coursework for art major

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Art requires 120 credit hours and is recommended for those interested in a double major, or for those intending to pursue a career in a discipline other than art.  It is not intended for students interested in an in-depth study in a single studio area. 

Admission Requirements

Freshmen and transfers.

• New freshmen and transfers - N/A
• Internal transfers (students already enrolled at UNC Charlotte) - minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5
• Other:  All prospective studio students must apply for Art major status by submitting a digital portfolio of creative work to the department.  Portfolios are reviewed once per year in the Spring semester.
• Declaration of Major:   All freshmen seeking admission to the B.A. degree program must first submit a completed application for Fall admission to the University by January 31 to be eligible to submit a digital portfolio for consideration during the Priority Review in early March.  Applicants who miss the January 31 deadline must submit a completed application for Fall admission to the University by March 1 to be eligible to submit a portfolio for consideration during the Space Available Review in mid-April.  For the most current deadlines, refer to the Undergraduate Admissions website .  Students who are not admitted may re-submit their portfolio the following year (only one resubmission is allowed).  
• Transferable Credit Hours :  Determined by UNC Charlotte Undergraduate Admissions.  Students seeking to apply coursework taken at other institutions to the Art major must provide copies of the official course description and a syllabus for each course requested for consideration.

Students cannot take any studio course without having Art major status.  All studio classes are reserved for Art majors only.

Degree Requirements

College prospect for success course (2 credit hours).

All new freshmen in the College of Arts + Architecture must take the following:

• COAA 1101 - Student Success in Architecture, Art, Performance, and Design (2)

General Education Courses (35 credit hours)

For details on required courses, refer to the General Education Program   . 

Students intending to earn either the B.F.A. in Art or the B.A. in Art should take three ARTB 120x courses, and one ARTH course ( ARTH 1211   , ARTH 1212   , or ARTH 2110   ) in the first semester of their Freshman year.  All of the General Education courses should be organized around the Art requirements.  It is usually not possible to graduate in four years without taking this number of Art courses right away.  Prerequisite sequencing dictates the time to graduation, and all students should become thoroughly familiar with the course descriptions. 

Foreign Language Requirement (0-8 credit hours)

All students who earn a degree within the College of Arts + Architecture are required to demonstrate proficiency in the language of their choice through the 1202 level.  Proficiency can be demonstrated in one of the following ways:

• Completing the required coursework at UNC Charlotte
• Completing three years of the same foreign language in high school through level three
• Achieving a satisfactory score on the foreign languages placement test (in Spanish, French, or German)
• Through approved transfer or transient credit earned at other accredited institutions
• A combination of the above methods (e.g., placing out of or earning transfer or transient credit for 1201 and completing the 1202 course, completing 1201 and placing out of or earning transfer or transient credit for 1202)

Major Courses (39 credit hours)

Basic foundation studios (12 credit hours).

• ARTB 1201 - 2D Design (3)
• ARTB 1202 - 3D Design (3)
• ARTB 1203 - Drawing I (3)
• ARTB 1206 - Conceptual Practices (3)

Elective Studio Courses (15 credit hours)

Select five of the following.  Students must successfully complete the Basic Foundation Studios courses listed above to enroll in upper-level courses.  At least 9 credit hours must be taken at UNC Charlotte.

• ARTx any 2000-level 2D studio course *
• ARTx any 2000-level 3D studio course **
• ARTx any 2000- or 3000-level studio course

*Options for 2000-Level 2D Courses:

• ARTG 2181 - Graphic Design I (3)
• ARTL 2186 - Illustration I (3)
• ARTP 2131 - Painting I (3)

**Options for 2000-Level 3D Courses:

• ARTC 2171 - Ceramics Handbuilding (3)
• ARTC 2172 - Ceramics Wheel I (3)
• ARTF 2151 - Fibers I (3)
• ARTZ 2104 - Installation Art (3)
• ARTZ 2306 - Introduction to 3D Modeling and Digital Fabrication (3)

Art History Courses (9 credit hours)

• ARTH 1211 - Art History Survey I (3)
• ARTH 1212 - Art History Survey II (3)
• ARTH 2110 - Contemporary Art History (3)

Senior Seminar (3 credit hours)

• ARTA 4600 - Senior Seminar (3) (O,W) *

*This Senior level course should be taken with the last Elective Studio during a student’s last one or two semesters of study at UNC Charlotte. Senior Seminar fulfills one of the two Writing Intensive (W)requirements in General Education, as well as the Oral Communication (O) requirement.

Unrestricted Elective Courses

As needed to complete the credit hours required for graduation.

Degree Total = 120 Credit Hours

Academic advising.

All Art and Art History majors are required to meet with the Academic Advisor in the Department of Art and Art History each semester.  Students will not be able to register for any course at UNC Charlotte without attending the mandatory advising meetings. The Academic Advisor is available year-round.

Career mentoring in studio, art history, and art education is offered by individual faculty members who are active professionals in those areas of study. Contact is best done by email or telephone. Most professors are available for appointments from the first day of classes until the last day of classes each Fall and Spring semester.  Requirements for degrees and minors, as well as 4-year B.F.A. calendars, are available in the Department of Art and Art History office and online at art.uncc.edu .

Students seeking to confirm that General Education graduation requirements are met should use the automated CAPP Degree Evaluation system online in My UNC Charlotte .  Those seeking confirmation of Art requirements must contact the Academic Advisor.

Grade Requirements

To graduate with a B.A. in Art, students must achieve a minimum GPA of 2.0 in all courses required for the major. 

Honors Program

For details about the Arts + Architecture Honors Program, visit the AAHP program page   .

Transfer Credit

All transfer courses are automatically reviewed by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.  Students seeking to appeal the official transfer designations for ARTx courses must provide the Department Academic Advisor with copies of the official course descriptions and a syllabus for each course requested for consideration.  Portfolios of creative work from each of the individual studio courses may also be required.

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Undergraduate Art Program

Beginning in fall 2018, the Department of Art introduced a redesigned B.F.A. curriculum for students who see themselves as both artists and scholars. This curriculum will combine the intensive studio culture of the art department with enhanced access to electives in all areas of the university. By focusing on interdisciplinary relationships, the department aims to produce a community of artists who will participate in the world as artistic and intellectual leaders.

The program allows the student to map a highly individualized curriculum with the goal of evolving a mature artistic practice at the earliest possible stage.

The two academic components of B.F.A. program consist of the art-specific component taught within the department (64 credits) and the elective component drawn from the university at large (56 credits). The art component consists of seminars and core studio courses in:

• Digital media
• Photography
• Print media
• And a wide range of special topics.

The elective component comprises art history requirements and First-Year Writing Seminars plus a full range of elective classes selected by the student with an advisor's input. This latter component offers students a truly unique degree of freedom in integrating ideas, interests, and skills into an artistic practice that is critically, intellectually, and materially advanced.

• B.F.A. Curriculum and Requirements

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Error message, fine arts degrees: what coursework is included in a typical fine arts program.

What Coursework is Included in a Typical Fine Arts Program? ACR Takes a Look.

What is Fine Arts ?

Fine arts (also “the arts”) is creative art involving modes of expression that use skill or imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others. Traditional categories within the arts include literature (poetry, drama, story, and so on), visual arts (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.), graphic arts (painting, drawing, design, and other forms expressed on flat surfaces), the plastic arts (sculpture, modeling), the decorative arts (enamelwork, furniture design, mosaic, etc.), performing arts (theatre, dance, music), music (as composition), and architecture (often including interior design).

What are the Types of Courses for Fine Arts Programs?

All art and design schools and many traditional colleges and universities offer fine arts degrees. Fine arts is one of the few areas of art where advanced degrees are as popular as undergraduate degrees. This includes the PhD. While curriculums will vary, most programs require fulfillment of art history, theory and criticism, and liberal arts requirements.

Most programs offer emphasis options for students who would like to specialize in one area. Examples include animation, art and technology, ceramics, drawing, interactive digital media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, 3D graphics, 3D modeling, and visual art. 

While course titles vary by program, common courses include:

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• Art History
• Color Theory
• Contemporary Art
• Fine Arts Studio
• Form and Content
• Foundation Studio
• Photography
• Printmaking
• Professional Practices in Fine Arts

BFA students will complete at two capstone courses (Senior Studio I & II), which involves researching, developing and producing a mature, coherent and substantial body of work that will be presented to faculty for evaluation. Projects are often exhibited to the public in the BFA Senior Studio exhibition.

What Can I Do With a Degree in Fine Arts?

The career options for fine artists are limitless—especially for artists with technology skills. Possible job titles include 3D Artist, Animator, Art Restorer, Cartoon Artist, Clay Artist, Comic Illustrator, Commercial Artist, Art Director, Fashion Artist, Illustrator, Forensic Artist, Landscape Artist, Medical Artist, Model Maker, Multimedia Artist, Game Artist, Digital Artist, Mural Artist, Interior Designer, Pattern Illustrator, Scenic Artist, Scientific Illustrator, Sculptor, Graphic Designer, Art Gallery Dealer, Stained Glass Artist, Technical Illustrator, Advertising Designer, Muralist, Sculptor, Craft Artist, Ceramist, Editorial Photographer, and Visual Artist, to name a few.

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Art Practice

About the Program

Bachelor of arts (ba).

The UC Berkeley Art Practice Department offers undergraduate and graduate programs in studio art, which provide firm grounding in basic techniques and principles while encouraging guided experimentation. Our curriculum is designed to expand students' creative, technical, and critical abilities across a range of artistic media and disciplines, and with the guidance of accomplished faculty.

We provide technical and conceptual training, with a primary focus on painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, digital photography, installation, performance, social practice, video, and selected courses offered in sound, animation, and game design. Art Practice majors are expected to round out the required studio courses with Art History and seminar classes. The department encourages an ethical, global scope, with a necessary emphasis on diversity of viewpoints and modes of practice. 

Art Practice seeks to graduate students with the necessary skills to have significant artistic and cultural impact, whether within the professional art world or through a range of other. creative fields, including as art directors, arts educators, and arts-related jobs with museums, galleries, arts management, design firms, publishing, and artists’ organizations.

Course of Study Overview

Art Practice majors need to complete thirteen courses (five lower division and eight upper division). These include ten studio courses and three courses in art history. For more details, visit the undergraduate webpage: art.berkeley.edu/major.

Advanced Studio and Critique Program

Each semester the  Advanced Studio and Critique Program admits  nine senior Art Practice majors who show exceptional commitment and promise.

Senior Capstone Project

During senior year students take the required course ART 185 Senior Projects/Professional Practices  and work toward a thesis exhibition in the Department’s Worth Ryder Art Gallery. 

Applying to the Major

The Art Practice Department is a “high demand major” which means that not all students who apply to the major will be accepted. 

For Continuing Undergraduate Students:

Apply as early as possible after completing the prerequisites. Starting in Fall 2023, students are not allowed to apply to the major past the beginning of their junior year (i.e., Seniors are not allowed to apply). The portfolio submission is a competitive one and plays a significant role in the review process. Students are encouraged to submit their strongest work along with thoughtful written responses. Faculty review applications once per semester. Application deadlines can be found on the  Art Practice website .  ​

For First Year Students Admitted Fall 2023 and After

For first-year students applying to Berkeley Letters & Science (L&S) for fall 2023 and after, there will be two pathways to declare a high-demand major.  This policy will not impact current or continuing students.

Admission into L&S:  Those who already know as high school students that they want a high demand major  should select that major on their UC Berkeley admissions application . If admitted to Berkeley L&S, they will be guaranteed a spot in the major they selected, subject to completing the prerequisites, maintaining good academic standing in L&S, and filing a declaration form.

Changing to a high-demand major after arriving at L&S:  For students who did not select a high-demand major on their UC Berkeley admissions application, the process for declaring a high-demand major will be through Comprehensive Review , rather than a minimum GPA requirement only. Students will have  one  opportunity to apply for a high-demand major, and will be required to have an alternate plan to declare a non-high-demand major as a back-up. 

