Two formal reviews are required in the M.F.A. in Design program; each has a written and an oral component. All Graduate Studies Committee members and all graduate students in Design are expected to attend the oral component of all graduate reviews. In a typical 21-month course of study, these reviews occur as follows:
Review 1: During the spring semester of the first year (usually in early to mid-April).
Review 2: During the fall semester of the second year (usually in early to mid-November).
Design faculty of any rank, as well as other faculty and guests approved by the graduate advisor, are eligible to attend reviews, participate in discussions about students’ progress, and provide written feedback to students. However, only design Graduate Studies Committee members may vote on whether to award a review grade of Pass, Conditional Pass, or Fail.
During graduate reviews, students will be evaluated on their overall academic performance in the program and on how successfully they:
- respond in writing and in their oral presentation to the Review 1 and 2 briefs, below.
- demonstrate their mastery of theory, media, and techniques related to their area of design practice.
- position their own work within both historical and contemporary contexts.
- demonstrate how criticism from past reviews/critiques has informed the direction of their work.
Within 72 hours of completion of the review, the graduate advisor (Review 1) or report supervisor (Review 2) will contact the student to inform him/her of the review grade and to schedule a meeting to brief the student in greater detail about the faculty’s feedback.
When a student receives a grade of Conditional Pass, the Design Graduate Advisor will outline in writing what the student is required to do in order to turn the Conditional Pass into a Pass. Often, students are required to submit a revised plan of work, and/or re-present at a “Review 1.5” attended by selected faculty on or before a specified date. If the specified conditions are not met by the deadline, or if the work submitted at that time is deemed of insufficient quality by the faculty, the student’s grade may be changed to Fail.
Students who receive a review grade of Fail (or have their Conditional Pass changed to Fail) may be placed on probation or dismissed temporarily or permanently from the program. In addition, departmental probation may affect the number of credit hours a student is allowed to take, their TA/AI eligibility, and the level of financial support they receive. (In contrast, strong performance at Review 1 increases the likelihood of a merit-based scholarship award and/or TA assignment for the second year of study.)