TEMPLE UNIVERSITY

Undergraduate Bulletin Updated for 1997-1998

Temple University switchboard: 215-204-7000
TDD: 215-204-5919

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Tyler School of Art

founded 1935
Rochelle Toner, Dean



ACCREDITATION

An accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools; affiliated with the consortium of East Coast Art Schools.

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GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The Tyler School of Art provides a comprehensive curriculum in the visual arts on both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Professional programs are offered in Ceramics and Glass, Fibers and Fabric Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Jewelry and Metalsmithing, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, and Sculpture. Evening and summer classes are offered.

In addition to the studio component, a full academic program is offered on the Tyler Campus, providing the University Core Curriculum requirements necessary to complete the BFA degree.

The resources of Temple University are also available to the Tyler student, who may participate in athletics and other extracurricular activities or enroll in academic courses at other Temple campus locations. Tyler's curriculum is designed to give sound preparation to the future artist while at the same time avoiding narrow vocational goals. The freshman foundation program and introductory courses in each studio area develop thorough understanding of fundamental processes and information. Advanced courses in the majors stress the development of an individual idiom and preparation for the professional world. At Tyler, art students find an atmosphere of stylistic freedom that encourages personal experimentation and the exploration of visual concepts.

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THE CAMPUS

Tyler's campus, located on a 14-acre estate in suburban Elkins Park, offers a diverse and active schedule of events. In addition to excellent studio facilities, a large art library, and exhibition spaces, there is an extensive program of visiting lecturers and artists throughout the year. Films, demonstrations, gallery openings, and social events provide a stimulating environment outside the classroom where students may meet with professional artists to discuss their work. Tyler's small size and estate-like campus offer many opportunities for interaction with faculty members and other students.

Tyler is conveniently located near public transportation, allowing for easy access to Center City Philadelphia. Students are able to take advantage of the many activities a major metropolitan area has to offer. The Student Van Service provides safe, free travel within 2.5 miles of the campus. It runs five days a week from 7:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. It is a safe means of transportation from the campus to SEPTA rail and transit stations, or to the students' local residence.

To Reach Tyler

By public transportation. For SEPTA commuter trains that stop at 30th Street Station or Market East: Take the R1 Local to either Elkins Park or Melrose Park Station. Each is a short taxi ride to Tyler (just over one mile).
From Center City Philadelphia. Take the Broad Street subway north to Olney Avenue, transfer to the "C" bus marked "Ogontz" (headed north). Get off at the corner of 19th and Cheltenham and walk north on Penrose to Beech Avenue (five blocks).

Parking

Students are expected to park on the Tyler campus at all times while attending school. Although there is no daily charge for parking facilities, a yearly parking decal is required at a minimal cost.

Residence Halls

Beech Hall, located on the Tyler campus, is a three-story facility that houses 150 residents. It has shared double rooms and bathroom areas, recreational areas, a large screen television room, work studios, and laundry facilities. The Residential Life Staff in the building, in conjunction with a student governing board, work to create a positive community living environment through social, cultural, and educational activities. Daily bus shuttle service is available to the Main Campus. Students who live in Beech Hall participate in a campus meal plan/declining balance program. Dining facilities are located in the lower level of Beech Hall.

Health Services

A well-equipped dispensary is maintained on campus, offering a variety of services and art hazards information. The office is staffed full-time with a registered nurse, and part-time with a physician and a counselor.

Dining Services

Students who do not reside in Beech Hall may purchase a meal plan for dining service within the residence facility on a semester basis. A student signed in as a guest of a resident may purchase meals on an individual basis.

Student Services/Activities
(215) 782-2780

Located on the second floor of the Admissions Building (1950 Beech Avenue), this office is responsible for most non-academic activities including: entertainment, assisting and developing student organizations, off-campus jobs and housing, disabled student services, and the production of student publications. Students can come to this office to deal with a myriad of problems. In addition, the Student Computer Center is open to all currently enrolled Tyler students, Monday through Friday during the school year. The computers are compatible with the University's computer rental program. If your skills are limited, monitors are on duty to assist you. A typewriter is also available for forms and applications.

Student Organizations

Student Government -- Two elected representatives from Tyler take part in the larger Temple Student Government, attending meetings at Main Campus. This provides an integral link with students at all other campuses and assures an ongoing dialogue with the administration.
CATS (Craft Association of Tyler Students)ÑStudents and alumni work to produce semi-annual fairs for the exhibition and sale of their craft works.
ACF (Artist Christian Fellowship)ÑWeekly Bible study meeting.
TLA (Tyler Life Association) Program BoardÑStudents generate and plan recreational and cultural enrichment programs in response to requests by the general student body. These include trips to important museums and galleries in New York City and Washington, D.C.
Beech Hall Dorm Senate - Students discuss residence life rules and regulations, as well as the planning of recreational events.
Adult Student Support Group - Older students discuss issues and topics specific to their life situations.

