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BA in Art, Consciousness, & Creative Practiceon-campus

Immerse yourself in art

In our block system you’ll study one full-time course per month, giving you the time you need to dive deeply into each subject. You’ll be immersed in each studio class without the stress of juggling multiple courses and assignments.


Faculty and peer support

MIU’s experienced faculty have proven track record mentoring student artists. Small classes with personal guidance from faculty facilitate your success. The faculty care about your well-being as an artist and as a person. They will help you create a sustainable studio practice that enables your creativity to flourish and supports a healthy, happy life.

Watch the webinar about the degree programs in art, 12 minutes

Get started by contacting Adriene

Adriene Crimson, admissions counselorAdriene Crimson is this program’s admissions counselor for US students. Adriene will provide you with all the details of becoming a student, including connecting you with program faculty when you have questions.

Contact Adriene >

Contact Adriene >

International applicants may connect with us through our international inquiry form.


Build your artistic expertise one certificate at a time

Within our BA, we offer four sequential certificate programs for you to become proficient in specific materials and techniques as you build toward your art degree or use a certificate to bolster your degree in another field:

    Learn to create dynamic, compelling images in a variety of traditional and contemporary media.
    Learn to combine vision and touch to enliven your interactions with the material world and create engaging sculptures, vessels, and 3D forms.
    Engage with a more open-ended classroom/studio structure to discover deeper levels of your individual artistic interests and passions.
    Learn the fundamentals of a self-driven, sustainable, daily practice of artistic exploration and gaini the tools needed to engage the most profound and practical aspects of a productive studio routine.

Step into the future with narrative evaluations

Art student Taj Matumbi at workInstead of traditional letter grades, our art department uses narrative evaluations to give you in-depth, personalized feedback on your learning. This liberates you to focus more deeply on your growth as an artist.

The secret to self-discovery

As a student in MIU’s BA program, you’ll practice the Transcendental Meditation technique daily. This evidence-based technique reduces stress, enhances clear thinking, and gets you in touch with your inner self—the deepest, most authentic part of yourself—to help you create your best work.

Featured courses

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Renaissance to Contemporary Art

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How has the art of the past influenced modern artists? Delve into the most inspiring creations of Western art and architecture from the 1400s to the present and experience great works for yourself on a field trip to a major art center, such as Chicago.

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Ceramics 1

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You’ll study the entire process of ceramics, from making clay to firing pottery, while improving your pottery skills and learning to express your own inner nature through art.

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Art in Nature

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In this class, you’ll take a new look at what art means by creating art outdoors using natural materials. Along the way, you’ll refine your perception of the natural laws that structure nature and consciousness.

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Painting 1

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You’ll be immersed in the fundamentals of drawing and painting, learning how to pull inspiration from a variety of subject matter. You’ll develop technical artistic skills as well as a conceptual and critical understanding of the language of painting.