Visit Department Website

Major Requirements

In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the below requirements specific to their major program.

General Guidelines

• All courses taken to fulfill the major requirements below must be taken for a letter grade. An exception is made for courses that are offered on a Pass/No Pass basis only. Other exceptions to this requirement are noted as applicable.
• No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs, with the exception of minors offered outside of the College of Letters & Science.

For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.

Lower Division Courses

Upper Division Courses

Two studio classes from the following list may be substituted: FILM 180 , FILM 181 , FILM 185 ,  THEATER 175A / THEATER 175B , NWMEDIA 190 , VIS STD 180A , VIS STD 180B , VIS STD 181 , VIS STD C185A VIS STD 185X , VIS STD 187A .

College Requirements

Undergraduate students must fulfill the following requirements in addition to those required by their major program.

For a detailed lists of L&S requirements, please see Overview tab to the right in this guide or visit the L&S Degree Requirements webpage. For College advising appointments, please visit the L&S Advising Pages. 

University of California Requirements

Entry level writing.

All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing requirement. Fulfillment of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all reading and composition courses at UC Berkeley and must be taken for a letter grade. 

American History and American Institutions

The American History and American Institutions requirements are based on the principle that all U.S. residents who have graduated from an American university should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.

Berkeley Campus Requirement

American cultures.

All undergraduate students at Cal need to take and pass this campus requirement course in order to graduate. The requirement offers an exciting intellectual environment centered on the study of race, ethnicity and culture of the United States. AC courses are plentiful and offer students opportunities to be part of research-led, highly accomplished teaching environments, grappling with the complexity of American Culture.

College of Letters & Science Essential Skills Requirements

Quantitative reasoning.

The Quantitative Reasoning requirement is designed to ensure that students graduate with basic understanding and competency in math, statistics, or computer/data science. The requirement may be satisfied by exam or by taking an approved course taken for a letter grade.

Foreign Language

The Foreign Language requirement may be satisfied by demonstrating proficiency in reading comprehension, writing, and conversation in a foreign language equivalent to the second semester college level, either by passing an exam or by completing approved course work taken for a letter grade.

Reading and Composit ion

In order to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing, and critical thinking the College of Letters and Science requires two semesters of lower division work in composition in sequence. Students must complete parts A & B reading and composition courses in sequential order by the end of their fourth semester for a letter grade.

College of Letters & Science 7 Course Breadth Requirements

Breadth requirements.

The undergraduate breadth requirements provide Berkeley students with a rich and varied educational experience outside of their major program. As the foundation of a liberal arts education, breadth courses give students a view into the intellectual life of the University while introducing them to a multitude of perspectives and approaches to research and scholarship. Engaging students in new disciplines and with peers from other majors, the breadth experience strengthens interdisciplinary connections and context that prepares Berkeley graduates to understand and solve the complex issues of their day.

Unit Requirements

120 total units

Of the 120 units, 36 must be upper division units

• Of the 36 upper division units, 6 must be taken in courses offered outside your major department

Residence Requirements

For units to be considered in "residence," you must be registered in courses on the Berkeley campus as a student in the College of Letters & Science. Most students automatically fulfill the residence requirement by attending classes at Cal for four years, or two years for transfer students. In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless you graduate early, go abroad for a semester or year, or want to take courses at another institution or through UC Extension during your senior year. In these cases, you should make an appointment to meet an L&S College adviser to determine how you can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.

Note: Courses taken through UC Extension do not count toward residence.

Senior Residence Requirement

After you become a senior (with 90 semester units earned toward your B.A. degree), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence in at least two semesters. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least 6 passed units. Intercampus Visitor, EAP, and UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) units are excluded.

You may use a Berkeley Summer Session to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence requirement, provided that you successfully complete 6 units of course work in the Summer Session and that you have been enrolled previously in the college.

Modified Senior Residence Requirement

Participants in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP), Berkeley Summer Abroad, or the UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC) may meet a Modified Senior Residence requirement by completing 24 (excluding EAP) of their final 60 semester units in residence. At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after you have completed 90 units.

Upper Division Residence Requirement

You must complete in residence a minimum of 18 units of upper division courses (excluding UCEAP units), 12 of which must satisfy the requirements for your major.

Major maps are experience maps that help undergraduates plan their Berkeley journey based on intended major or field of interest. Featuring student opportunities and resources from your college and department as well as across campus, each map includes curated suggestions for planning your studies, engaging outside the classroom, and pursuing your career goals in a timeline format.

Use the major map below to explore potential paths and design your own unique undergraduate experience:

View the Art Practice Major Map

Practice of Art

Art 8 introduction to visual thinking 4 units.

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session A first course in the language, processes, and media of visual art. Course work will be organized around weekly lectures and studio problems that will introduce students to the nature of art making and visual thinking. This course is a prerequisite for applying to the Art Practice major. Introduction to Visual Thinking: Read More [+]

Rules & Requirements

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for ART 8 after completing ART 8A , or ART 8B.

Hours & Format

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of lecture and 4 hours of studio per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 2 hours of lecture and 10 hours of studio per week

Additional Format: One hour of lecture and four hours of studio per week. Two hours of lecture and ten hours of studio per week for 6 weeks.

Additional Details

Subject/Course Level: Practice of Art/Undergraduate

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.

Introduction to Visual Thinking: Read Less [-]

ART 8A Introduction to Visual Thinking 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Spring 2018 The ‘designed world’ is implicated in everyday experience. In an increasingly technological and communications based culture-from print to the Web, advertisements to movies, the built environment to modes of pedagogy-we encounter the visual/sensory as a ‘designed world’ in every area of our lives. Art 8 A: Intro to Visual Thinking asks students to rigorously and critically interrogate the ‘designed world.’ To do this students will look at a range of art, media, and invention across many locations and periods of history. Introduction to Visual Thinking: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 6 hours of studio and 3 hours of lecture per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 15 hours of studio and 2.5 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Six hours of studio and three hours of lecture per week. Fifteen hours of studio and two and one-half hours of lecture per week for 6 weeks.

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.

ART 12 Drawing: Foundations 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session This course will explore a wide range of approaches to mark making, composition and materials for building a drawing practice. Students will engage with drawing from life as well as conceptual and abstract compositions. This course will feature lectures, field trips, visiting artists and demonstrations in order to expose students to a variety of applications, methods and techniques within the field of drawing. This course is a recommended prerequisite for upper division Drawing classes. Drawing: Foundations: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 6 hours of studio per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 16 hours of studio per week

Additional Format: Six hours of studio per week. Sixteen hours of studio per week for 6 weeks.

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.

Drawing: Foundations: Read Less [-]

ART 13 Painting: Foundations 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Spring 2024 This course will introduce students to a broad scope of painting practices. Students will learn about and challenge conventions as well as experiment with modes of viewing, producing and engaging with painting within historical and contemporary contexts. This course will feature lectures, field trips, visiting artists and demonstrations in order to expose students to a variety of painting applications, methods and techniques. This course is a recommended prerequisite for upper division Painting classes. Painting: Foundations: Read More [+]

Painting: Foundations: Read Less [-]

ART 14 Sculpture: Foundations 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023 This course is the study of the interaction between physical form and space. We will focus on building a strong conceptual foundation while developing the practical studio skills needed to translate your ideas into three dimensions. Shop practices will include hand, machine, and computer-aided fabrications. Field trips and illustrated talks will help acquaint students with the ideas sculptors have explored through history and in contemporary sculptural practices. This course is a recommended prerequisite for upper division Sculpture classes. Sculpture: Foundations: Read More [+]

Sculpture: Foundations: Read Less [-]

ART 15 Ceramics: Foundations 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023 This course will prepare students to use ceramics to explore and understand three-dimensional space. We will develop a practical understanding of how clay and glaze behave, while building a conceptual framework through which to apply this knowledge. Studio practice includes hand building, modeling, carving, and glazing as possibilities for turning ideas into three dimensional propositions. Assignments, critiques and class discussions will help acquaint students with the ideas artists have explored through history and in contemporary sculptural practices. This course is a recommended prerequisite for upper division Ceramics classes. Ceramics: Foundations: Read More [+]

Ceramics: Foundations: Read Less [-]

ART 16 Printmaking (Relief & Intaglio): Foundations 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021 The process and techniques of traditional relief and intaglio printing are explored in this fine art printmaking course. Lectures and demonstrations introduce students to two of the historically oldest and most continuous of print processes. Unique drawing skills are demonstrated for students to render images onto linoleum and metal plates to produce small editions of relief and intaglio prints. This course is a recommended prerequisite for upper division Printmaking classes. Additional fees required. Printmaking (Relief & Intaglio): Foundations: Read More [+]

Additional Format: Six hours of studio per week.

Printmaking (Relief & Intaglio): Foundations: Read Less [-]

ART 17 Printmaking Foundations: Screenprint 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2019, Fall 2018 This class teaches the fundamentals of screen printing, which requires images to be converted into stencils and secured to a screen through which ink can be transferred. Lectures and demonstrations introduce students to current procedures and historical practices. Students will develop hand-drawn, photographic, and digitally manipulated images, and will learn print workflow procedures and safety procedures to create limited-edition prints. These will be assessed through individual and group critiques. Printmaking Foundations: Screenprint: Read More [+]

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternate method of final assessment during regularly scheduled final exam group (e.g., presentation, final project, etc.).

Printmaking Foundations: Screenprint: Read Less [-]

ART 21 Digital Photography: Foundations 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session This course introduces students to technical skills including manual functions of digital cameras, image creation and capture, file management and workflow, image adjustment and digital printing. Assignments will use primary Adobe software tools to test creative possibilities of both the camera and the computer. The course will introduce students to photography history and theory, and a range of contemporary practices. Group critiques and individual tutorials will help develop ideas and technical skills. By the end of the course, students should feel comfortable shooting digitally, editing and producing final images for print or the web. This course is a recommended prerequisite for upper division Photography classes. Digital Photography: Foundations: Read More [+]

Digital Photography: Foundations: Read Less [-]

ART 23AC DIGITAL MEDIA: FOUNDATIONS 4 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Fall 2022 Data and logic form core interfaces for information technology. New media art requires understanding their key dynamics. Students gain experience with data generation, visualization, and their impact on real persons, environments and situations. Can we measure, count and weigh everything? Is data fair? What is the role of privacy? How do digital conditions affect human conditions? From memes to machine learning, students participate in emerging data cultures including sampling, visualization, animation, video, interactive design, and music. Assignments follow readings on media and design theory, abstraction, interactivity, archives, performance, identity, privacy, automation, aggregation, networking, diffusion, diffraction and subversion. DIGITAL MEDIA: FOUNDATIONS: Read More [+]

Instructor: Niemeyer

DIGITAL MEDIA: FOUNDATIONS: Read Less [-]

ART W23AC Data Arts 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2021, Summer 2021 First 6 Week Session, Fall 2020 Can we measure everything? What is the role of privacy? Can we count beauty? Is data always fair? This course explores participation as the foundation of online citizenship. Participation is based on data literacy and community awareness. Through online assignments, peer reviews and video chats, students form communities of explorers and innovators who challenge data culture through creative interventions including surveys , visualization, animation, video, interaction design, music and other forms of digital expression. Assignments are based on readings about media theory, abstraction, interactivity, design theory, archives, performance, identity, privacy, automation, aggregation, networking, diffusion, diffraction and subversion. Data Arts: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1.5 hours of web-based lecture and 1.5 hours of web-based discussion per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 23 hours of web-based lecture and 3.5 hours of web-based discussion per week

Additional Format: One and one-half hours of web lecture and one and one-half hours of online video conferencing group discussions per week for fifteen weeks. Twenty-three hours of web lecture and three and one-half hours of online video conferencing group discussions per week for six weeks.

Online: This is an online course.