Career Development Services

Career Development Services provides students with up-to-date material on career planning, resume preparation, interviewing skills, and job search techniques. Twice per week, a representative from Main Campus visits the Tyler School of Art. Students are encouraged to schedule appointments for career conversation and advisement. Call (215) 204-7981 (Main) or 782-2881 (Tyler) for more information.

Extracurricular Events

The school and individual departments sponsor an active program of extracurricular events, on and off campus. A well-established visiting artist program, through which public lectures, exhibitions, and workshops, offers students the opportunity to meet with the artists and to discuss their work. Trips to important museums and galleries in New York and Washington, D.C. are scheduled regularly throughout the school year. Other student activities include films, opening receptions for exhibitions, and various social functions.

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SPECIAL FACILITIES

Galleries

Throughout the year, local and national exhibitions, representative of vital movements in contemporary art, are scheduled in the galleries on the Tyler Campus and the Temple Gallery in Center City Philadelphia. The gallery openings give students an opportunity to meet and talk with the artists. A student-run gallery on campus provides a continual showcase of student work.

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SPECIAL PROGRAMS

The Program in Rome

Juniors may elect a year or semester abroad. Housed in the Villa Caproni, facing the Tiber River just north of the Piazza del Popolo, the school offers courses in painting, drawing, graphic design, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. Facilities include a library, an art gallery, private work areas, and full equipment in studio disciplines. Art history is taught through direct observation of original works and historic sites. The student also may elect courses in Italian, anthropology, history, or literature offered by the College of Arts and Sciences. For more information about Study Abroad options, see International Programs and Study Abroad.

Tyler in Scotland

In conjunction with the Glasgow School of Art, the Crafts Department of the Tyler School of Art offers an intensive studio program in Scotland. The program consists of four weeks of traveling and intensive studio workshops in a variety of media while exploring the art, culture, and geographic beauty of Great Britain.

Mobility

Tyler School of Art is a member of the East Coast Art Schools Consortium, a program which, among other things, allows selected students in good standing to spend a semester as exchange students at any of the participating art colleges. Each school can accept two eligible students from any of the other schools. The member schools are:

If you are interested in this program, you must receive departmental and administrative approval from both institutions before being accepted in the program. Information and applications are available in the Registrar's Office, 201 Tyler Hall. Mobility is designed essentially for the junior year and application should be submitted early in the semester preceding the intended exchange experience.

When you are on mobility in this program, you maintain your status as an official Tyler student. Full degree-granting credit is given by the host institution and accepted by Tyler.

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ADMISSIONS

Entering undergraduates are admitted to Tyler by the Director of Admissions of Temple University after consultation with Tyler's Assistant Dean for Admissions following the review of the student's academic record and art portfolio. This procedure requires the applicant to file all records and test scores in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions of Temple University on the Main Campus. See Undergraduate Admissions for more information.

September admission applications should be filed no later than March 31 of the previous academic year. For January admission, application should be made prior to November 15 of the previous semester. After the priority deadline dates, applications are accepted on a rolling admissions basis.

Applications and application materials may be obtained by calling: (215) 782-2828 or (215) 782-2875
or writing: Office of Admissions, Tyler School of Art of Temple University (801-00), Beech and Penrose Avenues, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania 19027

Portfolio Review

In addition to satisfying academic requirements, all freshmen applicants are required to present a portfolio for evaluation. Regularly scheduled portfolio reviews are held on the Tyler Campus. Applicants living at a considerable distance from Tyler may elect to submit a portfolio in 35mm slide form instead of appearing for an in-person interview. Those who live in or near the Philadelphia area, however, are expected to present a portfolio of original work during a review day.

This is an occasion when applicants and their families may see the campus and discuss Tyler's educational program with faculty, staff, and students.

While the application to Tyler is being processed by Temple University, an interview by a member of the Tyler faculty must be arranged. All work included in the portfolio should have been completed during the previous year and should represent as broad a selection as possible: drawings from life, work in both color and black and white media, design examples, photography, prints, crafts, or sculpture. Portfolios must include five strong examples of drawing from observation regardless of the major the applicant wishes to pursue. No work that is copied from photographs or magazines should be included. It is not necessary to mat or frame any of the art work for this presentation. If slides are used, they are best shot outdoors in the shade using daylight film. Original work must not be sent through the mail. Instead, between ten and twenty pieces of work should be brought in for the portfolio review.

