Hartford Art School (HAS) at University of Hartford (UHart) serves 400 students enrolled in nine undergraduate majors and three low-residency graduate programs. Illustration is offered at both degree levels. The Illustration BFA consists of 122-126 credit hours, including 20 credit hours in the Foundation Year. Examples include Painting, Drawing, Illustration: Landscape Space, 4D Studio, Illustration: Narrative Composition for Illustration, Academic Writing I-II, and Painting/Drawing: Observation to Abstraction.
Students in this professional BFA Program must complete 77–80 studio credits in the major, plus 45–46 academic credits. Coursework for the UHart HAS Illustration BFA explores both traditional and digital mediums. Examples of required courses include Illustration I (Oil), II (Acrylic) and III (Watercolor), Digital Illustration, Figure Illustration, Intro to Illustration, Drawing for Illustration, Sophomore Review, and Junior Review. Elective options include Advertising, Editorial, Book, Portfolio Prep, and Senior Project.
Graduates of the UHart HAS Illustration BFA Program are prepared for careers in Advertising Illustration, Book Illustration, and Editorial Illustration.
The low-residency Illustration MFA program is designed for working adults. In-person sessions take place during the summer semester, with travel during spring and fall to New York City, California, Ohio and Pennsylvania to meet with illustrators, licensing experts, agents, and illustration entrepreneurs. Students will interact with more than 50 professionals from the animation, editorial, comic book, advertising, children’s book, and product design industries.
Other MFA Program features include workshops, business, promotional, and marketing coursework, optional internships and study abroad experiences, and studio and museum visits. UHart MFA students have visited Disney Animation Studios, Norman Rockwell Museum, Electronic Arts (EA), Lucasfilm, DreamWorks Animation Studios, Nickelodeon Studios, Sony Pictures Animation, the Society of Illustrators, Brandywine Museum, and Communication Arts Magazine, and more.
Graduates of the UHart HAS Illustration MFA Program work in advanced or leadership positions in the field of Illustration.
University of Hartford has been continuously accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) since 1961. Chartered in 1957,(Uhart is a four-year private university that serves around 5,925 students from 49 states and 44 countries. Around 200 programs spanning the Arts, Business, Education, Engineering and Technology, Health, and Humanities are provided across seven colleges and schools.