    This course provides the knowledge and practical experience of how visual elements are organized by principles universal to the fine and applied arts. Topics include: examining and applying design principles and vocabulary such as figure/ground, interdependence, symmetry, rhythm, shape, and texture; understanding how these principles and their components apply to the scope of the visual arts, including drawing, sculpture, ceramics, photography, graphic design, architecture, fabric design, and landscaping; and understanding and expressing how design principles can be correlated to the balance and order of nature, the universe, individual and societal life. Materials fee: $45 (4 credits)
    In this course, students develop powers of observation and imagination, abilities that are vital for all the arts. Students focus on establishing the use of principles of drawing through observational methods. Topics include: still life, figure drawing, interior and landscape. Art majors take drawing courses as they advance through the curriculum. May be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor. Materials fee: $35. (4 credits)
    Painting expresses the artist’s connection with the deep laws fundamental to seeing and creating visual images. Students are immersed in the fundamentals of drawing and painting from nature and a variety of other subject matter. The curriculum addresses the students’ development of formal and technical skills along with a conceptual and critical understanding of the language of painting as preparation for independent studio work. May be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor, subject to satisfactory progress in the previous course and a clear plan for the progression of learning in the subsequent course.
    To many, the term ‘Ancient art’ might suggest that which is, first and foremost, old and far removed from the contemporary concerns of today’s artist or art student. Such a perception would be inaccurate, however, for the so-called Ancient Cultures comprise those stages of societal development when Western Civilization was in its infancy and its burgeoning youth. The artistic legacy of these early cultures speaks to us today, communicating across time, on the fine level of feeling, in images that are startling in their freshness and purity, and reminding us of the timeless continuity of collective consciousness.
    Beginning in the latter half of 15th Century Europe, a profound synthesis of art, philosophy and culture took place within collective consciousness, which greatly affected the evolution of society and the images it produced for centuries to come. We will explore how this synthesis differentiated itself, under such burgeoning influences as Secularism, Humanism, and the Objective World view, to unfold a rich progression of artistic styles and attitudes. Styles include: Pre-, Early, High, and Northern Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, French Naturalism, etc.
    Beginning in the late 19th Century, and especially into the 20th Century, the ‘look’ of art changed so rapidly and radically that for many it seemed to defy all sense of connectedness to the traditions of art that preceded it. Has such change been the result of capricious discontinuity, or an understandable expression of the dynamics of collective consciousness and ever-changing cultural contexts? This course will examine the How and Why of Modern Art up to the 21st Century. Although drawing appropriately on the fields of Philosophy, History, Art Theory, etc., and involving classroom discussions and critical writing assignments, this course, like other courses in this series, will be centered around extensive, purposeful visual focus. For those students already familiar with many of the forms of Modern Art, here is an opportunity to more deeply appreciate and understand those forms within the fuller context of their cultural and historical connectedness.
    As rich and compelling a narrative the Art History of Western Civilization may be, the visual vocabulary of today’s artist or art student would be incomplete without a basic familiarity with the forms and images produced by societies whose respective world views differ uniquely from that of Western Culture. Alternate ways of perceiving and visually representing values like nature, the flow of time, the cosmos, and mankind’s role in it, further substantiate the universality and diversity of the expressive nature of consciousness. Moreover, this course offers an opportunity to explore new vistas of aesthetic possibilities and formal expression to any aspiring artist or student looking to expand their sources of creative inspiration. This course will serve as a foundational, visually oriented survey of image-making traditions from such areas of the world as Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Asia, India, Mesoamerica, and Oceania. An additional feature of the course will be the consideration of the many instances over time in which non-Western art has significantly influenced the course of Western art.
    • Topic 1: Hand-building in low-fire earthenware clay, drawing inspiration from ancient origins to contemporary masters
    • Topic 2: Exploring the relationship between surface and form in thrown and hand-built forms using high-fire stoneware clay
    • Topic 3: Addressing the image on hand-built, low-fire earthenware forms
    • Topic 4: Exploring the limits of function in hand-built and thrown high-fire stoneware forms

    Students at all levels in ceramics will increase their studio skills related to forming, understanding glazes and other surface possibilities, plus various firing methods. Faculty and peer interaction is structured to support the integration of method, meaning, and function (depending on the individual student’s need) to express the inner value of consciousness in matter in this medium. In some studios, wheel throwing opens a new dimension of experience for the student potter. The challenge to center and form a pot while the clay is spinning through the hands leads to a synchronicity that powerfully connects potter and pot, awareness and matter, in the process of creation. Students are exposed to the traditions and history of ceramics that continue to emerge worldwide.

    This course concerns itself with spatial and structural relationships in sculpture. Exploration in form, context and installation are addressed. Students learn to realize ideas in form with consideration of delivery through an understanding of the deeper organizing principles that underlie three-dimensional space. Methods include constructive, additive and subtractive processes involving various prescribed and found materials.
    The BA Portfolio and Project, taken in the final semester, completes the BA degree in art. Guided by faculty, BA candidates work independently in the studio to create a series of work. They then photograph their work to create a digital portfolio. Students also keep a journal and reflect on their experience studying in the Department of Art. The portfolio, journal, and written reflection form the basis of a 7-minute oral presentation sharing the student’s growth of creativity, art, and consciousness while at MIU. (4 credits)

Degree requirements

A minimum of 128 credits (semester hours) is required for students to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. This may include up to 90 transfer credits.

Undergraduate degree students can apply transfer credits to cover electives, some general education requirements, and up to half the course work in the major, for a maximum of 90 total credits. General transfer credits are accepted for courses completed with a grade of “C” or higher.

To graduate with a bachelor’s degree, students must satisfy the following general education requirements:

    This course introduces students to three fundamental sources of knowledge that can be used together to evaluate any idea: personal experience, scientific reasoning, and traditional wisdom. On the basis of evidence from all three sources, a new consciousness-based framework is introduced as a new way of viewing the world and addressing its challenges.
    The course will explore the new paradigm in science that the “Physiology is Consciousness.” Current concepts of mind and body will be understood in terms of this new paradigm. This course will present our facts of brain structure and function in light of Maharishi Vedic Science and the discovery of Veda and the Vedic Literature in human physiology done by Tony Nader, MD, PhD. We will examine how our brain constructs reality at every moment and how the experience of unboundedness – the Self of every individual – can transform our physiology and awaken the total creative potential of the brain in enlightenment, which is the birthright of every human being.
    This course gives a deep and non-mathematical understanding of the differences between classical and quantum physics. It explains the meaning and mechanics of unification and symmetry, and the main concepts of unified quantum field theories and superstring theory. It shows that at the basis of the universe lies a completely unified field, a self- interacting entity from which all particles and forces arise through the process of spontaneous symmetry breaking. The course gives students experience and understanding of the interconnectedness between the laws of physics, the universe, and themselves.
    You will learn how the mathematics requirements at MIU affect you and whether you need to take a math placement assessment at a Mathematics Placement Meeting.
    Composition 2 develops the student’s ability to use language for a variety of purposes, subjects, and audiences. It focuses on both exposition and persuasion to strengthen those skills that will assist the student in succeeding academically. In this course, we read and discuss a range of prose models that reflect the diversity of thinking and writing across the disciplines. This course may be waived through transfer credit.
    This course explores the unfoldment of higher states of human consciousness — the full realization of your own limitless potential — as described by Maharishi and as experienced naturally and spontaneously by Transcendental Meditation practitioners and by people throughout history. The course examines the experiences belonging to each state, the developmental processes that culture each state, pertinent research, and practical outcomes of these experiences in daily life, thereby providing an overview of the range of possible experiences on the way to full enlightenment. This course is question and discussion-driven, with an emphasis on connecting this understanding of higher states to your own experiences.
    This course presents the latest knowledge from Western science and the Maharishi Consciousness-Based Health Care program concerning the optimum daily routine for establishing the foundation for lifelong excellent health and growing enlightenment. The major focus is on the details of the ideal routine of sleep, diet, exercise, meaningful activity, recreation, and the importance of the regular experience of pure consciousness for optimum health and evolution.
    A Forest Academy studies interdisciplinary themes from the Exploring Consciousness course, together with deep rest and rejuvenation. Students can explore more deeply the principles associated with developing their own inner intelligence and understand how that intelligence can be practically applied to specific areas of life. The goal of these academies is to connect the knowledge of the rest of the curriculum with universal principles of natural law and transform it into a living and useful dimension of the students’ lives. Fit for Life and Higher States of Consciousness are examples of forest academies.

Cost & Aid, 2024-25

    US On-Campus Undergraduate

    This estimate is based on one year for a typical on-campus Federal Pell Grant recipient (represents 80% of our onsite undergraduates). File your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and then contact our financial aid office for questions on variables.

    Annual Cost and Typical Financial Aid
    Tuition and fees$16,530
    Housing (single room) and meals*$7,400
    Grants and Scholarship (typical)-$14,400
    Net cost per year$9,530
    Federal student loans-$9,530
    Your payment$0

    *Applicable only to students living on campus

    Additional Financial Aid Information

    $2,400 Federal Work Study is available toward your estimated $4,800 out of pocket costs.
    Scholarship from MIU described above consists of the Federal Pell Grant and the Federal Supplemental Education Grant and is based on (1) full-time enrollment and (2) financial need based on expected FAFSA outcome.
    Repayment begins after your enrollment ends. Unique repayment plans are available such as income-based, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and deferments based on low income or unemployment.

    There are a variety of money-saving tax benefits to assist in reducing the cost of education expenses. More about education tax benefits.
    Veterans should contact the VA for information on Veterans Education Benefits. Veterans eligible for BAH monthly benefits: The VA utilizes a scale of credits per block of courses; therefore, the VA sometimes pays part-time benefits for an individual month while the university delivers full-time federal aid for an entire semester. Our Veterans Certifying Official is our Director of Financial Aid.

    Loan Repayment Options

    Payments are a fixed amount that ensures your loans are paid off within 10 years (within 10 to 30 years for Consolidation Loans).
    Payments may be fixed or graduated and will ensure that your loans are paid off within 25 years.
    Payments are lower at first and then increase, usually every two years, and are for an amount that will ensure your loans are paid off within 10 years (within 10 to 30 years for Consolidation Loans).
    Your monthly payments will be either 10 or 15 percent of discretionary income (depending on when you received your first loans), but never more than you would have paid under the 10-year Standard Repayment Plan.
    Payments are recalculated each year and are based on your updated income, family size, and the total amount of your Direct Loans. Any outstanding balance will be forgiven if you haven’t repaid your loan in full after 25 years.
    Your monthly payment is based on annual income, but your loan will be paid in full within 15 years.

    Tuition, other fees, scholarships, and financial policies are subject to change prior to the entry date. For more information, contact us at finaid@miu.edu for a quick reply — normally one business day — or see more about financial aid.

    International On-Campus Undergraduate

    Annual Cost and Typical Financial Aid
    Tuition and fees$16,530
    Housing (single room) and meals$7,400
    Health insurance (estimate)$1,992
    Personal expenses, books, unexpected needs (estimate)$3,500
    Cost Per Year$29,422

    Full-time students may apply for up to $6,000 scholarship based on qualifying level of documented family income. Our undergraduate scholarship application form will be available upon application to the university.


    Tuition, other fees, scholarships, and financial policies are subject to change prior to the entry date.

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