Master of Fine Arts (MFA) at BHU

Banaras Hindu University is a central university in Varanasi, India where most of the students are willing to enrol after their schooling or their bachelors or even in masters. The quality of education and the opportunities for co-curricular as well as the extra-curricular activities provided here is the reason which intimidates students to enrol themselves in this university.

BHU-PET (Postgraduate Entrance Test) and BHU-UET (Undergraduate Entrance Test ) is conducted by Banaras Hindu University for enrolling students in its Master’s programs such as M.A, M.Sc, M.Com, M.Ed, MFA and similarly the respective Bachelor’s programs as well.

Here in this article, we will let you know everything you need to know about the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) course at Banaras Hindu University, so let’s get started.

Course Highlights

Course	Master of Fine Arts
Duration	2 Years
Eligibility	Bachelor of Fine Arts with a minimum of 50%
Course Level	Postgraduate
Course Type	Regular (Full time)
Course Code	360, 361, 362, 363, 364
Location	Faculty of Visual Arts
University	Banaras Hindu University
No. of seat	72 (approximately)
Admission Procedure	On the basis of BHU-PET marks

What is MFA at BHU all about?

Banaras Hindu University provides students with a large number of courses to explore their interests and one of those courses is Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.). A Master of Fine Arts is a post-graduate degree in Fine Arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts administration. It is a degree that typically requires two years of study after a bachelor’s degree, though the term of study varies by college.

Banaras Hindu University offers major of M.F.A. course in the following subjects: –

Course Code	Course Name
360	M.F.A. – Painting
361	M.F.A. – Applied Arts
362	M.F.A. – Plastic Arts
363	M.F.A. – Pottery & Ceramics
364	M.F.A. – Textile Design

The Faculty of Visual Arts at Banaras Hindu University apart from education also provides opportunities to gain practical skills. It has an Exhibition Hall where exhibitions of the paintings of reputed national and international painters and sculptors are held. The teachers and students of the Faculty have participated in various national and international Art Exhibitions. The Faculty endeavours to produce professionals with creative thinking who can play a positive role in society.

Faculty of Visual Arts-BHU

The Faculty of Visual Arts is one of the leading institutions in Fine Arts at Banaras Hindu University. It offers Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts Courses and a research programme in different specialized areas. It has various branches of specialization, namely Applied Arts, Plastic Arts, Painting, Textile design, pottery and ceramics. It attracts an appreciable number of foreign students. The Faculty stresses optimum interaction with standard art activities all over the country organize Art Fairs and Art Exhibitions quite frequently. Many alumni of the Faculty are holding top positions as Designers, Painters, Sculptors, Textile Designers, etc.

Eligibility

There are a few eligibility criteria that a student needs to fulfil to get admission in the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) course at Banaras Hindu University. They are as follows:-

The candidate must have a B.F.A degree in a relevant field.
The minimum marks required in undergraduate is 50% to be eligible to get an admission.
Must have appeared in the entrance test.

Course Duration

Master of Fine Arts is a postgraduate course offered by The Faculty of Visual Arts, Banaras Hindu University. It is a course of 2 years, full time.

Admission Procedure

MFA Admission

You must be wondering about how to get admission to this M.F.A. course in the prestigious Banaras Hindu University after fulfilling the minimum eligibility criteria, there is nothing to worry about, all you need to know is here for you. There are few things you need to know and they are mentioned below.

Banaras Hindu University conducts PET (Postgraduate Entrance Test) for admission to its different courses.
An Entrance test for the M.F.A. course is also conducted which is supposed to be taken by all students willing to get admitted to this course.
All you need to do is fill out this form and then crack the exam. You can go through our other article for detailed information about PET.

How to Fill PET Application Form?

Students can fill the application form for PET through the university portal. you just need to follow the instructions mentioned below and at last pay, the required fee and then your application will be submitted.

