Fine Arts (B.F.A.)
Bachelor of Fine Arts Degrees in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is one of Florida's most dynamic and fast-growing creative cities — and at the University of North Florida, the Bachelor of Fine Arts puts you at the center of it. The B.F.A. in Fine Arts is an intensive, professionally focused degree built to develop the studio competence, artistic awareness and critical perspective that working artists need to succeed beyond graduation. With five concentrations — Ceramics, Painting and Drawing, Photography, Printmaking and Sculpture — you'll go deep in your discipline, supported by faculty who are working professionals in their fields and a Jacksonville arts scene that extends your studio into the real world.
Your north starts here. Take the first step toward your Fine Arts B.F.A. at UNF.
Explore Fine Arts Concentrations at UNF
Where a Fine Arts Degree from UNF Can Take You
- Growing Creative Economy: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects steady growth across arts, design and media occupations — with digital, UX and multimedia roles expanding fastest.
- Diverse Career Paths: B.F.A. graduates work as studio artists, art directors, UX designers, photographers, gallery curators, educators, brand strategists and more.
- Jacksonville Advantage: Jacksonville's expanding creative sector — including advertising agencies, design firms, nonprofits and a growing gallery scene — puts opportunity in your backyard from day one.
- Graduate School Ready: The B.F.A. is the terminal professional degree in fine arts and the primary pathway into M.F.A. programs at top institutions nationwide.
- Entrepreneurial Potential: Artists today build independent studios, freelance practices and creative businesses — your B.F.A. gives you the professional foundation to do it on your own terms.
- Transferable Skills: Critical thinking, visual communication, problem-solving and creative strategy are among the most sought-after skills across every industry — not just the arts.
Why Study Fine Arts at the University of North Florida?
Professional-Grade Facilities
UNF's fine arts facilities rival those of private art schools at a fraction of the cost. Ceramics students work with a 93-cubic-foot wood-burning kiln and 28 electric wheels. Printmaking students have five intaglio presses, a Conrad lithography press and a dedicated Digital Research Lab. Photography students work in two lighting studios, a full analog darkroom with 17 enlargers and a separate alternative processes lab. Sculpture students have a fully equipped metal fabrication shop, foundry, woodshop and digital fabrication lab with 3D printing, laser cutting and CNC capabilities.
Real-World Experience From Day One
UNF students don't wait until graduation to work in the real world. Sculpture students design and install large-scale public artworks at the UNF Seaside Sculpture Park and work on commissions with the city of Jacksonville. Internship opportunities with MOCA Jacksonville, the Cummer Museum and local fabricators connect students directly to Jacksonville's professional arts community while they are still enrolled.
Global Opportunities and Visiting Artists
UNF fine arts students compete on a global stage. Sculpture students have participated in iron casting workshops in Wales and Germany through the International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art. Visiting professional artists regularly collaborate with students on projects across all concentrations, expanding professional networks and artistic perspectives well beyond the classroom.
Jacksonville: Your Extended Studio
Jacksonville is Florida's largest city and one of its fastest-growing creative economies. UNF fine arts students are embedded in a city with an expanding gallery scene, nationally recognized institutions like MOCA Jacksonville and the Cummer Museum, and a creative sector hungry for new talent. Your studio doesn't end at the campus boundary — it extends into a city actively building its cultural identity.
Ready to go deep in your discipline? Explore the five Fine Arts concentrations at UNF and find your path.
Ceramics
UNF's Ceramics concentration is built for students who are serious about the full range of the ceramic medium — from the fundamentals of handbuilding and wheelthrowing to the development of a personal body of work that reflects your own artistic voice. Technical skill, aesthetic awareness and craftsmanship are taught together, grounded in the principles and elements of design and the design process.
You'll be introduced to as many facets of ceramics as possible through studio practice, lectures, visiting artists, personal research and individual exploration. Advanced students and ceramic majors are pushed to move beyond proficiency — experimenting with new ideas and working toward a cohesive, professional body of work.
Professional-Grade Facilities at a Public University Price
Three train-style and tai-style wood kilns including a 93-cubic-foot train kiln — among the largest available at any public university in Florida.
40-cubic-foot gas kiln, 35-cubic-foot soda kiln and 20-cubic-foot salt kiln for a full range of atmospheric firing techniques.
Ten electric kilns ranging from 7 to 10 cubic feet, plus a pizza kiln and pit kiln for specialized firing processes.
28 electric wheels, three kick wheels and one wheelchair-accessible electric wheel — fully equipped for classes of any size.
