Art Admissions
Admission to the University is all that is required for admittance to the art major. All students entering the Department of Art as majors are admitted under either the B.A. in Art or the B.A. in Art History, Theory, and Criticism. All incoming students to the Art program are encouraged to schedule an Art intake advising appointment with an Arts Advisor.
After completing the foundation courses and one other course in ART, CDES (Communication Design) or ARTH (Art History), those wishing to pursue the B.F.A. in Art, the B.F.A. in Art Education, or the B.F.A in Communication Design will be required to pass a formal portfolio review for admittance into those programs. A G.P.A of 2.5 at the time of portfolio review is required for admittance for the B.F.A. in Art and B.F.A. in Art Education. A G.P.A of 3.0 at the time of portfolio review is required for admittance for the B.F.A. in Communication Design.
The Metropolitan State University of Denver does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, or disability in admission to, or operations of its programs, services, or activities.
Admissions Information:
To learn more about admissions requirements and deadlines at Metropolitan State University of Denver, please visit the Office of Admissions website.
Prospective Art Students-- Speak With an Advisor About Your Options!
Meet with an Art Department Intake AdvisorArt Advising
As an MSU Denver Art student, you have access to both professional academic advisors and faculty advisors. If you would like to schedule an appointment for advising please use the links below or for additional assistance with advising email the Department of Art office at [email protected].
When to meet with a Professional Academic Advisor...
Professional Academic Advisors can help you:
- Explore and declare a major, minor, and/or concentration
- Design a class schedule
- Teach you how to use tools like the Registration system and the Degree Progress Report
- Connect you with your Academic Department and other support offices
- And much more!
Professional Academic Advisor Contact Information
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Teri Slick, M.A. Academic Advisor III Phone: 303-605-7410 Email: [email protected] Schedule appointment with Teri |
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Jeffrey McCray Academic Advisor I and Music Instructor Phone: 303-605-5292 Email: [email protected] Schedule appointment with Jeff |
When to meet with a Faculty Advisor...
Faculty are the people who teach your classes and some of them advise too! Faculty Advisors:
- Are experts in their fields
- Provide students with recommendations for major or minor course selection
- Assist students with identifying internship and career opportunities
- Offer guidance for students considering graduate school
- Serve as references or write letters of recommendation
Faculty Advisor Contact Information
All students who have declared their major in the Art Department have been assigned a specific faculty member as advisor. If you need assistance in connecting with your faculty advisor, please email the Department of Art office at [email protected].
BFA Portfolio Requirements for Current Students
No portfolio review is required for admission to MSU Denver or to declare a B.A. in Art major or a B.A. in Art History, Theory and Criticism major. All students entering the department as majors are admitted under either the B.A. in Art or the B.A. in Art History, Theory and Criticism. After completing the foundation courses and one other course in ART, CDES, or ARTH, those wishing to pursue the B.F.A. in Art, the B.F.A. in Art Education, or the B.F.A. in Communication Design will be required to pass a formal portfolio review for admittance.
Careers for Art Department Graduates
What can you do with an art degree?
The question really is, what can’t you do with an art degree?
Certain majors within the Department of Art are directly designed for particular careers. For instance, Communication Design majors usually are designers at an organization or hired as freelance designers, and Art Education majors are working toward state licensure as K-12 Art Teachers.
What other opportunities are there for students graduating with Art and Art History, Theory and Criticism Majors? Here is a list of what some of our past graduates are doing and what kind of places they work:
- Administrative staff at art galleries, museums, or non-profits
- Art handler/installer
- Artist’s assistants
- Art instructor for after school programs
- Art instructor at recreation centers and non-profits
- Muralist
- Tattoo artist
- Art critic
- Archivist
- Collections management
- Assistant Curator
- Commercial photographer
- Independent artist
Some careers require (or strongly prefer) a graduate degree, and our students are well prepared for MFA, MA, MS and Ph.D. programs. Click on the links below for more information.
- Art Therapy
- Art Professor
- Art History Professor
- Curator
Graduates with degrees in Art and Art History, Theory, and Criticism are also well-equipped for the business world, medical fields, and a host of other professions that need employees who are creative, know how to communicate in a variety of formats, who have careful observational skills, and who can do research. These are all skills you obtain through your programs in the Department of Art.
Ask your faculty advisor for career advising and for letters of recommendation!
Department and University Forms
These forms may be filled in digitally, then saved and emailed. To submit a digital signature, save/download the form to your device, and then open the form in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader to add your signature.
To sign the documents, add an Adobe Digital Signature:
If you are still having issues signing please view this Adobe Fill and Sign tutorial.
Students must complete the Declaration for Major/Minor form with their academic advisor. Please download the form, complete required areas, sign, and then click on the “Submit for Advisor Signature (required)” button on the form.
For major changes to a BA in Art or BA in Art History, minor changes, and catalog year changes, advisors should submit forms directly to the Office of the Registrar via the “Submit Advisor-signed form to Registrar” button on the form or via email at [email protected].
Estimated Processing Time: 10-15 business days
Major changes to a BFA in Art, BFA in Art Education and BFA in Communication Designcan only be made after the student passes a BFA Portfolio Review. These forms are processed by the department only. Advisor or student can submit signed forms directly to [email protected]
Estimated Processing Time: 5-10 business days.
