¶The MFA student must pass a number of evaluative exams and procedures in progress toward the degree including the Graduate Evaluation and Semester Reviews. These all help insure that student learning objectives are being met.
¶The Graduate Evaluation (GE) is conducted in September of each academic year for all classified graduate students entering their second year of study. Graduate students are admitted to candidacy for the MFA degree upon a positive evaluation.
¶The GE consists of one 10 to 15 page type written, double spaced 12 point font research paper with bibliography answering the programs questions in the area of technical, historical and contemporary issues for a total of 3 papers and an oral review component. Each program develops 2 questions in each of these 3 areas for students in their area to choose one from each category. The questions are given to the student at the first meeting of Art 690 Spring semester.
¶The GE serves two purposes. First it enables the graduate faculty to determine whether the student understands and can articulate in writing important technical, historical, and conceptual information about the making and reception of art, and how the student perceives these conditions with respect to their own work. Secondly, the GE provides the student with a critical vehicle for thinking through and developing their own creative work. Furthermore, the GE provides the graduate student the opportunity to hone writing, research and argumentation skills all of which are increasingly important in today’s art world, in which artist statements, resumes, and grant writing function as a means for artists to build audiences and networks of support for their creative work. Examples of previous GE papers are available through the Graduate chair for review.
¶The Program Chairpersons actively encourage the development of research capabilities in their students by formulating questions that have several possible "right" answers and therefore foster readings, research and thoughtful analysis. Chair persons periodically revise the study question lists to keep pace with developments in their respective fields.
¶The semester review procedure has two primary objectives: first, to provide the student with greater opportunities to develop his/her own critical and communication skills by discussing his/her work with the faculty and secondly, to introduce a greater number of faculty to the monitoring and evaluation of MFA students. The Graduate Faculty conducts these reviews in November for all classified graduate students who have not yet formed their Thesis Committee. Core review committees (CRC) are established for new incoming graduate students prior to the first semester informational meetings by the interim advisor or program chairperson in consultation with graduate student. The CRC is composed of a total of 4 area graduate faculty including graduate faculty adjacent to the students area. The CRC will meet with the graduate student each semester during the semester review period according to the following schedule:
First semester:
¶45 minute informational meeting with the CRC, student prepares type written artists statement on the current direction of their work delivered to faculty mailboxes one week in advance of the review. Student will present 20 slides of work from their application to the master’s program and current / actual examples of the first semesters work.
Second and third semester:
¶Semester reviews are conducted according to the open house model. Students are required to submit current artists statements to faculty mailboxes one week in advance of the review. Core Review committee members will visit the student in their studio to view their current semester production. Rotational faculty across all disciplines in the department will also visit throughout the day to engage in discussion about the current work and offer critical feedback.
Fourth semester review, pre thesis:
¶The CRC will convene to conduct a comprehensive 1.5 hour review of the student that has completed four semesters in the graduate program. The student will present slides of relevant past creative work in the program, and actual pieces from the current semester. The student will compose a type written statement summarizing the body of work presented and will postulate a direction to undertake in thesis. The CRC is the controlling committee that decides by majority vote whether a student moves forward to thesis. Should a student not receive a majority vote, then additional course work will be advised for the next semester, and the CRC will reconvene to make a decision at this time. Should a student not receive a positive review at the second meeting the student will be dismissed from the graduate program.
Thesis:
¶Graduate students given a positive 4th semester review are required to organize a thesis committee composed of 3 to 4 graduate faculty. This committee is selected with guidance of the students program adviser. All MFA students are required to present a Thesis Exhibition and to complete a written thesis document that discusses their intentions, concepts and scholarly research presented in their exhibition. The thesis paper also includes visual documentation of the exhibition and is permanently archived in the University of Hawai‘i's Hamilton Library.❦