Slab rollers, extruder and a full range of hand-building equipment supporting both beginner and advanced ceramic practice.
Peter Pugger mixers, Bluebird mixer, Hobart dough mixer and Lightning Slip Mixer for full in-house clay and slip preparation.
Ceramics students participate in Empty Bowls — a community-based learning experience where students create handmade bowls donated to raise awareness and funds for hunger relief in Jacksonville. It's one of the most meaningful intersections of craft and community service in the program. Students are also encouraged to join the University Potters' Guild, a student-run organization that builds community, hosts events and deepens artistic practice outside the classroom.
Painting and Drawing
UNF's Painting and Drawing concentration is designed for students who are committed to the serious study of two-dimensional art — and who want to be pushed. The studio curriculum addresses both the technical and material means of visual expression and the deeper conceptual issues inherent in your own work. Critical thinking, creative commitment and a genuine spirit of inquiry are at the center of everything. You'll work closely with faculty who are active exhibiting artists — bringing current professional practice directly into the studio.
This is not a program content with proficiency. Faculty are dedicated to pushing every student toward a higher degree of excellence — developing not just technical mastery but a distinctive artistic voice that can stand on its own in a professional context.
Studio Facilities Built for Serious Practice
Dedicated room with proper ventilation and airflow, fully equipped for oil painting practice.
Industrial-scale drawing tables and flexible easel-based seating for large-format two-dimensional work.
Student computer stations for translating physical work into digital formats — an essential skill for professional artists today.
Student work is exhibited publicly at the Painting and Drawing Facility Gallery — giving students real exhibition experience and professional exposure while still enrolled. In Jacksonville's growing arts community, that visibility matters.
Photography
UNF's Photography concentration is built for students who want to go beyond technical skill and explore the full expressive potential of the medium. The curriculum emphasizes experimentation and personal direction — challenging you to develop your own photographic voice across a wide range of approaches including analog and darkroom practice, historical processes, studio lighting, digital imaging, image fabrication and documentary practice. Courses in photography history, portfolio production and professional practices prepare you for life as a working photographer after graduation.
Professional-Grade Facilities at a Public University Price
Two studios with ceiling-mounted Hensel strobe systems, motorized backdrop systems and a full range of light modifiers.
17 Omega enlargers, two full print development sinks, black and white film developing station and light-proof film changing rooms.
Dedicated lab supporting cyanotype, salt prints and other historical photographic techniques.
25 iMac workstations running the latest Adobe Creative Cloud software, wide-format inkjet printers and flatbed scanners.
Professional mat cutter, cutting mats, rulers and blades for finished presentation work.
The Photo Lab is open outside class time — generally until 11pm Monday through Friday and 11am to 11pm on Sundays.
Photography students are encouraged to pursue internships, participate in department study abroad programs, exhibit work in undergraduate exhibitions and engage in individual and collaborative research. Faculty are active practitioners and scholars whose work has been exhibited at institutions including MOCA Jacksonville and the Norton Museum of Art — bringing real professional connections into the classroom.
A variety of cameras and equipment are available for checkout. For detailed information on required materials and estimated costs, see below.
Required Photography Materials
Analog Courses (PGY 3401 / PGY 3410)
Students enrolled in Black and White Photography and Intermediate Photography must have a 35mm single lens reflex (SLR) film camera equipped with manual controls. At the intermediate level, students may also work with a 120mm roll film camera with manual controls.
All students enrolled in analog (film-based) courses are responsible for purchasing:
- Photographic film
- Photographic paper
- Variable contrast filters for printing
- Tripod
- Additional materials as designated by the instructor
Digital Courses
Students enrolled in digital photography classes should have a digital single lens reflex (SLR) camera. Additional materials include digital inkjet papers and inkjet cartridges for lab printers.
Estimated Material Costs
Average material cost per class is approximately $300, excluding the purchase of an analog or digital camera. Contact your instructor prior to registration for specific material requirements.
Questions? Contact the Art office at artoffice@unf.edu or call (904) 620-4037.
The UNF Photo Club is a campus community open to photographers of all skill levels. Members collaborate to experiment with processes, create photographic artwork and engage with Jacksonville's local photography scene — including submitting work to galleries and exhibitions.
Printmaking
UNF's Printmaking concentration offers one of the most technically comprehensive programs available at a public university in Florida. Students learn intaglio, lithography, screenprinting and relief printmaking in a large, well-ventilated studio — developing both the technical command and conceptual depth that serious printmakers need to succeed professionally. Critical thinking, creative commitment and a genuine spirit of inquiry drive everything we do, with a clear goal of pushing students well beyond proficiency toward genuine artistic excellence.
