours and is graded pass or fail. | ART 134 Drawing I, ART 233 Design I, ART 234 Drawing II, ART 240 Design II, and either ART 111 Survey of Art I or ART 112 Survey of Art II |
| ART 335 Figure Drawing | Rendering the human form in various drawing techniques and media. Repeatable to six hours. | ART 134 Drawing I and ART 234 Drawing II |
ART 335 Figure Drawing sits alongside the foundation sequence rather than inside the group that ART 298 Portfolio Review requires. Descriptions above come from the JSU course catalog.
Portfolio Review
ART 298 Portfolio Review is the gate. You take it in the same semester you go through review, after the foundations courses are finished, and you must have completed or be enrolled in the first course of your concentration. It is worth zero credit hours and is graded pass or fail, which catches people out: it will not raise or lower your GPA, and it will absolutely stop your progress if you leave it until late.
Getting into the BFA program
- Complete ART 111 Survey of Art I or ART 112 Survey of Art II, ART 134 Drawing I, ART 233 Design I, ART 234 Drawing II, ART 240 Design II, and ART 298 Portfolio Review.
- Take at least one course in the concentration and twelve hours of general studies.
- Hold at least a 2.50 GPA overall and a 3.00 GPA in the major.
- Pass portfolio review by the Art and Design faculty. You need a C or better in every major course.
Where Foundations leads
Once you are through, you pick an area and the sequence in that area takes over. Each of these pages lays out what to take and in what order.
Source: JSU Catalog 2026-2027, Department of Art and Design and the department’s degree programs page. Meet with your advisor every semester, and check the catalog year that applies to you.