Registration
Course Selection
Apply for Selected Course
Final Review of Application
Fee Payment and Application Submission

Documents Required at the Time of Counselling

BHU PET Admit Card
Call letter
10^th Marksheet
12^th Marksheet
Undergraduate Grade Card
Caste Certificate (If Applicable)
Transfer Certificate
Migration Certificate
Character Certificate
Recent Passport Size Photographs

Application Fee

To complete the application and finally submit the application form you need to complete the last step which is to submit the fee. The fee for every course is the same regardless of which course it is.

For General Category- Rs. 600
For SC/ST/PwD- Rs. 300

Availability of seats

Faculty of Visual Arts, Banaras Hindu University offers an intake of 72 seats for admission in the MFA course every year.

Course Name	No. of seats
M.F.A. – Painting	14
M.F.A. – Applied Arts	17
M.F.A. – Plastic Arts	08
M.F.A. – Pottery & Ceramics	04
M.F.A. – Textile Design	04

Reservation of Seats

The seats are reserved for the candidates as per the rules and regulations of the Indian Government. Physically Challenged Candidates gets 3% of the Reserved Seats in all the Programmes.

Course Fees

The Fee structure for Master of Fine Art (MFA) from the Faculty of Visual Arts, Banaras Hindu University is affordable and is mentioned below:

Rs. 5,314 (Approximately) for the entire Course.

Required Skills

Master of Fine Arts is best suited for those candidates who have a keen interest in the Art Industry and would like to explore different forms of Fine Arts. Students who aspire to do an MFA course must have proficient Art skills and Painting skills so that after admission to this course they can enhance their skills. Other than that following are other required skills:

Creativity
Realistic and constructive drawing
Compositional skills
Colour techniques
Organisational skills
Attention to detail
Teamwork

Course Curricular

Theory

M.A. previous (theory)	Paper I (Common Course) Paper II	Aesthetics &Principles of Art Appreciation History & Technical Theory (of the subject	Full Marks: 100 Full Marks: 100
M.A. Final (theory)	Paper I (Common course) Paper II Paper III	Aesthetics & Principles of Art Appreciation History & Technical Theory (of the subject concerned) Dissertation & Viva – Voce	Full Marks: 75 Full Marks: 75 Full Marks: 50

Practical

360- M.F.A. Painting-

Candidates will select any one of the following Practical subjects for specialization in both Previous and Final years.

Creative Painting
Mural
Portrait
Graphics

In M.F.A. Final the students will do advance work in the subject in which the student worked in Previous year.

361- M.F.A. Applied Arts-

Candidates admitted in M.F.A. Applied Arts will select any one of the following practical subjects for specialization in both Previous and Final year.

Visualization and Campaign Planning.
Book Design & Book Illustration.

362- M.F.A. Plastic Arts-

Professional investigation and involvement in two major media: Stone, Wood, Bronze, Terracotta, Welded Sculpture, Fibreglass, Papermeshy, Mixed media etc. (Choice of the media depend upon the availability of the same in the Department). The student will choose and plan his work in consultation with his/her supervisor. Each student will have to prepare and present at least five works depending on size. In M.F.A. Final, the student will do advanced work in the media in which the student worked in the previous year.

363- M.F.A. Pottery & Ceramics-

Candidates of Pottery & Ceramics (M.F.A. Previous and Final) will choose either of the following:

Pottery-Ceramics
Ceramic Mural/Sculpture

The students will investigate on the basis of his/her previous study in the field of Pottery-Ceramic Designing relying on his/her earlier work in designing, glazing/firing of earthware and stoneware.

In M.F.A. Final the students will do advanced work in the media in which student worked in the previous year.

364- M.F.A. Textile Design-

Professional Investigation and involvement in any one subject of the following:

Textile Designing and Weaving.
Dyeing and Printing

The student will investigate on the basis of his previous study in the field of Textile Design and Weaving/Dyeing and Printing Art. He/she will work in Banarasi Weaving and Designing, Jamdani, Paithani, Chanderi and Shawls etc. and on the basis of his/her experiments of colour, texture, design etc. he/she will work on his/her chosen subjects aesthetically. He/she will acquire a knowledge of different types of looms. In M.F.A. Final the students will do advanced work in the subject in which they worked in the previous year.