Data Arts: Read Less [-]

ART 25 Graphic Novel: Foundations 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session Using the format of the graphic novel as a site of investigation, this studio production class will explore graphic novels as dynamic political, societal, historical, and cultural vehicles. Using creative research methods of analysis, fabrication, and collaboration, students will create their own graphic novel elements as artistic responses to their diverse life experiences. Production assignments will inform students about possible relations between text and image, frame and page, page and narrative arc, imagination and reality, and finally book and audience. Guest lecturers will share different writing styles, drawing and coloring techniques including digital painting, and storytelling methods. Graphic Novel: Foundations: Read More [+]

Objectives & Outcomes

Course Objectives: Literacy in global visual communications, proficiency in image-text dialectics and rhetorics, proficiency in illustration of dramatic concepts and characters.

Student Learning Outcomes: Discovery of authorship as graphic novel artist, confidence in creative research process, experience of dissemination and reception of novel creative expressions.

Graphic Novel: Foundations: Read Less [-]

ART 26 Moving Image: Foundations 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023 A practical and critical introduction to moving image media, focusing primarily on independent and experimental film and video art. Students learn video production and post-production and are introduced to key moments and concepts in moving image history and criticism. Course instruction includes basic camera operations, sound recording, and lighting, as well as basic editing, compression, and dissemination formats. Solo and group assignments are completed, and group critiques of class projects train students to recognize and discuss the formal, technical, critical and historical dimensions of their works. Weekly readings in philosophy, critical theory, artist statements and literature are assigned. Moving Image: Foundations: Read More [+]

Course Objectives: Master the basic elements of video making and editing.

Instructors: Niemeyer, Walsh

Moving Image: Foundations: Read Less [-]

ART 30 Art, Water and California 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024 Water is one of the most precarious resources in California, yet many people believe the water supply to be unlimited. The arts and visual cultures contribute to such popular misconceptions of natural resources, but media art can also help people develop more accurate and relevant conceptions of natural resources. The course introduces students to interdisciplinary creative research and media art production with the end goal of advancing popular conceptions about water. Students study water cultures in California from the 1750's onwards and experience a wide range of watercourses and waterworks to inspire new art. Art projects include data visualization, short fiction, billboard designs, and interactive gallery displays. Art, Water and California: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of seminar per week

Additional Format: Four hours of seminar per week.

Art, Water and California: Read Less [-]

ART 98 Directed Group Study 1 - 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Fall 2016 This is a student-initiated course to be offered for academic credit. The subject matter will vary from semester to semester and will be taught by the student facilitator under the supervision of the faculty sponsor. Topics to be related to art practice. Directed Group Study: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Open to freshmen and sophomores. Open to freshmen and sophomores

Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-9 hours of directed group study per week

Additional Format: Three hours of studio work per unit per week.

Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.

Directed Group Study: Read Less [-]

ART 99 Supervised Independent Study 1 - 2 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Fall 2016 This course is a variable unit (1-2) Independent Study in Art Practice. Supervised Independent Study: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-2 hours of independent study per week

Additional Format: One to two hours of independent study per week.

Supervised Independent Study: Read Less [-]

ART 100 Collaborative Innovation 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Fall 2017 In this hands-on, project-based course, students will experience group creativity and team-based design by using techniques from across the disciplines of business, theatre, design, and art practice. They will leverage problem framing and solving techniques derived from critical thinking, systems thinking, and creative problem solving (popularly known today as design thinking). The course is grounded in a brief weekly lecture that sets out the theoretical, historical, and cultural contexts for particular innovation practices, but the majority of the course involves hands-on studio-based learning guided by an interdisciplinary team of teachers leading small group collaborative projects. Collaborative Innovation: Read More [+]

Collaborative Innovation: Read Less [-]

ART C100 Art and Ecology 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2022 Taught by faculty from the Departments of Art Practice, Geography, and History of Art, this Big Ideas course is a space where we collectively study, think, and make art about the cataclysmic ecological crises that threaten our planet today. Examining possible notions of the animal, the botanic, the oceanic, the geologic, and the atmospheric, among other themes, the course prompts embodied responses to this urgent moment through complex, experimental, scholarly, and practice-based interventions. The aim is to read human interactions with the planet in relation to the past, present, and future of earthly environments, as shaped by historical processes, resonances, interruptions, and movements. Art and Ecology: Read More [+]

Course Objectives: - Developing knowledge of the relationship between art, architecture, urban planning, cinema, and the natural environment - Developing knowledge of climate change and global warming as it relates to environmental studies - Developing the vocabulary and skills to make ecologically-informed decisions in life - Developing skills for critical reading, research, writing, and art making

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture per week.

Instructors: Chari, Kazmi, Ray

Also listed as: GEOG C100/HISTART C106

Art and Ecology: Read Less [-]

ART 102 Advanced Painting: Research and Methods 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023 This studio course for Art Practice majors involves practical and experimental research into the varied processes, skills, materials, and methods of historical and contemporary painting. Emphasis on creating unconventional drawing/painting tools, making pigments for painting, and examining unofficial and official archives as source materials will be an integral part of the course. Students will expand their technical, conceptual, and professional skills, and will develop self-generated projects and critical engagement through critiques and open discussion. Students will attend library tours and field trips, and explore mediums and concepts to generate research for long-term investigation. Prerequisites: ART 8 and ART 13 or equivalents Advanced Painting: Research and Methods: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: ART 8 and ART 13 or equivalents

Advanced Painting: Research and Methods: Read Less [-]

ART 103 Advanced Painting: Reconsidering the Portrait & Figure 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023 This studio course investigates histories of portraiture, including how dominant signifiers of race, gender, class, religion, and their various intersections determine which and how individuals are depicted. The course includes working from live models, creating self-portraits that challenge conventional expectations, lectures, student lead discussions, in-class prompts, field trips, and visiting artists. The course will examine the politics of representation through different collusions of art and history. We will reconsider how conventional portraiture has impacted relationships within the past and present, and consider future possibilities. Prerequisites: ART 13 Painting: Foundations or by permission of instructor. Advanced Painting: Reconsidering the Portrait & Figure: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: ART 13 Painting: Foundations or by permission of instructor

Advanced Painting: Reconsidering the Portrait & Figure: Read Less [-]

ART 116 Ancient Pigments & Contemporary Drawing Practices 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 This is an advanced studio drawing course that compares and contrasts traditional Asian and European pigments, surfaces, and images with contemporary strategies, sources, and methods. Students will use various traditional hand-made pigments, binders, papers, and drawing materials to explore cultural developments and representations of space, time, and objects. A major course outcome is to create hybrid, diverse content that combines contemporary images and narratives with traditional historic sources. The course provides lectures, demonstrations and studio research methodologies. Ancient Pigments & Contemporary Drawing Practices: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: ART 8 and ART12 or equivalent

Instructor: Nagasawa

Ancient Pigments & Contemporary Drawing Practices: Read Less [-]

ART 117 Advanced Drawing: Research and Methods 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022 This advanced studio class extends drawing through its varied contemporary processes and methods. Students will enhance their skills and explore materials through self-generated projects and critical engagement with the instructor and peers. In-class critiques and open discussion will reinforce a vital part of their technical, conceptual, and professional development. Students will attend library tours, field trips and learn how professional artists use research in support of artistic investigations. Students will also learn how to explore media and materials to generate research for future projects. Priority enrollment for declared and intended Art Practice majors. Prerequisites: ART 12 or by permission of instructor. Advanced Drawing: Research and Methods: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Art 12 or equivalent

Advanced Drawing: Research and Methods: Read Less [-]

ART N117 Drawing and Composition 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2004 10 Week Session Advanced drawing and composition, color and black-and-white, primarily on paper. Art 117 or 118 is required of all art majors. Drawing and Composition: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Art 12, 13, 14, and 15 or equivalents

Credit Restrictions: A deficient grade in Art 117 may be removed by completing Art N117.

Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture and 8 hours of studio per week

Additional Format: Six hours of instructional studio and three hours of open studio per week.

Drawing and Composition: Read Less [-]

ART 118 Advanced Drawing: Remixing the Figure 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Spring 2024 This studio course investigates representations of the human body across different periods and locations to explore what it means to depict the body in the 21st Century. How do dominant signifiers and various intersections of race, gender, class, religion, sexuality, and disability influence the rendering and image reception of human bodies? The studio component of the course will work from live models as well as creating full body self-portraits that challenge the parameters of the canon and conventional expectations. We will explore drawing across all mediums through art history lectures, student-led discussions, in-class prompts, field trips, and visiting artists. Prerequisites: ART 12 or by permission of instructor. Advanced Drawing: Remixing the Figure: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: ART 12 or equivalent

Advanced Drawing: Remixing the Figure: Read Less [-]

ART 119 Global Perspectives in Contemporary Art 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session This course is designed to explore a range of contemporary art movements around the globe, through a closer look at their central ideas, artists, and artworks, as well as the preconditions and broader social context in which the work is being produced. Topics covered will range from the emergence of localized avant-garde movements in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America to the implicit globalism of the international biennial circuit. Global Perspectives in Contemporary Art: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: for declared Art Practice majors

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 5.5 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture and one hour of discussion per week. Five and one-half hours of lecture and two hours of discussion per week for 8 weeks. Seven and one-half hours of lecture and two hours of discussion per week for 6 weeks.

Global Perspectives in Contemporary Art: Read Less [-]

ART 120 Advanced Printmaking: Intaglio 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2020 This class teaches the fundamentals of etching, including line etching, aquatint and softground techniques. By learning to incise elements of line, tone and texture into the surface of a metal etching plate and to print them onto paper, all artists, from the beginning student to the most advanced, can discover new avenues of self-expression that are particular to a printmaking vocabulary. Intaglio uses acids and solvents, tools and machinery; students will therefore learn and adhere to proper safety and shop procedures. Students’ progress is assessed by individual and group critiques. Advanced Printmaking: Intaglio: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 8, 12, and 16, or equivalents

Advanced Printmaking: Intaglio: Read Less [-]

ART 122 Advanced Printmaking: Lithography 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2013, Fall 2012, Fall 2010 This class teaches the fundamentals of lithography, which comprise the bulk of what is called planeographic printmaking. Students explore drawing and otherwise establishing images through line, tone and texture onto limestone and metal plates. Subsequently printing onto paper, students at all levels can discover new avenues of self-expression that are particular to lithography. Lithography uses acids and solvents, tools and machinery; students will therefore learn and adhere to proper safety and shop procedures. Students’ progress is assessed by individual and group critiques. Advanced Printmaking: Lithography: Read More [+]

Advanced Printmaking: Lithography: Read Less [-]

ART 123 Advanced Printmaking: Screen Print 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Fall 2022 This class teaches the fundamentals of screen printing, which requires images to be converted into stencils and secured to a matrix through which ink can be transferred. Hand drawn, photographic and digitally manipulated images are explored. Image content and development is examined through primary research drawings and studies. Screen printing requires the use of specialized tools and equipment; students will therefore learn and adhere to proper safety and shop procedures. Students’ progress is assessed by individual and group critiques. Advanced Printmaking: Screen Print: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Open to upper division art majors or by consent of instructor

Instructor: Hussong

Advanced Printmaking: Screen Print: Read Less [-]

ART 124 Advanced Projects in Printmaking 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020 Non-traditional projects in printmaking. Lectures and demonstrations introduce students to techniques and varied applications. Advanced Projects in Printmaking: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 6 hours of studio per week

Additional Format: Three hours of Lecture and Six hours of Studio per week for 15 weeks.