The freshman applicant is advised to submit work done independently as well as under instruction. The transfer student should submit work that is representative of the college level studio work completed to date.

In order to complete the application, an 81/2 x 11 self-portrait, in pencil from a mirror reflection, must be sent to Tyler. The application is not considered complete without the self-portrait; it becomes a permanent part of the application and is not returned. This self-portrait should not be framed or matted. Please refer to the Tyler catalogue for more information.

Transfer Students

To enroll with advanced standing, the applicant must fulfill the admission requirements of Temple University as well as the special requirements of the School of Art. Applicants should demonstrate a level of art performance appropriate to the year for which they are applying. Usually this requires completion of a proportion of studio and academic courses comparable to that taken by Tyler students, as well as a comparable portfolio of 20 slides. The slides should represent all studio coursework taken, as well as work towards a specific major. The slides must also include five strong examples of drawing from observation regardless of the major the applicant wishes to pursue.

All transfer students must submit a slide portfolio through the U.S. mail instead of an in-person review of art work. To be as fair and precise as possible in making transfer decisions it is necessary to consistently apply a uniform standard to all applicants. A transfer committee comprised of Tyler faculty and the Assistant Dean for Admissions will review the slide portfolios and academic records of each application to determine the best placement level possible. However, we strongly encourage all transfer applicants to visit the Tyler campus and to schedule a campus tour.

Tyler accepts transfer students from accredited institutions of higher education and strives to keep any loss of credit to a minimum. The transfer student will be required to complete a minimum of 30 studio credits as a full-time student on the Tyler campus. A maximum of 64 credits may be transferred from two-year institutions. In order to be transferable to the B.F.A. degree, studio credits must have been completed within the last 10 years.

If the transfer student has not completed the equivalent of Tyler's Foundation Program, the deficient courses will be required the first semester at Tyler.

Transfer students are admitted at a specific studio level (second semester sophomore, first semester junior, etc.) which is determined by transferable courses, academic performance, and the portfolio evaluation by Tyler faculty.

Readmission Policy

All students who had attended Tyler School of Art of Temple University who wish to be considered for readmission to Tyler must fill out a readmission application available through the Associate Dean's office. For those students who left Tyler in good academic standing, who apply for readmission into a semester within three years of the last completed semester, no portfolio review or interview is required. A slide portfolio is required for those students who have not attended Tyler for more than three years from the semester in which they intend to apply for readmission. A slide portfolio is also required for all students who are dismissed from Tyler. Students who are dismissed from Tyler must also prove readiness to reenter the program by successfully completing a semester's worth of transferable credits (15) with a 2.5 cumulative G.P.A. from a fully accredited college or university. Any student who attends another college or university and has taken studio art credits must send in slides that represent studio coursework completed in order to have those credits considered for transfer credit into the Tyler BFA program.

All slide portfolios must be sent to the Assistant Dean for Admissions who will present them to the Transfer Committee for review. The slides of readmission applicants with 36 or more total studio credits which have been satisfactorily completed within the 10 years prior to the semester for which they seek admission will also be sent to the area chairperson or senior faculty for review. The final decision regarding readmission will depend on both the recommendation of the transfer committee as well as the review of academic credentials by the Associate Dean.

Any student applying for readmission must be aware that Tyler will not accept studio credits from transfer or readmission applicants that are more than 10 years old into the BFA curriculum regardless of where those credits were completed.

Academic credits will be accepted into the BFA program as determined by Temple University policy for the semester in which the student is applying for readmission.

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FINANACIAL AID

Emergency Assistance and Awards

Emergency Assistance. Funds donated by alumni and friends of the School are available to students in the form of emergency grants and loans. Among these are the Samson Freedman Memorial Fund, the Billikopf Fund, and the Stella Elkins Tyler Memorial Fund.

Scholarships. Student accepted into the BFA degree program are eligible for merit and financial need scholarships. No special application is necessary. Please contact the Admissions Office.

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POLICIES AND REGULATIONS

The University policies and regulations generally apply to all undergraduate students and provide a framework within which schools and colleges may specify further conditions or variations appropriate to students in their courses or programs.

Courses Inapplicable to Graduation

Credits earned in ELECT, SRAP, Mathematics 0015 (formerly Math 0001) and Military Science are not included in the minimum number of credits required for graduation. Mathematics 0045 (formerly Math 0002) may be included only when taken as an elective. Other courses transferred from other institutions or taken at Temple University's other schools and colleges which do not satisfy studio, art history, or core curriculum requirements, are elective and inapplicable towards graduation.

