Bachelor of Fine Arts

Bachelor in Fine Arts is the most prestigious bachelor’s degree in visual arts for the students of Pakistan. It is a four-year degree program for students who want to pursue a professional education in the field of visual, fine, or performing arts such as painting, animation, or pottery. It is also known as Visual Arts. Fine Arts refers to visual arts that are primarily created for beauty and meaning. Unlike other conventional courses, BFA will introduce you to painting, sculpturing, aesthetics, making of ceramics, etc. If you are willing to pursue BFA in Pakistan, you will develop knowledge, concepts, skills, and sensitivities essential to the professional life of artists. Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in Pakistan include multimedia and visual culture awareness.

This is a very competitive program and it’s best to have a portfolio of your work ready before applying. Portfolio refers to a collection of your best work to showcase your skills in any particular art. This major will help you to enhance your creative abilities to the maximum, allowing you to explore your aesthetic instinct. BFA enables you to be a professional artist in your desired domain. Most of the universities, after two years of the program, allow you to choose a specific major such as painting, photography, animation, printmaking, etc. However, the core courses of any of the majors in fine arts are the same or similar to one another, which are mostly taught over a period of one or two years.

In Pakistan, in accordance with HEC suggestions, the BFA is divided into two portions during the four-year degree program, where one portion is theoretical and the other is practical. The ratio of this division is around 65% theory and 35% practical (studio courses).

Eligibility Criteria for BFA

You can apply for this program after F.A/A-levels or equivalent. The candidate should have at least 45% marks in intermediate. 

Some universities in addition to this assess the student on the basis of overall marks, test, and interview.

BFA Course Objectives

In Pakistan, the main objectives of this program are as follows:

• Promote an understanding of arts and other forms of visual culture.
• Critical inquiry of historical, traditional, and contemporary artworks and cultural expressions.
• Produce professional designers for the printing and electronic industries.
• Produce professional creative art teachers.
• Produce art professionals that possess overlapping which is currently required for professional art practice and theoretical discourse.

Course Contents

A typical Bachelors of Fine Arts Program, offered by various universities of Pakistan, is composed of four years. Most of the universities have divided the program into 8 semesters, however, some universities also offer an annual system of examinations for BFA.

As mentioned earlier, the degree program is divided into two portions:

• Theoretical (at least 65% of the total course is theory-based)
• Practical (at least 35% of the total course is practical/studio-based)

The general courses offered by different universities under BFA are:

Foundation Courses:

• Drawing
• Drafting
• Design
• Materials and Processes
• Sculpture
• Painting
• Printmaking
• History of Art
• History of Cultures

Specialization Courses:

• Photography
• Miniature Painting
• New Media Arts
• Video Art
• Visual Arts
• Calligraphy
• Islamic Arts
• Ceramics
• Crafts
• Digital Media
• Glass

Elective Courses: (Studio)

• Digital Media
• Drawing
• Art Restoration
• Film Video Production
• Crafts
• Calligraphy
• Ceramics
• Glass
• Interior Design
• Fabric Art
• Photography
• Animation
• Theatre
• Costume Design
• Fashion
• Product Design

These courses along with compulsory courses such as English, Urdu, Islamic studies, Pakistan studies, etc. are offered in bachelors of fine arts by the different universities of Pakistan.

Specializations in BFA

Some universities across Pakistan offer specializations in BFA as follows:

• Bachelors of Fine Arts in Paintings
• Bachelors of Fine Arts in Graphic Design
• Bachelors of Fine Arts in Textile Design
• Bachelors of Fine Arts in Printmaking & Digital Media
• Bachelors of Fine Arts in Sculpture & Miniature Painting

Scope in Pakistan

After completion of degree, you will face fierce competition due to the scope of this degree in Pakistan. Bachelors in Fine Arts opens many opportunities for you such as:

• Animator
• Photographer
• Illustrator
• Actor
• Arts and Culture Management
• Entertainment Industry
• Graphic Designer
• Printmaker
• Art Teacher
• Art Gallery Administrator
• Cartoonist

Apart from this, Fine Arts is also a trendy requirement of the freelance industry. Graduates of fine arts can establish themselves as freelance artists, animators, graphic designers, etc.

Universities offering Bachelors of Fine Arts

There are a number of universities that offer Bachelors in Fine Arts (BFA) in Pakistan. The following list contains some of the universities that offer BFA:

• National College of Arts (Lahore)
• COMSATS University (Islamabad)
• University of Gujrat (Gujrat)
• University of Karachi (Karachi)
• Kinnaird College for Women (Lahore)
• Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (Jamshoro)

Is BFA the right major for you?

Bachelors in Fine Arts (BFA) is a great choice for you if you will to bring your artistic imaginations to reality and are good at your creative skills and wish to create something new. Also, if you are inspired by the nature/culture/environment around you and want to express it in your own way.

Wish to continue your education after Bachelors?

If you wish to continue your education after Bachelors in Fine Arts, you can pursue Masters in Fine Arts with specializations in different domains like photography, music, painting, film-making, animation, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the duration of BFA?
  The Bachelors in Fine Arts is based on a duration of 4 years.
• Does BFA have a good scope in Pakistan?
  Yes, since the popularity of some of its specializations such as graphic designing, animation, etc. has increased in the past years.
• What is the admission criteria of BFA?
  The admission requirement for Bachelors in Fine Arts is F.A or A-levels or equivalent. The candidate should have at least 45% marks in intermediate.
• What are come trending career opportunities after pursuing a BFA?
  Illustrator, Photographer, Curator, Freelance studio artist, etc. are the trending career opportunities after pursuing BFA.
• Will you get any scholarships to study BFA in Pakistan?
  Yes, a number of public universities provide merit based scholarships.