Advanced Projects in Printmaking: Read Less [-]

ART 130 Advanced Sculpture: Concept and Construction 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2022, Fall 2020 This advanced studio class will explore expanded ideas of fabrication, instruction, and process in sculpture. An integral component of this course will be to examine the relationships between the artist’s intentions, the act of building, and the viewer’s perceptions and engagement. Site/architectural concerns, physical experience of space, and innovative sculptural practices will be considered. Students will expand their technical, conceptual , and professional skills, and will develop self-generated projects and critical engagement through in-class critiques. Lectures and demonstrations introduce students to varied techniques and applications. Advanced Sculpture: Concept and Construction: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 8, 12, and 14, or equivalents

Advanced Sculpture: Concept and Construction: Read Less [-]

ART 132 Advanced Ceramics: Research and Methods 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021 This course builds on the foundations of ART 15 to introduce students to more advanced techniques, concepts, and technologies. From traditional forms to experimental structures, students will connect ceramic processes to larger fields of contemporary art. This course encourages interdisciplinary thinking and pushes students to think of material as metaphor. Methods may include: casting and mold-making, wheel throwing, handbuilding, mixed media assemblage, collaboration, ceramic 3-D printing/modeling. Field trips, artist lectures, and readings/discussion will accompany studio time. Priority enrollment for Art Practice majors and intended Art Practice majors. Prerequisites: ART 15 Ceramics: Foundations or by permission of instructor. Advanced Ceramics: Research and Methods: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: ART 15 or equivalent

Advanced Ceramics: Research and Methods: Read Less [-]

ART 133 Advanced Sculpture: Meaning in Material 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 This advanced studio class will investigate the physical and conceptual potential of materiality in sculpture, while exploring what methods and materials may be considered non-traditional. Combining hands-on demonstrations with group critiques and studio practice, students will focus on building a strong conceptual foundation while developing and expanding practical studio skills. Students will explore topics through self-generated projects, lectures , readings, and field trips. Priority enrollment for Art Practice majors and intended Art Practice majors. Prerequisites: ART 14 Sculpture: Foundations or by permission of instructor. Prerequisites: ART 14 Sculpture: Foundations or by permission of instructor. Advanced Sculpture: Meaning in Material: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Art 14 or equivalent

Advanced Sculpture: Meaning in Material: Read Less [-]

ART 136 Advanced Sculpture: Radical Wearables 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 How have contemporary artists used textiles, garments, and "fashion- like" sculptures to create artworks that challenge issues of gender, identity, and use? Far from being neutral territory, artist-produced props and wearables often incorporate aesthetic experimentation in order to critique existing power structures and highlight alternatives. This hands-on studio course will focus on the production of experimental costumes, garments, and fashion in the context of contemporary art and critical ideas. Advanced Sculpture: Radical Wearables: Read More [+]

Advanced Sculpture: Radical Wearables: Read Less [-]

ART 137 Advanced Projects in Ceramic Sculpture 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021 This advanced studio class encourages students to stretch the technical limits of ceramic materials and processes. Project assignments will challenge students to develop strong conceptual and material practices. Topics may include: the intimately handmade, multiples and mass production, conceptual craft, public art, community engagement, interdisciplinary practices, performance, ceramic 3-D printing/modeling, and more. Field trips, artist lectures, and readings/discussion will accompany dedicated studio time and instruction. Prior experience in clay is expected. Priority enrollment for Art Practice majors and intended Art Practice majors. Prerequisites: ART 15 Ceramics: Foundations or by permission of instructor. Advanced Projects in Ceramic Sculpture: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: ART 15 , or equivalents

Advanced Projects in Ceramic Sculpture: Read Less [-]

ART 138 Advanced Sculpture: Installation 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2021, Spring 2020 Regardless of the media used, the objective of this class is to question issues of space, placement, presentation, and context regarding one’s work. Students will consider notions of site specificity and of whether an object is distinct from its environment or is part of it. Other concerns include the architectural and historical information a space possesses, how to activate a space with your ideas, how your work can have a dialog with a space and where/how you can display and document your work. Students will explore topics through site-based projects, lectures, readings, critique, and field trips. Priority enrollment for Art Practice majors and intended Art Practice majors. Prerequisites: ART 14 Sculpture: Foundations or by permission. Advanced Sculpture: Installation: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Art 14, or equivalent

Advanced Sculpture: Installation: Read Less [-]

ART 141 Temporal Structures: Video and Performance Art 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2015 Projects are aimed at understanding and inventing ways in which time and change can become key elements in an artwork. Regular screenings of professional tapes will illustrate uses of the mediums and provide a historical context. Lectures and demonstrations introduce students to techniques and varied applications. Temporal Structures: Video and Performance Art: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 8, and 12; and one from 13, 14, 16, 23, or equivalents

Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture and 15 hours of studio per week 8 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture and 15 hours of studio per week

Additional Format: Three hours of Lecture and Six hours of Studio per week for 15 weeks. Seven and one-half hours of Lecture and Fifteen hours of Studio per week for 8 weeks. Seven and one-half hours of Lecture and Fifteen hours of Studio per week for 6 weeks.

Temporal Structures: Video and Performance Art: Read Less [-]

ART 142 New Genres 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2012, Spring 2010, Spring 2009 A survey intended to expose you to the nature and potential of such non-traditional tools for artmaking as performance, video, and audiotape. Lectures and demonstrations introduce students to techniques and varied applications. New Genres: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 8 and 12; and one from 13, 14, 16, 23, or equivalents

New Genres: Read Less [-]

ART 145 Contemporary Rituals: New Forms in Performance Art and Video 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2019 This studio practice and theory course provides interdisciplinary perspectives from new media, anthropology, religious studies, and sociology to read cultural expressions--from religious behavior and rituals, to speech acts, and political action. We will read theoretical texts, look at art, and produce performances and videos in order to explore the boundaries between the virtual and real worlds. The class goal is to develop critical and self-reflexive approaches to video and performance art production as a laboratory to reimagine community, citizenship, power and responsibility, and to produce new ontologies and new modes of being in this world. Priority enrollment for Art Practice majors and intended Art Practice majors. Contemporary Rituals: New Forms in Performance Art and Video: Read More [+]

Contemporary Rituals: New Forms in Performance Art and Video: Read Less [-]

ART 160 Special Topics in Visual Studies 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 10 Week Session, Spring 2024 Special Topics courses offer students opportunities for more concentrated focus beyond general curriculum offerings. Courses may align with an instructor’s own research, they may propose topics responding to contemporary events and issues, or they may offer a specialized skill. Primarily intended for advanced undergraduates and graduates in Art Practice but open to others. Special Topics in Visual Studies: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Consent of instructor

Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction. Students may enroll in multiple sections of this course within the same semester.

Summer: 6 weeks - 15 hours of studio per week

Additional Format: Six hours of studio per week. Fifteen hours of studio per week for 6 weeks.

Special Topics in Visual Studies: Read Less [-]

ART N160 Creative Research Studio 6 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2013 10 Week Session, Summer 2013 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2013 Second 6 Week Session This course trains students in new strategies in contemporary creative research in the beautiful, ecologically diverse and yet precarious island of Mo’orea in French Polynesia. At Richard B. Gump Station, students will engage in creative research with two faculty members during the course of one month. Students study traditional Polynesian art forms through intensive workshops with local artisans at the Atitia Center and create two art projects with local tools and materials in the first two weeks of the course. In the second two weeks, students explore socio-ecological processes in reefs, shores, communities and mountains through visual narratives, including sound recording, video recording, data sonification, editing and dissemination. Creative Research Studio: Read More [+]

Summer: 4 weeks - 30 hours of studio per week

Additional Format: Course activities may include, but are not limited to, swimming, beach excursions, forest hikes, and similar non-classroom activities. Students will work with the instructor to determine appropriate activities for their interests and needs. <br/>

Instructors: Miller , Niemeyer

Creative Research Studio: Read Less [-]

ART 162 Issues in Cultural Display: Studio and Post-Studio Art Practices 4 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007 This is a seminar class designed to engage in "close readings" of contemporary art-making and curatorial practices. Through weekly studio visits with artists and/or curators, the course examines the practical methods, historical origins, philosophical roots, and political and aesthetic implications of each maker's practice. Readings and discussions will focus on (though not be limited to) issues concerning the interaction of aesthetics and ethics; culture and capital; copyright law; art and craft; singular vs. collective authorship. Issues in Cultural Display: Studio and Post-Studio Art Practices: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 8

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 10 hours of lecture and 5 hours of discussion per week

Additional Format: Four hours of Lecture and Two hours of Discussion per week for 15 weeks. Ten hours of Lecture and Five hours of Discussion per week for 6 weeks.

Instructor: Walsh

Issues in Cultural Display: Studio and Post-Studio Art Practices: Read Less [-]

ART 163 Social Practice: Critical Site and Context 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021 Social Practice broadly refers to work produced through various forms of direct engagement with a site, social system or collaborator. Interdisciplinary in nature, such work often takes the form of guerilla interventions, performance, institutional critique, community based public art and political activity, all sharing the premise that art created in the public sphere can help alter public perception and work toward social transformation. Social Practice: Critical Site and Context: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week

Social Practice: Critical Site and Context: Read Less [-]

ART N163 Social Practice: Critical Site and Context--ESCUELA de ARTE UTIL 6 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2017 8 Week Session Social Practice broadly refers to work produced through various forms of direct engagement with a site, social system or collaborator. Arte Útil, which translates into English as “useful art,” will consider the practice of Arte Útil as institutional self-criticism, active hyperrealism, a-legality,reforming capital,sustainability, and modes of creative collaboration. Enrollment in the class requires familiarization with the Arte Útil archive (http://www.arte-util.org/projects/) and lexicon (http://www.arte-util.org/tools/lexicon/), as well as the submission of a written statement of 250-400 words explaining how you think aesthetics can disrupt institutional structures and what social issues interest you. Send to [email protected]. Social Practice: Critical Site and Context--ESCUELA de ARTE UTIL: Read More [+]

Course Objectives: Students will be expected to participate in the class and generate a new project that will be shown at the end of the course. Enrollment in the class requires familiarization with the Arte Útil archive (http://www.arte-util.org/projects/) and lexicon (http://www.arte-util.org/tools/lexicon/), as well as the submission of a written statement of 250-400 words explaining how you think aesthetics can disrupt institutional structures and what social issues interest you, sent to [email protected].

Student Learning Outcomes: • Understand the history, strategies and challenges of Arte Útil; • Familiarize with the Lexicon and specially with the way concepts like beneficial outcome, initiator, usership, sustainability and implementation are used; • Test strategies and resources used by Arte Útil; • Learn new fieldwork and collaboration skills; • Create your own Arte Útil project.

Summer: 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture, 12 hours of discussion, and 15 hours of session per week

Additional Format: Fifteen hours of session and six hours of lecture and twelve hours of discussion per week for 8 weeks.

Instructor: Bruguera

Social Practice: Critical Site and Context--ESCUELA de ARTE UTIL: Read Less [-]

ART 164 Art and Meditation 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2015, Fall 2014, Fall 2013 Meditation is arguably the most ancient, powerful, and yet simple spiritual practice in the world. It is known in various forms in nearly all times and cultures, and plays a part in every religious tradition. We will examine how meditation can affect your art both in terms of practice and content. The class will be structured with slide presentations, museum visits, discussion of reading, and reviews of art work. Art from various contemplative traditions will be examined. Art and Meditation: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Completion of all lower division requirements for the major

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of lecture per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 10 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Four hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks. Ten hours of Lecture per week for 6 weeks.

Instructor: Sherwood

Art and Meditation: Read Less [-]

ART 165 Art, Medicine, and Disabilities 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2014 This course will examine how visual artists have responded to illness and disability. We will consider visual representations of disability and healing, as well as the expressive work of visual artists working from within the personal experience of disability; in other words, we will look at disability as both a subject and a source of artistic creation. Several topics, historical and contemporary, will be explored. Students will complete either a semester-long internship with an arts and disability organization, a research paper, or a creative project. Art, Medicine, and Disabilities: Read More [+]

Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture and 15 hours of studio per week

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture and six hours of studio and/or supervised research and/or internship per week. Seven and one-half hours of lecture and 15 hours of studio and/or supervised research and/or internship per week for six weeks.