Faculty are active practitioners and grant recipients who have secured university and private funding to continuously expand and upgrade program resources — including the addition of stone lithography capabilities acquired from Syracuse University and a fully equipped Digital Research Lab built specifically to support printmaking practice.
A Studio Built for Every Dimension of Printmaking
Five presses including a 72"x36" Ettan and 54"x32" American French Tool Press, plus a motorized Sturges press. Two vent hoods replaced in 2021 for safe working with grounds and acid.
43"x30" Conrad Lithography Press plus stone lithography capability — stones acquired from Syracuse University — for traditional and experimental lithographic practice.
Dedicated darkroom and washout room served by a 38"x55" Work Horse UV LED Exposure Unit for photographic screenprinting processes.
Five iMacs running Adobe Creative Cloud, large-format inkjet printers, laser printers, a vinyl cutter, flatbed scanners and a dSLR documentation setup — all secured through competitive grants.
Full studio support for woodcut, linocut and other relief processes alongside the program's traditional intaglio and lithography offerings.
Two new vent hoods installed in 2021 — one for intaglio grounds, one for acid work — ensuring a safe, professional studio environment.
Printmaking graduates pursue careers as studio artists, gallery exhibitors, print publishers, textile designers and digital fabricators. The technical range of UNF's program — from traditional hand processes to digital output — prepares students for a wide spectrum of professional paths in the visual arts.
UNF Printmaking Guild
A student-run organization open to all skill levels, the Printmaking Guild builds community, develops professional skills and connects students to Jacksonville's arts scene through public events including:
- UNF Homecoming
- MOCA Family Day
- Jacksonville Art Walk
- UNF Iron Pour
Sculpture
UNF's Sculpture program is one of the most ambitious and comprehensively equipped programs at any public university in Florida. With a strong emphasis on experimentation, craftsmanship and conceptual development, students explore a diverse range of materials and processes — from traditional sculptural methods to emerging digital fabrication technologies — and graduate ready to work at a professional level.
Professional-Grade Facilities at a Public University Price
Five MIG welders, two arc welders, oxy-acetylene torch, two plasma torches, 4'x8' CNC plasma table, gas forge, 40-ton iron worker, metal roller, pipe bender and gantry crane.
Inductotherm induction furnace with lift and tilt capability for bronze, aluminum and iron casting — one of the few university foundries of its kind in Florida.
SawStop table saw, 4'x8' panel saw, bandsaw, joiner, compound miter saws, standing belt sander, drill press and a full range of hand and power tools.
Boss large-format laser cutter and engraver, two AnyCubic resin printers, three Prusa 3D printers, resin wash station and vacuum chamber for silicone mold making.
Industrial sand mixer, vacuum chamber and full foundry support for bronze, aluminum and iron casting processes.
UNF students have access to the campus Fab Lab and Maker Space, expanding digital fabrication and advanced manufacturing capabilities beyond the sculpture studio.
UNF Seaside Sculpture Park
Sculpture students don't wait until graduation to show their work. Through the UNF Seaside Sculpture Park, students design and install large-scale permanent public artworks on campus. Additional partnerships with the city of Jacksonville and local organizations provide real commissioned public art experience — while you're still enrolled.
The UNF Iron Pour
Held twice a year in April and November, the UNF Iron Pour is one of the most dramatic and celebrated events in the program — and it's open to the public. Students work with molten iron in a community-centered foundry event that draws participants from across Jacksonville and connects UNF's sculpture program to a national and international cast iron art community.
Sculpture students have participated in international iron casting workshops in Wales and Germany through the International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art (ICCCIA) — bringing a global perspective back to the UNF studio.
UNF Sculpture Guild and Student Opportunities
The UNF Sculpture Guild is a student-run organization that builds a vibrant sculptural community through workshops, guest lectures and exhibitions. Guild activities include:
- Public art projects including the UNF Iron Pour
- Field trips to SLOSS, museums and outdoor sculpture gardens
- Participation in the International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art
- Professional skill development events and networking opportunities
- Internship opportunities with MOCA Jacksonville, the Cummer Museum and local fabricators
UNF Sculpture alumni have gone on to establish custom fabrication studios, work in themed entertainment and set design, secure public art commissions nationwide and exhibit in galleries and sculpture parks across the country. The program's foundation in technical skill, conceptual thinking and professional practice prepares students to lead in contemporary sculpture and public art.
Jacksonville is one of Florida's fastest-growing creative cities — and UNF puts you at the center of it. Your Fine Arts B.F.A. starts with one click.