Honors

Each semester, those undergraduates who have a 3.50 average in 15 or more credit hours for the previous semester are placed on the Dean's List. Upon completing the BFA degree, a student with a 3.25 average is graduated cum laude; 3.50, magna cum laude; 3.75, summa cum laude.

Loss or Damage

Temple University is not responsible for loss of property of any student or other individual due to fire, theft, or other cause. The University may require dormitory students to present proof of insurance against loss by fire, theft, or other cause before assignment to any dormitory facility.

Student Art Work

The School reserves the right to keep art work submitted for course credit. In practice, this privilege is exercised sparingly but, in certain studio areas, the selection of one piece by each graduating student contributes to an important instructional collection.


Academic Advising

Freshmen are automatically scheduled for both their fall and spring semester classes. Therefore, they do not meet with a faculty adviser to plan, nor do they register for, their freshmen classes. Midway through their second semester, freshmen are assigned to a sophomore adviser whose responsibility is to advise students for their first sophomore semester.

Sophomores continue to meet with their assigned sophomore adviser who will help them register for their second sophomore semester. When sophomores register for their junior year, they are assigned to a major adviser, who will be a faculty member from the major they enter and will continue to advise the student during junior and senior years.

Additional Advising Services

The Associate Dean (Tyler Hall, Room 200; 215-782-2718) is available for advising that cannot be handled through normal channels, or to help with special problems.

The Academic Coordinator (Tyler Hall, Room 207; 215-782-2780) should be contacted if there are questions concerning Composition C050, Intellectual Heritage, and other Core curriculum requirements, or developmental courses in ELECT and mathematics.

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REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree may be conferred upon a student by recommendation of the faculty and upon the satisfactory completion of a minimum of 132 semester hours of credit with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00.

Curriculum

Three Requirement Areas

Four Year Sequence

Freshman Fall Spring
Drawing 4 4
2-D Design 3 3
3-D Design 3 3
Art Heritage I and II 4 4
Composition C050 3 -
Intellectual Heritage I - 3
Total: 34 credits 17 17
Sophomore
Studio electives 9 9
Intellectual Heritage II 3 -
University Core Curriculum 6 9
Total: 33 credits 18 18
Junior
Studio major 6 6
Studio electives 3 6
University Core Curriculum 6 3
Total: 30 credits 15 15
Senior
Studio major 6 6
Studio electives 6 6
Art History elective 4 4
Total: 32 credits 16 16

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School Requirements

Freshman Year

The Freshman Foundation program in drawing, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional, design forms the base that establishes the fundamental studio practices and principles for all visual art expression. In addition to presenting traditional vocabulary, theory, media, and technique, the program develops perceptual and imaginative abilities.

Studio requirements

Art History requirements

Sophomore Year

Sophomore studio electives serve as prerequisites to enter the major, of which one specific course is required in each major. The sophomore year also offers students the opportunity to explore a wide range of studio areas. This experience gives the necessary background with which to make an informed selection of a major and adds to the overall breadth of the educational experience.

Requirements

Junior and Senior Years

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is completed after a final, two year, concentration in a major studio area. Teaching in the major stresses the development of an individual idiom and preparation for the professional world. Because expressive work is often achieved by synthesis of disparate media, a substantial amount of studio work outside the major is allowed.

Requirements

BFA Degree with Teaching Certification

This program leads to certification for teaching art in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Students must complete BFA requirements along with a three-year department core in Education and Art Education which begins in the sophomore year. Because of increased requirements, four years plus one summer session are usually necessary to fulfill all requirements.

149 credits

Freshman Fall Spring
Drawing 14 14
2-D Design 13 13
3-D Design 13 3
Art Heritage I and II 14 14
Intellectual Heritage I - 3
Composition C050 3 -
Total: 34 credits 17 17
Sophomore
Three Studio Courses 19 19
Art History Elective 1 - 14
Intellectual Heritage II 3 -
Education 0110 (prereq. for Art Ed. 0085) - 4
Psychology 0050 (prereq. for Ed. 0110 and 0121) 3 -
University Core 3 -
Total: 35 credits 18 17
Junior
Studio courses 9 12
Art Education 0085 - 4
Speech Communication 0065 - 2
University Core 1 3 -
Art History Elective 1 4 -
Total: 34 credits 16 18
Summer Session - Main or Ambler Campus
Education 0121 (prereq. for Art Ed. 0187) 3
Education 0132 (prereq. for Art Ed. 0187) 1
Education X060 (prereq. for Art Ed. 0187) 3
University Core 6
Total: 13 credits 13
Senior Fall Spring
Studio Courses 12 13
Art Ed. 0187 (Student Teaching) - 12
Academic Core 6 -
Total: 33 credits 18 15

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