Art, Medicine, and Disabilities: Read Less [-]

ART 166 Social Practice Research Studio 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023 This interdisciplinary art course explores a range of strategies for researching, formulating, and implementing a large scale social practice art project. Drawing from numerous disciplines, students will learn how to build community relationships, develop a logistical plan, and formulate a timeline for completing an experiential art project outside of a traditional art gallery. Students will engage with a variety of publics, and they will explore the possibility of becoming active change agents in the world through producing art. Some topics covered include: establishing community connections, techniques for interviewing people and researching sites, collaboration strategies, and executing projects across different contexts and spaces. Social Practice Research Studio: Read More [+]

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ART C166 Critical Practices: People, Places, Participation 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2022, Fall 2019 Critical Practices is a hands-on studio design course where students work at the intersection of technological innovation and socially engaged art. Students will integrate a suite of digital fabrication tools with social design methods to create work that engages in cultural critique. Working with innovative technologies and radical, new art practices, this course will explore: hybrid art forms, critical design for community engagement, interventions in public spaces, tactical media, and disobedient objects. These new making strategies will reframe our notions of people, places and participation. Critical Practices: People, Places, Participation: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of studio per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 10 hours of studio per week 8 weeks - 7.5 hours of studio per week 10 weeks - 6 hours of studio per week

Additional Format: Four hours of studio per week. Six hours of studio per week for 10 weeks. Seven and one-half hours of studio per week for 8 weeks. Ten hours of studio per week for 6 weeks.

Also listed as: NWMEDIA C166

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ART 171 Video Projects 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023 This course develops more advanced technical and conceptual skills in video art, with focused attention on the pre- and post-production practices of writing and production design as well as image and sound editing. Class meetings include technical workshops, studio work, individual and class critique, and discussion of readings and screened course materials. Course projects vary in focus depending upon instructor; areas of emphasis may include: video in performance practices; video for sculptural installation; and social activist video. Priority enrollment for Art Practice majors and intended Art Practice majors. Video Projects: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 8, 12, and 26; or equivalents

Video Projects: Read Less [-]

ART N171 Digital Video: The Architecture of Time 4 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2006 10 Week Session, Summer 2005 10 Week Session, Summer 2004 10 Week Session This hands-on studio course is designed to present students with a foundation-level introduction to the skills, theories, and concepts used in digital video production. Non linear and non destructive editing methods used in digital video are defining new "architectures of time" for cinematic creation and experience and offer new and innovative possibilities for authoring new forms of the moving image. This course will expose students to a broad range of industry-standard equipment, film and video history, theory, terminology, field, and post production skills. Students will be required to gain techinical mastery of the digital media tools introduced in the course. Digital Video: The Architecture of Time: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 23

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 9 hours of studio per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 9 hours of studio per week

Additional Format: Nine hours of Studio per week for 15 weeks. Nine hours of Studio per week for 6 weeks.

Digital Video: The Architecture of Time: Read Less [-]

ART 172 Advanced Digital Media: Computer Graphics Studio 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022 Computer Graphics constitute a default method of image synthesis, from fine art to game design, cinema, and advertising. This production-intensive studio course introduces students to professional CG tools (Blender, Python) as well as an overview of CG aesthetics. Weekly project assignments based on tutorials cover modeling, texturing, lighting, animation, rendering, physics simulations and data-driven image synthesis. Final projects focus on portfolio work with scenes and characters to be exported into VR, AR, and game design. Current laptop or desktop with good graphics performance required. Priority enrollment for Art Practice majors and intended Art Practice majors. Advanced Digital Media: Computer Graphics Studio: Read More [+]

Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit with instructor consent.

Advanced Digital Media: Computer Graphics Studio: Read Less [-]

ART 173 Electro-Crafting 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 This studio class aims to provide students with the digital tools for expanding and augmenting their work in traditional media such as photography and sculpture, and also to encourage the exploration of new hybrid forms of art-making. If you are interested in exploring sound, sensors, immersive experience, interactivity, bots, wearable computing, gamification, AI, feedback systems, process-oriented artwork or data-driven artworks in any media--then this may be the class for you. Students will learn to use basic software and hardware for the manipulation of sound, image and video that were designed by artists for artists, like: pf5.js, sonic pi, makey-make, arduino and others. Priority enrollment for declared or intended Art Practice Majors Electro-Crafting: Read More [+]

Electro-Crafting: Read Less [-]

ART 174 Advanced Digital Video 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2018 This advanced studio course is designed for students who have mastered basic skills and concepts involved in digital video production, and are interested in further investigating critical, theoretical, and creative research topics in digital video production. Each week will include relevant readings, class discussions, guest speakers, demonstrat ion of examples, and studio time for training and working on student assignments . Advanced Digital Video: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 8, 12, and 23; or equivalents

Advanced Digital Video: Read Less [-]

ART 178 Advanced Digital Media: Game Design Methods 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2022, Fall 2018, Fall 2017 This advanced studio course offers an introduction to game design and game studies. Game studies has five core elements: the study of games as transmitters of culture, the study of play and interactivity, the study of games as symbolic systems; the study of games as artifacts; and methods for creating games. We will study these core elements through play, play tests, play analysis, and comparative studies. Our reading list includes classic game studies theory and texts which support game design methods. After weekly writing and design exercises, our coursework will culminate in the design and evaluation of an original code-based game with a tangible interface. Advanced Digital Media: Game Design Methods: Read More [+]

Advanced Digital Media: Game Design Methods: Read Less [-]

ART 180 Advanced Digital Photography 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session, Spring 2024 This course will cover a range of digital media and practices, with a view towards exploring current and future possibilities for photography. Inclusive of multiple approaches to scale, execution, and technique, the course enables students to examine and push the limits of photographic practices. This course will help students advance their digital shooting and Photoshop skills from a beginning to a more advanced level , and will cover the workflow of digital photography: camera usage, scanning, image editing, management, and printing. Priority enrollment for Art Practice majors and intended Art Practice majors. Prerequisites: ART 21 Digital Photography: Foundations or by permission of instructor. Advanced Digital Photography: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: ART 21 or equivalent

Advanced Digital Photography: Read Less [-]

ART 182 Creative Writing for Artists 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2022, Spring 2021 This reading and writing workshop is open to Art Practice Majors and other Upper Division students by permission of instructor. We will read published statements, essays, poetry, manifestos, commentary, criticism, scripts, ‘public’ speech acts, and biographical texts by artists and theorists, with our purpose being to expand and challenge our understanding of the relationship of visual art and the written word. Reading assignments and writing experiments will help students build the language tools to establish a consistent writing practice. Students are required to write critical responses to assigned readings, keep a reading journal, comment on each other’s writing, attend readings, and memorize texts for recitation. Creative Writing for Artists: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 6 hours of seminar per week

Additional Format: Six hours of seminar per week.

Creative Writing for Artists: Read Less [-]

ART 184 Junior Seminar: Meaning and Making 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2021, Spring 2019, Fall 2016 This immersive studio/seminar class for Art Practice majors and intended Art Practice majors focuses on contemporary models of art making, exposing students to current issues in the art world, and fostering interdisciplinary models of thinking and making. Through field trips to museums, galleries, and alternative art spaces, as well as studio visits with local contemporary artists, students will be able to situate their own projects within the larger sphere of contemporary art. Language and writing skills around artist statements, critical readings, and the critique process will be emphasized to understand how research methods give meaning in a studio practice. Includes presentation of a final studio project. Junior Seminar: Meaning and Making: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Junior level students, with the permission of the instructor

Instructor: Reiman

Junior Seminar: Meaning and Making: Read Less [-]

ART 185 Senior Projects/Professional Practices 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023 This course helps students understand their work within critical and professional cross-disciplinary contexts, and prepares students for graduate school and life beyond. Through class and individual critiques, readings, guest artists, and field trips, students explore practical and conceptual components of their own media and practice within broader discussions of artistic production. The class will help develop tools for supporting one's work within a community of artists, arts professionals, and arts organizations, including developing an online presence, producing and sustaining exhibition-ready work, completed portfolios, documentation, presentation, written artist statements, etc. Senior Projects/Professional Practices: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Senior level students only

Summer: 6 weeks - 12 hours of studio per week

Additional Format: Four hours of studio per week. Twelve hours of studio per week for 6 weeks.

Senior Projects/Professional Practices: Read Less [-]

ART H195A Special Study for Honors Candidates in the Practice of Art 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023 Honors students are required to take three units of H195A. They may elect to take an additional three units (H195B) the following semester. Special Study for Honors Candidates in the Practice of Art: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Senior standing with 3.3 GPA and consent of instructor

Credit Restrictions: This class may be applied toward major requirements.

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 12 hours of independent study per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 0 hours of independent study per week

Additional Format: Twelve hours of independent study per week. Zero hour of independent study per week for 6 weeks.

Special Study for Honors Candidates in the Practice of Art: Read Less [-]

ART H195B Special Study for Honors Candidates in the Practice of Art 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021 Honors students are required to take three units of H195A. They may elect to take an additional three units (H195B) the following semester. Special Study for Honors Candidates in the Practice of Art: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Senior standing with 3.3 GPA and consent of the instructor

Credit Restrictions: This class may be applied towards major requirements.

ART 196 Bridging the Arts Seminar 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015 Bridging the Arts is open to artists from a variety of disciplines including dance, spoken word, theater, performance, creative writing, social practice, music, and visual arts. Through readings, written reflection, guest speakers, group discussion, and teaching in the field, Bridging the Arts (BtheArts) Student Instructors explore the arts in the public education system. Student Instructors develop and implement arts curricula that is both age appropriate and culturally relevant to their students in underserved Bay Area Schools. Bridging the Arts Seminar: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. Dancers are encouraged to have taken Theater 166 with Lisa Wymore. All Bridging the Arts participants are required to pass a background check with the DOJ and the FBI

Credit Restrictions: Enrollment is restricted; see the Course Number Guide in the Berkeley Bulletin.

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1.5-6 hours of fieldwork and 0-1 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: First-time students will enroll for four units, with one hour of lecture and six hours of fieldwork per week. Repeating students will enroll for one to three units, with one and one-half to six hours of fieldwork per week (no lecture).

Instructor: Putnam

Bridging the Arts Seminar: Read Less [-]

ART 198 Directed Group Study 1 - 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2024 10 Week Session, Summer 2023 10 Week Session, Spring 2023 This is a variable (1-3) unit student-facilitated course with a P/NP grading option. Must be sponsored by a ladder-rank Art Practice professor. Topics to be related to art practice. Directed Group Study: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Upper division standing

Additional Format: Three to nine hours of directed group study per week.

ART 199 Supervised Independent Study for Advanced Undergraduates 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023 This is a variable (1-4) unit Independent Study course sponsored by a ladder-rank Art Practice professor. This course is open to declared Art Practice majors in their third or fourth year, and requires consent of the faculty. This course can be taken as an Independent Study, and is also the course number for enrolling in the Worth Ryder Art Gallery Internship Program, the Honors Studio Program, and for Art Practice DeCal facilitation. This course does not count toward the upper division studio requirement for the Art Practice major. Supervised Independent Study for Advanced Undergraduates: Read More [+]

Credit Restrictions: Course does not satisfy major requirement for art.

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 0-0 hours of independent study per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 2.5-10 hours of independent study per week 8 weeks - 1.5-7.5 hours of independent study per week

Additional Format: Zero hour of independent study per week. One and one-half to seven and one-half hours of independent study per week for 8 weeks. Two and one-half to ten hours of independent study per week for 6 weeks.

Supervised Independent Study for Advanced Undergraduates: Read Less [-]

ART N199 Supervised Independent Study for Advanced Undergraduates 1 - 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2004 10 Week Session This course is for students wishing to pursue an interest not represented in the curriculum by developing an individual program of study supervised by a faculty member. Study may involve creative projects, research. Supervised Independent Study for Advanced Undergraduates: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Consent of instructor, major adviser, and department chair

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 0 hours of independent study per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 2.5-7.5 hours of independent study per week

Additional Format: Hours to be arranged.