Please use the new online Department of Art Override Request Form to request the following overrides:
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- Prerequisite(s) or Corequisite(s) Override – student is receiving a “Does not meet prerequisite or corequisite” error when registering
- Department Override – student is receiving a “See Department” error when registering (Senior Experience, Directed Studies, Studio Assistantship, and Internship classes only)
- Program/Major/Level Override – student is receiving an error message stating that the student is not in the correct program, major, or level
Other formats of the override request form (paper, pdf, etc.) will no longer be accepted.
Department of Art Override Request Form for Summer 2025
Department of Art Override Request Form for Fall 2025
Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions. Estimated Processing Time: 3-5 business days
Late enrollment forms are for students that have been attending class since the beginning of the semester, but for whatever reason were not registered before the census date. This may include students that accidentally unenrolled themselves, or other specific circumstances in which they were not officially enrolled.
A Department of Art locker rental can be requested for the Spring 2025 semester. Please use the link below to make the request. In person requests will not be accepted.
Time conflict forms are for students wishing to take a class that may briefly overlap with another. Signatures from the professor, Department Chair, and CLAS Associate Dean are required, but only for the course that time will be missed. This may be for both courses, or only one. The student is responsible for enrolling themselves if and when their time conflict has been approved.
This process is to make adjustments to transfer credits that have been applied or to transfer in additional credits to apply towards a degree plan; this requires approval from the Department Chair.
Please note: The University has changed to a new automated online process for the Transfer Course Approval Form. The old printable PDF version of the form is no longer accepted by the Department.
Please make an appointment to meet with the Department Chair, Matt Jenkins, in order to review possible transfer courses. You can make an appointment using the link below or by calling the department office at 303-615-0300.
Click here to schedule through SSC Navigate
The Department of Art requires students to attend all sessions of a class the first week of the semester. Non-attending students may be dropped from the class if there are students on the waitlist who attended the class. However, it is the non-attending student’s responsibility to drop the course to avoid incurring tuition and fees.
Permission of the instructor is required to register for any Department of Art class (ART, ARTE, ARTH, or CDES) or be absorbed from a waitlist, after the first class meeting of the semester. Please reach out to the instructor directly about registering for a class after it has met for the first time.
- The Art Department does not accept audit or Metromeritus students in ART, ARTE or CDES courses. They are accepted in ARTH (art history) courses on a space-available basis, with permission of the instructor.
- A course audit requires a student to apply and be accepted to the University, to enroll in the course, and to pay full tuition and fees.
- Metro Meritus students may audit art history (ARTH) courses at no cost with the instructor’s permission when there is space available. Through the Metro Meritus program, persons 60 years and over can attend MSU Denver classes on the main campus and the extended campus locations at no cost on a space available bases. Metro Meritus applications are available for lifelong learners over 60; contact the Center for Individualized Learning, 303 615-0525.
- Students are advised to check their Student Hub Personal Announcements and MSU Denver email regularly. MSU Denver email is the official means of communication from the university, and will be used to notify you of class cancellations, etc.
- How do I get a locker?
- You must be a MSU Denver student and currently enrolled in two studio art classes, fall or spring; or one studio art class, summer.
- Complete the Locker Request Form
- You must be a MSU Denver student and currently enrolled in two studio art classes, fall or spring; or one studio art class, summer.
- When can I get a locker?
- You can request a locker one week before the semester starts.
- When do I need to clean it out?
- You must have your items removed from your locker the last day the semester ends, unless you are able to renew your locker.
- How do I renew my locker?
- To renew you must complete the Locker Request Form for the new semester.
- Is there a fee for a locker?
- The Department of Art does not charge any fee for a locker. We do not rent Art lockers to other majors, or to students who do not have studio classes.
Adobe is available on University computers including classroom workstations, cart laptops, and in all labs.
Due to licensing limits, Adobe is not currently available to install on students’ personal computers for free, as was the case during Covid. Adobe offers a discounted rate and free trial for student subscriptions to Adobe CC.
ITS is continuing to investigate alternatives and will update this page with additional information once it becomes available.
- Links to all department job announcements may be found at msudenver.edu/careers.
- Faculty positions will be listed at msudenver.edu/careers. All applicants must apply online.
- Work study and student hourly positions are listed at msudenver.edu/careers. Follow the instructions on the announcement to apply.
- Metropolitan State University of Denver is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure environment for our faculty, staff, students, and visitors. To assist in achieving that goal, we conduct background checks on all finalists for positions at the University prior to employment.
MSU Denver Student Hub
University Student Hub
Land Acknowledgement Statement
By knowing our history, we can better understand our place within it and seek to be in right relationship with the people who were here before us and are here now.
Read our Land AcknowledgementDiversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy
The MSU Denver Department of Art represents a diverse community of individuals who study, teach, create, and advocate for art and design.
Read our DEI PolicySafer Spaces Resolution
For Black, Brown, and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) Impacted by State and Police Violence.
Learn About the Safer Spaces ResolutionDepartment of Art
Office Location:
Auraria Campus Arts Building
First Floor, Suite 187
Phone: 303-615-0300
Email: [email protected]
Mailing Address:
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Department of Art
Campus Box 59
P.O. Box 173362
Denver, CO 80217-3362
Shipping Address:
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Department of Art
1201 5th Street
Denver, CO 80204
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE
Contact Us!