Subject Combination

There are following subjects available in the MFA course at Faculty of Fine Arts, Banaras Hindu University:

M.F.A. in Painting
M.F.A. in Applied Arts
M.F.A. in Textile design
M.F.A. in pottery and Ceramics
M.F.A. in Plastic Arts.

Why to Choose MFA Course?

A Master in Fine Arts is a good choice for students who want to earn their livings as painters, photographers, sculptors, etc.
If you want to take your artistic talent and passion to the next step, obtaining a Postgraduate degree can help you do just that.
For those who want a little more flexibility, a Master of Arts will offer a broader range of classes and prepare you for more diverse career opportunities.
Master in Fine Arts degree allows you to study subjects such as filmmaking, theatre, graphic design, dance and creative writing at master’s level.

Course Suitability

Details about the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) program has been given below:

This 2-year master degree programme offers insightful knowledge to the pursuing candidates about art and history, various factors (socio-cultural and environmental aspects) that will help them enhance their proficiency in the subject.
Candidates learn an advanced study of Indian Architecture and technical theory, aesthetics and principles of art appreciation of the chosen specialization.

M.F.A. in Applied Arts- Candidates admitted in M.F.A. Applied Arts will have a better understanding of the subjects they chose of any the following:

Visualization and Campaign Planning.
Book Design & Book Illustration.

2. M.F.A. in Painting- The students opting for this course will have to further opt between, 1- Creative Painting 2- Mural 3- Portrait 4- Graphics, and after the completion of masters, he/she will hold a strong knowledge.

3. M.F.A. Textile Design- Students can professionally work in fashion industries dealing with various textile designers post choosing between Textile Designing and Weaving, and Dyeing and Printing.

4. M.F.A. Plastic Arts- Candidates will have the clear practical skills for the advanced work required in professional investigation and involvement in between the two chosen media: Stone, Wood, Bronze, Terracotta, Welded Sculpture, Fibreglass, Paper meshy, Mixed media etc.

5. M.F.A. in Pottery & Ceramics- Post completion, the student will have advanced skills in the field of Pottery-Ceramic Designing relying on his/her earlier work in designing, glazing/firing of earthware and stoneware in the chosen specialization between Pottery-Ceramics or Ceramic Mural/Sculpture.

Students will undergo practical training and advertising that will help them in their later professional fields. The course offers those interested, an opportunity to work and relate to people of diverse groups and cultures, and to closely interact with them.

Job Opportunities

After completing the MFA course from the Faculty of Visual Arts, Banaras Hindu University there is a lot of job opportunities waiting for the student. Following are the most followed career choice of students after completing this course.

Fine Artist
Visual Designer
Art Professor
Art Historian
Freelancer
Graphic designer
Illustrator
Concept artist

Top Recruiters

Times of India	Colors TV
SKETS studio	Technicolor
Prime Focus	DQ Entertainment
Inbound Mantra	Flintobox

Preparation Tips for MFA Entrance Exam

For Fine Arts students general tips don’t usually work. An artist can think, explore and create anything anywhere. The PET exam is divided into theory and practical.

For Theory

Art History of India and World (focus more on Indian History), General questions on Pottery & Ceramics, Applied arts, Plastic arts, Painting and Textile Design.
You can refer to the internet, 11^th and 12^th standard Fine Arts Books, N.C.E.R.T. FA books for basic general knowledge.
The History of Western Art and The History of Indian Art by Sandhya Ketkar for basic history.
You can refer to the internet for current affairs in the world of art and creation.

For Practical

Realistic drawing.
Constructive drawing.
Knowledge of shades, hues and colour schemes.Knowledge of perspective rules.
Knowledge of proportions.
Composition skills.
Ability to draw from life.
Drawing from memory and imagination.
Knowledge of art materials and their skilful use.

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