Contact Information

345 Anthropology and Art Practice Building

Phone: 510-642-2582

Fax: 510-643-0884

Chair/Professor

Ronald Rael

[email protected]

Student Services Advisor

Onisha Barham

[email protected]

Print Options

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• Accessibility
• Policies & Procedures
• General Education
• Graduate Studies

• Art and Design

Program: Art, B.A.

• Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication

Program Description

The Department of Art and Design offers a curriculum designed for students who want a liberal arts education in art and design. Emerging artists have numerous opportunities available to them for expressing their creativity and obtaining employment after graduation. Students may explore several areas of art making and choose the field that best fits their interests and talents.

The curriculum leading up to the B.A. degree is designed for students who are interested in (1) a liberal arts program with an emphasis in art, (2) specialized study in art, (3) preparation for graduate study in art, (4) preparation for academic and professional fields and/or (5) art teaching credential preparation.

The lower and upper division core program is required of all Art majors. Additionally, students select lower and upper division elective units from one or more areas of concentration offered by the Department of Art and Design to complete the B.A. program in their chosen area of study. Experiences are also available outside specialty areas, offering students opportunities to sharpen professional skills and increase their marketability.

Program Requirements

1. lower division core foundation requirements (15 units).

ART 124A Drawing I (3) ART 140 Beginning Two-Dimensional Design (3) ART 141 Beginning Three-Dimensional Design (3)

Select two courses from the following (6 units):

ART 110 World Arts: The Western Tradition (3) ART 112 World Arts: Africa, Oceania and the Americas (3) ART 114 World Arts: Asia (3)

2. Lower Division Courses by Area of Concentration (minimum of 9 units)

100- and 200-level courses.

The selection of lower division courses will be for the purpose of satisfying prerequisites for upper division courses and for electives, with guidance from a department advisor. Lower division courses may be substituted for courses from outside the department with approval of the Department of Art and Design.

3. Upper Division Core Requirements (12 units)

ART 307 Core Art Studio (3) or another 300-level course from student’s selected area of concentration

ART 438/L Senior Projects and Lab (2/1)

or any of the following specific to a student’s area of concentration:

ART 429 Advanced Study in Studio Art (3) (Studio Art and Art History students) ART 458 Communication Design Seminar (3) (Communication Design students) ART 463 Animation III (3) (Animation students) ART 482 Teaching Art in PK-12 (3) (Art Education students) or another 400- or 500-level course in area of concentration

Select one course from the following (3 units):

ART 318 Survey of 19th and 20th Century Arts (3) ART 448 History of Contemporary Art (3)

300-, 400- and 500-level Art History (3)

(ART 305, 311, 315 and 510 do not satisfy the upper division core requirements for Art majors.)

4. Upper Division Courses by Area of Concentration (21 units)

300-, 400- and 500-level courses.

A minimum of 21 units of upper division courses shall be selected with the aid of an art advisor from one or more areas of concentration.

Areas of Concentration

To meet the specific requirements of the areas of concentration, students must complete all required core courses and select additional elective units in consultation with a faculty advisor in that area of concentration.

Note: Advisement is mandatory for all lower division Art majors each semester. It is highly recommended that all upper division Art majors see an Art advisor each semester, and review of graduation requirements is mandatory for upper division majors. Each area of concentration provides an advisement form, available in the Art office, which lists both required core and elective courses for the area of concentration.

Core Requirements for Areas of Concentration

ART 124B , ART 263 , ART 363B , ART 364 ; select from ART 463 or ART 465 .

Art Education*

Select at least one of the following: ART 124B , ART 148 , or ART 200 ; ART 478/L , ART 482 , ART 483/L and ART 490 . *Also available as a Minor in Art Education . See more details below in Credential Information for students interested in applying to the Single Subject Credential Program after earning a B.A. in Art.

Art History

Select from ART 110 , ART 112 or ART 114 ; ART 510 ; select five additional 400- or 500-level courses.

ART 235 , ART 267 , ART 366 , ART 367 , ART 467

ART 124B , ART 148 , ART 324A , ART 330

Communication Design

ART 200 , ART 243 , ART 244 , ART 343 , ART 344 , ART 444

Illustration

ART 124B , ART 222 , ART 322A , ART 322B , ART 322C , ART 422

Interdisciplinary

ART 124B , ART 148 , ART 488 , ART 494

ART 124B , ART 227 , ART 326 , ART 327 , ART 429

Photo/Video

ART 250 , ART 350 , ART 351 , ART 353 , ART 357 , ART 450 , ART 455A , ART 455B , ART 455C

Printmaking

ART 124B , ART 237 , ART 437 ; select from ART 337A, ART 337B, ART 337C or ART 337D .

ART 124B , ART 235 , ART 335 , ART 339, ART 435 , ART 439

5. General Education (48 units)

Undergraduate students must complete 48 units of General Education as described in this Catalog, including 3 units of coursework meeting the Ethnic Studies (ES) graduation requirement.

3 units are satisfied by the following course in the major: ART 140 satisfies C1 Arts.

If taken, ART 112 satisfies 3 units of F Comparative Cultural Studies.

Total Units in the Major: 57

General education units: 45, additional units: 18, total units required for the b.a. degree: 120, credential information.

An approved Subject Matter Program preparing students for a Single Subject Teaching Credential in Art (K-12) is available. The purpose of the Subject Matter Program in Art Education is to provide students with a strong foundation in and understanding of visual art, as well as coursework and field experiences necessary to teach visual art to the diverse public school student populations in the PK-12 schools of California. The academically rigorous and intellectually stimulating Art Education program curriculum reflects and builds upon the California Arts Standards for Public Schools, PK-12 (2019) and California Arts Education Framework, and it establishes a basis for continued professional development during their teaching career.

Contact the Art Department Advisement Center at (818) 677-2348 for information about the Art Subject Matter Program for the Single Subject Credential. See also the disclosure statement regarding  Programs Leading to Licensure and Credentialing . Here are the steps to prepare for applying to the Single Subject Credential program:

• Choose Art Education as the area of concentration. Students may also declare a Minor in Art Education .
• Lower division core program.
• Upper division core program.
• Take at least one of the following: ART 124B , ART 148 , or ART 200 .
• Grade of “B” or better in ART 478/L , ART 482 , ART 483/L and ART 490 .
• Completing these steps above also provides Art students with a Minor in Art Education.
• Minimum of 57 units in Art.
• Art Department Contract form, approved by an Art advisor.
• Portfolio review and interview.
• Overall GPA of 2.75 or higher is required to enter the credential program in the College of Education.
• GPA of 3.0 or higher in Art Subject Matter Program courses.

Department of Art and Design Chair: Samantha Fields Art and Design Center (ADC) 120 (818) 677-2242

Program Learning Outcomes

Students receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Art will be able to:

• Acquire competent knowledge and skills in various art media, concepts and methodologies.
• Produce a competent body of individual and collaborative work suitable for a liberal arts degree for the local, national and global marketplace.
• Solve visual problems at a competent level, including understanding/application of the elements of art and principles of design.
• Utilize and apply critical-thinking skills to communicate ideas for their intended audience at a competent level in visual, oral and written formats.
• Acquire historical and contemporary knowledge of diverse cultural and aesthetic contexts, including political, visual and material culture.

Degree Road Maps

Art (2024-Present)

Previous Years

Transfer Road Maps

Adt/star act degree road maps.

Students who have graduated with a verified Associate Degree for Transfer and have been admitted to a CSUN program that has been deemed similar will be able to complete the baccalaureate degree within 60 semester units. For additional information, see ADT/STAR Act Degree Road Maps .

Art - AA-T in Art History (2023-Present)

Art - AA-T in Studio Art (2023-Present)

View Catalog Archives, Degree Road Maps and external resources here:

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Undergraduate program.

The Division of Art offers a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Art with four concentrations.

After completing introductory art classes, students select and complete the requirements for the concentration in Interdisciplinary Visual Art, Painting + Drawing, Photo/Media, or 3D4M: ceramics + glass + sculpture. In tandem with required studio art classes, students will advance their writing skills while completing coursework in the history of art. Seniors complete capstone work with the expectation of exhibiting in one or more of our six student galleries.

Students in this major have an experiential, hands-on opportunity to learn. This learning style develops a strong ability for innovation and critical thinking. Learning in the visual arts hones the important skills of problem-solving, writing, and presenting information. It develops technical proficiencies, promotes collaborations, advances a knowledge of visual literacy. This kind of learning leads to a wealth of fulfilling career opportunities. Our alums exemplify the abilities of Art majors to thrive and succeed in many different professional jobs, careers and enterprises.

An Honors in Art option is also available for eligible students.

Admission to the BA in Art

The BA in Art requires a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA in order to declare the major.

Current UW Students / Freshmen

• After completing any 5 credit 100- or 200-level studio art class at UW with a 2.5 or higher grade, meet with an Adviser to discuss the BA in Art degree requirements and concentration
• Before you schedule your appointment with an Adviser, make sure you complete the  BA in Art Major Declaration Request Form  
• Students are strongly encouraged to declare their major early in their academic career; University policy requires that students declare a major by the time they have accumulated 105 credits or five quarters , whichever comes last

Prospective Transfer Students

• After admittance to the UW and on your registration date, meet with an Adviser to discuss the BA in Art degree requirements and concentration; if you completed at least 5 credits of studio art prior to transferring, you are eligible to declare the major
• If you are participating in an Advising & Orientation (A&O) session , you will have the option to meet with an Art Adviser on your orientation day
• A maximum of 15 transfer credits of studio art classes may be applied towards the ART credits required for the BA in Art
• Students transferring with 90 or more credits should be prepared to declare the major during the first quarter of attendance at UW

The BA in Art does not accept postbaccalaureate applicants.

BA in Art (70 cr)

Recommended classes for the:

• Interdisciplinary Visual Art concentration
• Painting + Drawing concentration
• Photo/Media concentration
• 3D4M: ceramics + glass + sculpture concentration

We invite you to attend a Preview session for advising and information about the programs, enrichments, and opportunities for majors in School of Art + Art History + Design.

Search NYU Steinhardt

Bachelor of Fine Arts Studio Art

Earn your bfa in nyc.

Our degree is designed for students who want an intensive and innovative studio art practice with an outstanding education in the liberal arts. A thorough grounding in art history and critical theory allows you to explore complex issues in your work. This interdisciplinary degree mixes rich visual traditions with emerging forms and ideas that encourage students to envision fresh new ways of making art.

Degree Details

Official degree title.

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art

Degree Overview

Your academic experience, degree outcomes, facilities and studios.

Located in the heart of New York City, the center of the international art world, the BFA in Studio Art at NYU Steinhardt allows you to participate directly in the evolution of contemporary culture, viewing exciting exhibitions, holding internships , and attending important lectures and live performances as they happen. Because our degree offers the vast academic resources of a major research university as well as a studio faculty of accomplished professional artists, we are able to prepare students for meaningful careers in the arts, while exposing them to a rich cultural environment that far exceeds the scope of more narrowly defined art programs.

Our first–year Foundation Program is a focused progression of studio and critical art theory courses enables students to explore many forms and philosophies of art making, giving them an unusually wide array of skills and visual languages with which to express their ideas. Students develop technical and analytical skills, as well as creative discipline, and a clearer understanding of the relationship between art and society.

Beginning as early as second semester Freshman year and beyond, students begin to take  Liberal Arts Core  classes and choose studio courses in consultation with an adviser. Students also complete upper level interdisciplinary studio projects and departmental studio and theory based electives. Praxis courses combine critical theory with innovative artistic practices, and classes in experimental forms, such as Autobiography, Art and Activism, Sex and Contemporary Art, and The Artist as Visionary and Saboteur, expand the definitions of art and its audiences. Students may also select a minor from among many of the undergraduate programs at NYU. Senior Studio  is a year-long course that every BFA candidate enrolls in for the final year of their undergraduate education. The emphasis of the class is to provide a concentrated, non-media-specific forum for students to receive rigorous feedback from faculty and peers as they push a body of work towards a spring semester thesis exhibition.  Senior Studio  dovetails with every senior receiving a private studio in which to develop said work at their own pace without the interruption of the shared spaces they've grown accustomed to working in. Throughout the semester students are expected to be working extensively in their studios, putting in, at minimum, 25 hours a week.

