Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Senior BFA Studio II: BFA Exhibition and Portfolio Completion (Face-to-Face)

ART 4800-02

Course: ART 4800-02
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: ARTD
CRN: 10459

Course Description

The course prepares students for participating in the Senior BFA Exhibition. Students will complete proposal work and prepare artworks for the exhibition. Students will learn techniques for photographing and editing existing artworks to complete a graduation portfolio. Students will participate in a public portfolio review or presentation. (Spring) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Prerequisite(s): ART 4790 - Prerequisite Min. Grade: C

Required Texts

No Specific Texts Required.

Learning Outcomes


  1. Students will develop skills, competencies, and points of view needed by professional artists.
    • Aquire a working knowledge of the art industry and target a particular market/s for self-promotion.
    • Gain knowledge of the business practices of their field.
    • Develop a resume, portfolio website, and promotional material.
  2. Students will develop skill in expressing themselves orally and in writing.
    • Present artwork, research, and goals to peers.
    • Present & speak about artwork to the public.
  3. Students will develop a clear understanding of, and commitment to, personal values.
    • Assess personal and artistic strengths and weaknesses
    • Set short and long-term goals.
  4. Students will create a capstone project:
    A body of art/design work targeted toward a specific market, contained in the final portfolio,
    and disseminated in their final BFA exhibition.
    • Curate, edit, and prepare artwork and designs for presentation
    • Compile 8-12 images into a professional portfolio for self-promotion online and in person.
    • Compile 20 images into a comprehensive portfolio showing junior and senior work at SUU.

Course Requirements

A. Active Participation in all class activities.
Class sessions will include both group and in-class work and individual "Work Days." Attendance is required for class sessions that are not designated as "Work Days.""Work Days" are set aside for you to work on your project and you will log your work hours and progress in your E-Journal. You will earn a grade for the hours that you put in outside of class. Your instructor will be available throughout class hours to help you.

B. Timely completion of all assignments is mandatory.
To succeed as a professional artist, you must learn to meet client deadlines consistently. Striving to meet course deadlines will help prepare you for the real-world.

C. To graduate with a BFA, the university requires that you install a public BFA exhibition (in SUMA or another venue)  During Fall semester, you planned your BFA exhibition layout and completed half of the artwork/design for the show. During Spring semester, you will complete your BFA exhibition artwork and open the show to the public. 

D. The FAD Department requires that you submit a 20-piece digital portfolio before you graduate.
This portfolio of digital images will contain the best work you have done from your junior and senior years. It is not the same as your BFA exhibition, rather, it is a varied collection of the different types of art you have done during your upper-level studies. This will be submitted online at the very end of the semester.

*Given the nature of this course, attendance is required and adjustments cannot be granted to allow non-attendance. However, if you need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy due to a disability, please contact the Disability Resource Center. DRC will work with us to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Projects & Grade Weight
10%    P1 - E-Journal
20%    P1 - Professional Materials
70%    P2 - BFA Exhibition (Capstone Project)


Grading Criteria
A =Extra Effort
Meets and Exceeds the requirements. Thorough & thoughtful research evident.
B =Satisfactory Effort
Meets, but does not exceed, requirements. Basic research evident.
C =Some effort
Some, but not all, requirements met. Research included, but incomplete.
D =Minimal effort
Majority of the project requirements not met. Minimal research.
F =Unacceptable or Missing

Grading System
This course will use the +/- grading system.
                             A  100 – 94       A– < 94 – 90 
B+ < 90 – 87        B < 87 – 84       B– < 84 – 80 
C+ < 80 – 77        C < 77 – 74       C– < 74 – 70 
D+ < 70 – 67        D < 67 – 64       D– < 64 – 61
                             F < 61

Course Outline

January - March:
E-Journal
Framing and Display
Design & Print Business Cards
Professional Documents: Artist Statement & Bio
Senior BFA Exhibition Artwork Finalized & SUMA proposal process completed
Guest Speakers from Studio Arts Disciplines - Business Topics of Art

March - April:
E-Journal
Professional Documents: Bio, CV and Artist Resume
Professional Website & Materials
SUMA - Public Speaking opportunities - Gallery Talks
Guest Speakers from Studio Arts & Business Disciplines - Business Topics of Art

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

All Assignments must be turned in on time. If they are turned in on time, they can be reworked and resubmitted for possible grade improvement throughout the semester. Late projects will lose one letter grade for each day that they are turned in late. All days, including weekends, count toward late deductions. Once a project is 5 days late, it cannot earn any points.

Attendance Policy

Attendance is required for class sessions that are not designated as work days. Roll will be recorded on Canvas for these required class sessions, but will not automatically figure into your Canvas grade. At the end of the semester, the Canvas roll record will be used to calculate deductions, if any, to your final grade.
Check your attendance in Canvas often to keep track of how you are doing!

  • Up to 3 absences can be excused with appropriate documentation and/or honest appeal.
  • Let me know ahead of time if you know you will be absent. The absence may still be unexcused if the reason isn't legitimate, but at least you can keep on track with the assignments and not get behind.
  • Each unexcused absence will reduce your final course grade by 5 points.
    (Final course grades are based on the 100-point scale. Example: 100 is an A. One absence results in a 95 for the course)
  • Tardiness and leaving early will effect your grade—(Canvas calculates it as “80% PRESENT.”)
  • Students that come over 30 minutes late or leave class over 30 min early, will be marked “ABSENT.”
  • Students who miss 25% of class sessions, equal to 6.5 class periods or 18 hours of class, will fail the course.
  • Scheduled “Work Days” used effectively will be marked “PRESENT.”
  • Cancelled classes due to instructor illness or extenuating circumstances will not be included in the final assessment.

Statement from FAD Department Chairman:
Studio courses are experiential in nature and rely heavily on in-class
instruction, collaboration, and critique. As such, attendance is mandatory. A student who misses more than 25% of scheduled class time (including unexcused absences and tardiness) will receive a final grade no higher than a “C–”, and may fail the course, regardless of performance on assignments. Excused absences—such as those due to documented illness, university-sponsored activities, or other legitimate circumstances—may be made up with appropriate documentation (e.g., a doctor's note or official university communication). It is the student's responsibility to inform the instructor before the absence when possible and to make arrangements to complete missed work promptly. Consistent attendance and active participation are essential to your success in this course and in your development as an artist/designer. The Department Attendance Policy for studio classes can be found here: https://catalog.suu.edu/preview_entity.php?catoid=26&ent_oid=1489&returnto=

Course Fees

Art Studio Courses require $19.00 per credit hour.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.