College of Visual Arts, Theatre and Dance

In addition to the lecture rooms, general classrooms, seminar rooms, and media-specific laboratories (e.g., printmaking, electronic imaging, ceramics, sculpture, photography, and the like), three specialized facilities merit particular mention. First, art students in designated degree programs are provided individual studios in two large "warehouses" at the edge of campus, making it possible for them to work in a healthy environment that promotes the cross-fertilization of ideas and constructive debate. Students at different stages of development learn from each other as well as from their professors, who regularly come to their studios for tutorials and critiques. Second, dance students train in spacious, comfortable studios and perform in their own fully equipped professional dance theatre, experimental black box theatre, and grand studio; in addition, students explore dance technology in state-of-the-art labs, all within what are arguably the best university dance facilities in the country. Also, theatre students train and perform in four venues, including two traditional proscenium theatres, a lab theatre, and a stage for student-produced works.

The Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts is first and foremost an extension of the teaching mission of the College. Large, modern, and well equipped, it houses the permanent collection and several times a year hosts faculty and student shows, including MFA graduate exhibitions. In addition, the school faculty and the museum staff pride themselves on originating shows of national prominence, documented through professional and scholarly catalogs, often complemented by the efforts of graduate students. The Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts is a community resource of regional significance in the Southeast and is fully accredited by the American Association of Museums.

Beginning with the new millennium, The Florida State University was charged by the State of Florida with administration of the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida. This incredible museum complex with its superb internationally renowned art collection, Circus Museum, Historic Asolo Theatre, and Ringling mansion, offers multiple opportunities for students in the arts, museum studies, and the humanities. Programs derive from and enhance undergraduate and graduate education in the College of Visual Arts, Theatre, and Dance, as well as many other areas within The Florida State University.

The College of Visual Arts, Theatre, and Dance, along with the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education, the College of Human Sciences, and the College of Communication and Information, offers an interdisciplinary program in museum studies. The program leads to a certificate in museum studies for graduate or postgraduate students who wish to supplement their academic knowledge with specific expertise in the museum field. A strong emphasis is placed on preparing students for the profession with career guidance and planning, informal discussions with museum professionals, mentorships, and seminars on professional training. The program is available to graduate students in art, art education, art history, dance, interior design, theatre, arts administration, anthropology, classics, dance, history, humanities, textiles and consumer sciences, recreation and leisure services administration, as well as information studies, and it will continue to attract disciplines as it expands.

Museum studies requirements consist of four core courses, a museum internship, and special projects and electives as determined by individual departments.

The University offers many opportunities for international study open to all qualified state university students. Study-abroad programs range in nature from long-established study centers in Florence, Italy, and London, England, to recently developed programs in countries such as Spain, France, and South Africa. Operated by The Florida State University, they provide the opportunity for a truly rewarding educational and cultural experience. Representing as it does a collegial body of students of the arts, the College of Visual Arts, Theatre, and Dance has had a particular affinity for the Florence program, one which has led to a history of involvement since the founding of the program in 1966, largely through the efforts of the art history faculty. In every year that it has existed, at least one member of the College faculty has taught in Florence, and the College has significant representation among the students studying there. More recently, greater emphasis has been placed on the opportunities at the London and Valencia Centers. Of particular significance to students of theatre is the London program, with its year-round theatre offerings. Students of theatre, art, dance, design, and art history flourish in the rich, humanistic environments of these magnificent cities and cultural centers. This they can do usually without disrupting their sequence of courses and without loss of residency since the Florence, London, and Valencia campuses are true extensions of the Tallahassee campus.

For the past 26 years the College has published Athanor, a well-respected art history journal which presents scholarly articles by graduate students from universities across the nation. The journal results in part from an art history graduate student symposium conducted on campus each year. It is attended by students whose papers have been accepted for presentation and by distinguished art historians invited to address the symposium and to respond to the papers. This event proves to be of particular value to graduate students in art and art history.

By and large, the College has few requirements which go beyond those stipulated by the University. As appropriate, these are provided in the narratives describing the individual departments and programs. Three programs are categorized as "limited" access in the sense that they are proficiency based: the MFA in Art (studio), the MFA in Theatre, and the MFA in Dance. Entrance is gained through portfolio review, audition, or other means, as specified by the department in question.