The BFA curriculum is designed to progress from foundational to advanced levels and provides students with opportunities to develop the skills, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors described in the program’s goals. Through participation in our program, students are expected to develop in the following areas:

• A broad base of knowledge in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, which complements the art-making process and provides you with opportunities to interpret the meaning of your artwork.

Demonstrating technical expertise related to the meaning of the artwork.

Understanding of historical and contemporary art modes, coupled with the development of language-based and theoretical models for contextualizing your artwork.

Ability to critique–to identify aesthetic/content problems–in the work of others and self.

Self-discipline.

Ability to demonstrate initiative and ingenuity in devising and sustaining a plan of experimentation or action.

Ability to use research and other resources in the completion of artworks.

Risk-taking in artwork; willingness to experiment and maintain an open mind.

Ability to work independently, developing a unique and meaningful artistic practice, as well as in collaboration with fellow artists. 

Growth/development toward a personally constructed conceptual direction in your artwork.

Barney Building facilities include studio classrooms and workshops for sculpture, printmaking, painting, drawing, ceramics, metalsmithing, and sewing; photography labs, a fabrication lab; digital labs; and printing studios.

The Commons is an exhibition and performance space with beautiful two-story clerestory windows. Rosenberg Gallery is our white-box space for installations. Student exhibitions change every 2–3 weeks.

BFA Senior Studios are located at 75 3rd Ave and are available to students during their senior year. Seniors will have access to 62 individual studios, a specialized screening room, computer stations, a pantry, and four installation areas for critique.

Learn more about our facilities and studio spaces .

Email [email protected]

Phone 212-998-5700

NYU Steinhardt Department of Art and Art Professions

Barney Building 34 Stuyvesant Street New York, NY 10003

Visit Us and Schedule a Tour 

Information Sessions

BFA Online Information Session

Learn more about the program, curriculum, and community of the Studio Art BFA.

BFA Information Session & Tour

NYU Studio Art Portfolio Day 2024

The BFA Studio Art program invites you Portfolio Day. This is an opportunity to speak with distinguished faculty to review your artwork.

BFA in Studio Art at NYU

Art and Art Professions

Barney Building 34 Stuyvesant Street, New York, NY 10003 212-998-5700 [email protected]

Take the Next Step

Advance your personal and professional journey – apply to join our community of students.

Art (Art Studies) ,BA

Art (art studies), ba.

• Program description
• At a glance
• Required courses (Major Map)
• Concurrent program options
• Admission requirements
• Tuition information
• Change of Major requirements
• Attend online
• Transfer options
• Program learning outcomes
• Global opportunities
• Career opportunities
• Contact information

Art Critic, Art Galleries, Art Librarian, Art Preservationist, Art Publications, Art Therapy, Artist, Arts Organization Consultant, Conservation, Corporate Curator, Estate Appraiser, Exhibition Coordinator, Fine Arts, Museums, arts

Leverage creativity and curiosity to make unexpected connections and discoveries in art and in all aspects of life.

The BA program in art with a concentration in art studies is a comprehensive, innovative and multidisciplinary program. Students in art studies explore a broad range of visual arts practices, work with their hands to create art and gain critical skills that support a creative lifestyle. The curriculum offers students the opportunity to develop a broad educational foundation in the arts. Students have a great deal of flexibility when designing their course of study, enabling them to focus on their individual creative aspirations. This uniquely open degree program features art history and contemporary arts practices and techniques from a variety of studio disciplines: animation, drawing, ceramics, illustration, printmaking, painting, photography and sculpture, among others. Additionally, the School of Art galleries , the Ceramics Research Center and Archive and the ASU Art Museum support a robust schedule of virtual and in-person visiting artist and scholar lectures. These events offer students the opportunity to develop their knowledge and appreciation of contemporary art and culture. Further augmenting the curriculum are numerous internships offered by a wide range of arts organizations.

Students can visit the art studies area of study page and art studies at ASU Online page to learn more about the program and the faculty.

• College/school: Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts
• Location: Tempe or Online , ASU Local
• Second language requirement: No
• STEM-OPT extension eligible: No
• First required math course: MAT 142 - College Mathematics or MAT 117 College Algebra OR MAT 119 Finite Mathematics

General university admission requirements:

All students are required to meet general university admission requirements. First-year | Transfer | International | Readmission

Additional requirements:

Students meeting the university requirements for admission may matriculate in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Separate admission procedures and approvals are required for some programs within the college. Students must contact specific departments or schools for details.

First-year applicants may apply directly to the art studies program; there is no portfolio review for this major.

Transfer admission requirements:

Direct transfer of courses from other accredited institutions to the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts is subject to the existence of parallel and equal courses in the college's curriculum and to departmental or school evaluation of studio courses with respect to performance standards.

Every candidate for the bachelor's degree must earn a minimum of 30 credit hours in resident credit at ASU. Transfer students enrolled in the college must complete a minimum of 15 credit hours of resident credit in the major as approved by the faculty.

A current ASU student has no additional requirements for changing majors.

Students should visit the Change of Major form for information about how to change a major to this program.

ASU offers this program in an online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. Applicants may view the program’s ASU Online page for program descriptions and to request more information.

It is now possible to earn an ASU degree with ASU Local , an integrated college experience in which students take advantage of in-person success coaching and programming experiences on site while completing one of 130+ undergraduate online degree programs, all of which come with online faculty interaction and tutoring support.

ASU has partnered with the following institutions to enable you to do a seamless transfer.

ASU is committed to helping students thrive by offering tools that allow personalization of the transfer path to ASU. Students may use MyPath2ASU® to outline a list of recommended courses to take prior to transfer.

ASU has transfer partnerships in Arizona and across the country to create a simplified transfer experience for students. These pathway programs include exclusive benefits, tools and resources, and they help students save time and money in their college journey.

Program learning outcomes identify what a student will learn or be able to do upon completion of their program. This program has the following program outcomes:

• Participate in the process of making art and through this process will effectively visualize their ideas and build their creative thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Develop a comprehensive toolkit for self-promotion that positions them for success in the field of art and design.
• Articulate their place as artists in the contemporary field of art.

Global Education programs provide an opportunity for students to explore their creative side through an intercultural lens, deepen their understanding of the world and gain valuable career-building experiences. Study abroad can prove to be a vital accompaniment to any art concentration, allowing for broad historical and archaeological explorations. Students develop insight into the cultures and minds of some of the world's most notable artists when they experience the places that gave rise to specific artistic styles. With more than 300 options available, Global Education programs give students a breadth of knowledge in arts and culture uniquely different from their own. Study abroad encourages students to develop and broaden their intercultural sensitivity, communication skills and leadership ability, and challenges them to think differently. Whether in a foreign country, in the U.S. or online, students learn to adapt and persevere, and they are provided with a chance to look inside themselves in a way they haven't done before, growing their personal and professional self-confidence along the way.

A degree in the arts offers students a pathway to a rich and varied choice of careers. The School of Art programs prepare students to initiate creative careers as artists, scholars and educators in the public and private sphere.

Art graduates find employment opportunities as artists in the field, selling their works through commercial galleries and commissions and to private collectors; as museum or gallery professionals, art dealers and directors; as private school art teachers and college professors; and as community-based artists (venues might include health care settings, nonprofit agencies, and local and national public arts). Other options include working at arts agencies and public art programs or gaining admission to prestigious graduate programs across the nation.

Example job titles and salaries listed below are not necessarily entry level, and students should take into consideration how years of experience and geographical location may affect pay scales. Some jobs also may require advanced degrees, certifications or state-specific licensure.

Bright Outlook

School of Art | ART 102 [email protected] 480-965-8521

• Chancellor’s Message

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2024-25 edition.

The Department of Art in the Claire Trevor School of the Arts takes a wide-ranging, interdisciplinary view of contemporary art practice. With an emphasis on experimentation and innovation, the Department of Art is viewed as a leader in genres addressing cultural identity and emerging technologies. The Department provides students a solid theoretical and technical foundation from which to approach art making as both process and product. Each student is encouraged to develop an individual, disciplined direction approach to media, materials, and techniques. To this end, the curriculum provides studio experiences in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, digital imaging, video, performance art, and new media. Visiting artists, theorists, curators, and other arts professionals are an integral part of the program.

The Art Culture Technology (ACT) building houses the ROOM Gallery, CATALYST student gallery, undergraduate honors studios, the Digital Filmmaking Studio, department administrative offices, faculty studios, and graduate student studios. The University Art Gallery provides a venue for student shows as well as faculty and guest artist presentations. The original Art buildings have been seismically retro-fitted and extensively remodeled and renovated.

Applicants must present a portfolio of 10 images of recent original artwork or up to three videos totaling no more than 5 minutes in duration as well as a one-page artist statement. All portfolios are reviewed by the Art Department faculty who evaluate applicants’ creative works and ideas, as well as the suitability of this program for the applicants’ areas of interest. The work included should reflect applicants’ creative strengths both formally and conceptually. The portfolio may include work in any medium[s] including time-based artwork. Self-initiated projects (artwork created independently of classroom assignments/exercises) are especially encouraged.

Requirements for the B.A. in Art

All students must meet the university requirements ., school requirements: none..

Departmental Requirements for the Major in Art

Honors in Art

The Honors in Art program gives qualifying students a more rigorous course of study in contemporary art practices, thus challenging superior students beyond the scholarly requirements demanded of the Art major. This program is designed to further develop students’ critical, analytical, research, and technical skills. It is particularly suited to those wishing to go on to graduate school and/or exhibition careers.

Eligibility Requirements

One year in good standing as an Art major;

 An overall GPA of 3.2 or higher with a GPA of at least 3.4 in ART courses.

Completion of:

Application Deadline

The annual application deadline is May 15. Late applications will not be accepted.

Application Requirements

All applicants must upload the following at https://ctsa.slideroom.com . There is a fee associated with submission of materials via Slideroom.

A portfolio of up to 10 images and/or other media samples. Images/media samples must include title of the work, size, year, medium, description, and duration of the work, if time-based. 

A brief statement (250 words maximum) of research and career goals; and

UCI transcript (downloadable from StudentAccess).

The applicant's name, UCI student ID number, and email address must be printed legibly on all submitted materials.

All applicants will be notified of their application status no later than the end of spring quarter finals week.

Students accepted to the program will share the Catherine Lord Undergraduate Honors Studio for the entire academic year. Students accepted to the program must actively participate in programmatic activities. Students must follow the Department's studio occupancy guidelines in order to maintain their studios. GPAs will be reviewed each quarter to ensure programmatic requirements.

Beyond fulfilling regular courses for the Art major, honors students must take the following:

Honors Exhibition ART 198  (this course will prepare students for a mandatory, group interdisciplinary honors gallery exhibition to take place during either winter or spring quarter of the student's matriculating year, at which time students will defend their thesis work to faculty on the Undergraduate Committee).

Non-compliance with any of the requirements will result in dismissal from the program.

NOTE: Students may be assessed a course materials fee for certain courses. Consult the online Schedule of Classes on the University Registrar's website for the most up-to-date information about which courses require a materials fee and the amount of the fee.

Art Sample Program for Freshman

Departmental faculty and the range of artists whose work is represented in the University Art Gallery exhibitions provide diverse career models. Some graduates go on to careers as exhibiting artists or teachers; others work in arts-related activities in museums, galleries, and artists’ organizations. A bachelor’s degree in Art is usually required as preparation for graduate-level study in Art.

• Digital Arts, Minor

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College of Letters and Science

• Bachelor of Arts

A major in studio art allows you to explore and expand your creative abilities, regardless of whether you plan a career as a professional artist. As an art student, you will develop and practice skills in problem-solving and cultivate your aesthetic sensitivity and visual awareness. These skills and traits will enrich your life, broaden your perspective and prepare you to succeed in any career requiring creativity and artistic sense. Our studio art faculty consists of a diverse group of nationally known artists who seek to share their skills, knowledge and enthusiasm with undergraduate students.

Major Requirements

You will begin your study with courses designed to introduce you to a variety of artistic media, including drawing, painting and sculpture. Courses in art history help you to understand the development of artistic styles over time and to develop your own work in a social and historical context. At the upper division level, you may choose to specialize in such media as drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, photography, video production and electronic arts. Courses in artistic theory and criticism round out your course of study and prepare you for continuing development in your art career.

Contact Information

• Art teacher
• Art preparator
• Art therapist
• Gallery and exhibitions coordinator

Graduate Study

• Arts therapy
• Arts education
• Illustration
• Social and environmental arts

Alumni Employers

• Connect Art
• California College of the Arts
• Oakland Museum of California
• Portland Museum of Art
• Verge Center for the Arts

Related Degrees

Art History

Cinema and Digital Media

Theatre and Dance

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Explore internships and jobs on campus and beyond.

Your course roadmap

Find the detailed course requirements for your program and map out your path to graduation.

The faculty you will work with

Our undergraduates work directly with our faculty through research projects and labs.

Global learning programs

Expand your horizons by studying abroad or pursuing global learning on campus.

Undergraduate research

Get hands on with your interests. Participate in one of our hundreds of research opportunities.

What can I do with my major?

Learn how to connect your major to career opportunities.

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Visual Arts

Students who are accepted into the Department of Art are enrolled in the Bachelor of Science (BS) in Visual Arts degree program. This degree allows great flexibility in the studio arts because the student may choose to concentrate their studies in one particular studio or pursue an interdisciplinary path. The BS degree, which requires an academic minor, provides an abundant breadth of knowledge while allowing the student to develop skills in multiple mediums. The balance of art classes to liberal art classes provides a well-rounded undergraduate education.

The Department of Art also offers a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Visual Arts degree that is frequently used by those with a double major (e.g., psychology and art, art history and art). In addition to the Foundations core courses, students in the BA degree complete five studio classes and requisite art history classes. The student may concentrate in an individual discipline or take a range of studio classes. The objective of this curriculum is to provide broad-based liberal arts education with a fundamental understanding of studio art practice.

» Visual Arts Major Plan

Upon completion of the art foundation core and basic studio classes in a particular medium, students in the BA or BS program may choose to apply to one of the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree programs. Entrance into a BFA program is by portfolio and interview; the student applies directly to the specific program of interest. Programs include the following:

Ceramics The ceramics program provides a dynamic environment for the artistic growth and development of the student through a thoughtful and challenging inquiry of both materials and meaning. Faculty are distinguished studio professionals who offer an extensive curriculum in all aspects of ceramics and work with students to help inspire their own unique expression. Spacious, well-equipped studios provide excellent facilities for fabrication, glazing, and all methods of firing. Frequent trips to museums, artists' studios, historical and industrial sites complement the curriculum.

Graphic Design 1

The graphic design option offers courses that range from the historically based to the technologically advanced. Emphasis is placed on the exploration of how visual communications are accomplished, through discussions of communication theory and contemporary practice. Facilities include state-of-the art computer labs, with high-resolution printers, scanners, and a high-speed Internet connection, as well as a letterpress type lab and generous studio space for majors. Graduates go on to successful careers in many areas of design, including web design, multimedia interactive design, and publishing.

Metal An outstanding faculty of metal artists train future practitioners in an extremely comprehensive program of study. Specific courses are offered in construction and fabrication, enameling, and metal forming as well as contemporary issues in metalwork. Unusually well-equipped studios provide complete facilities for practice in most techniques and formats associated with the discipline. Instruction is supplemented by frequent trips to galleries, museums, artists' studios and workshops. Emphasis in each class is placed on the balance of creative exploration and technical control.

Painting Professional painters, representing varied stylistic approaches, work closely with students in encouraging them to explore the many possibilities for image development offered by different media techniques and conceptual processes. Students work with oils, acrylics, and watercolor as well as a full range of drawing media. Senior BFA students are provided with private studio spaces. The proximity of New York City affords ready access to galleries, museums, and artists' studios.

Photography Professional skilled fine arts photographers help students to explore various aspects of this popular discipline, including manipulative, experimental, mixed media, and digital photographic techniques. Students are encouraged to develop a personally expressive imagery within the context of technical proficiency and control. Laboratories for general developing, printing, color printing, and mixed media processes are provided. The program is oriented toward photography as a fine art, as well as commercial applications of photography.

Printmaking Spacious studios, equipped with lithograph and etching presses, silk screens, copy camera, enlarger, and computers offer printmaking students excellent facilities for the development of artistic and technical skills. Highly respected artist-teachers work closely with students, encouraging them to evolve mature styles within the context of professional practice. Specific courses involve experience in lithography, serigraphy, intaglio, and relief. Advanced students may study full-color printing and photo printing as well as mixed media and interdisciplinary projects.

Sculpture Practicing sculptors assist students in learning to master the skills, techniques, and creative approaches essential in the training of sculptors. Studio practice includes experience with clay, steel, stone, wood, bronze, and other materials. Students are provided with large and well-equipped work spaces necessary for creating sculpture in a broad range of sizes. The instructional program is supplemented by trips to galleries, museums, and stone yards.

» Fine Arts Major Plans

1 In summer 2023, a new Department of Design was created and is currently being implemented. During this transition period, the Graphic Design curricula will continue to appear here, with the Department of Art's B.F.A. programs.

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Yale College Programs of Study 2024–2025

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Current Edition: YCPS Archive . Click to change.

• Summary of Requirements

(Drawing, Filmmaking, Graphic Design, Painting/Printmaking, Photography, and Sculpture)

Director of undergraduate studies: Alexandria Smith ;   [email protected], 122 GRN, 432-2600; art.yale.edu

Students in the Art major develop a critical and practical understanding of the visual arts and design through a studio-based curriculum that organically blends practice with critical thinking and art historical precedents; apply fundamentals of visual art across a variety of mediums and disciplines; relate the practice of making art and design to culture and the study areas of art history and theory; and learn to embody the knowledge and practice of at least one artistic discipline through active search and research. Students may concentrate on a medium such as painting/printmaking, sculpture, graphic design, photography, or filmmaking, and interdisciplinary study is supported. Art majors learn to place their own work in the context of an inclusive group of contemporary art worlds and national and global cultures. This study is a crucial element in a liberal arts curriculum both for future arts practitioners and for those ultimately studying and working in other fields. A key element of the creative learning process is the critique, which is implemented via both group settings and one-on-one studio visits with faculty and visiting critics. Through rigorous practice and regular feedback, a student gains insight into one's own critical voice. Art majors have access to the graduate program by attending regular lectures, critiques, events, and exhibitions that represent a diverse set of art practitioners who regularly visit the School of Art.

Courses for Nonmajors and Majors

Courses in Art are open to all undergraduate students, but are registered by permission of instructor only due to limited class size. In cases where student demand for entry into a course is greater than can be accommodated, priority is given to School of Art students and declared Art and Computing and the Arts majors. The director of undergraduate studies (DUS) and members of the Art faculty typically hold counseling meetings during the registration period. See the Art department website listed above for more information. Students seeking advice about course selection or the program in Art should attend these advising sessions. Others wishing to elect an Art course should visit the course’s Canvas site for details, and request instructor permission during the registration period to apply for these limited-enrollment classes. Many studio art courses require the purchase of a limited number of supplies in addition to the materials provided in the class. All Art majors are required to register with the DUS at the beginning of each term to be enrolled or to continue in the major, as well as participate in the sophomore review in the fourth term.

Prerequisites

The prerequisites for acceptance into the major are the sophomore review, which is an intensive advising session and evaluation of work from studio courses taken at the Yale School of Art, and five introductory courses (courses numbered 001–199). Four of the introductory courses must have been completed at the time of the sophomore review. Visual Thinking ( ART 111 ) and Basic Drawing ( ART 114 ) are mandatory, and may not be waived. At the time of the review, the student should be enrolled in the fifth 100-level prerequisite course. In exceptional cases, arrangements for a special review during the junior year may be made with the DUS.

Requirements of the Major

The Art major requires fourteen courses, including the following: (1) five prerequisite courses at the Introductory level numbered 001–199 (including ART 111  and ART 114 ); (2) four courses at the 200 level or above; (3) the Junior Seminar ( ART 395 ); (4) the two-term senior project ( ART 495 and ART 496 ); and (5) two courses in the history of art, or DUS-approved equivalent. A student who has completed five courses numbered 001–199 may count a sixth such course towards the 200-level course requirement. Program guidelines and specific requirements for the various areas of concentration are described below.

Areas of concentration Each Art major selects an area of concentration from five possible choices: (1) graphic design, (2) painting/printmaking, (3) photography, (4) sculpture, and (5) filmmaking. Suggested courses for the  graphic design concentration are:  ART 132 ,  264 ,  265 ,  266  or  368 ;  ART 369  or  370 ; and  ART 468  or  469 . Specific courses recommended for the  painting/printmaking concentration are ART 116 ,  130 ,  331 or 332 ;  ART 224 ,  245  or  356 ; and ART 421 , 432 , 433 or 457 . Students in the photography concentration should take ART 136  and/or 138 ; ART 237 and/or 239 ; ART 337 or  338 ; ART 379  and  401 . The sculpture concentration recommends 2 of the following: ART 110 ,  120 ,  121 ,  122  or 123 ; and 3 of the following: ART 210 , 346 , 348 , 371  or 446 . Required courses for the filmmaking concentration are ART 142 ,  341 ,  342 , and ART 442  or 443 . Students in the filmmaking concentration may substitute two non-production courses in Film and Media Studies for the history of art requirement, and the same for other concentrations only with permission of the DUS. Students wishing to work interdisciplinarily should consult with the DUS.

Credit/D/Fail  Courses taken Credit/D/Fail may be counted toward the requirements of the major.

Senior Requirement

The senior requirement consists of a two-term senior project, ART 495 and ART 496 .

Unique to the Major

Summer fellowship Art majors are eligible to apply for the Ellen Battell Stoeckel Fellowship for study at the Yale University Summer School of Music and Art in Norfolk, Connecticut. Applicants for the program must be officially classified as junior Art majors and be returning to Yale for two terms of their senior year. The program awards up to three course credits for work successfully completed. These credits may be used toward the requirements of the Art major at the discretion of the DUS.

Repeated and outside courses Some Art courses may be repeated for credit, with permission of both the instructor and the DUS. Course credits in studio art earned at other institutions may, in some cases, be applied toward the requirements of the major, but not to replace the two prerequisites, and is done solely at the discretion of the DUS and subject to a faculty review process.

SUMMARY OF MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

Prerequisites Favorable faculty review of work done in studio courses before end of sophomore year;  ART 111 and 114 ; 3 addtl courses numbered 001–199

Number of courses 14 courses (incl prereqs and yearlong senior project)

Specific courses required All concentrations — ART 395 ;  Graphic design— ART 132 ,  264 ,  265 , 266  or 368 ; ART 369 or 370 ; and ART 468  or 469 ; Painting/printmaking— ART 116 , 130 ,  331 or 332 ; ART 224 , 245 or 356 ; and ART 421 , 432 , 433 or 457 ; Photography— ART 136  and/or 138 ; ART 237 and/or 239 ; ART 337 or  338 ; ART 379 , 401 ; Sculpture —any 2 of ART 110 , 120 , 121 , 122 or 123 ; and any 3 of ART 210 ,  346 , 348 , 371 , or 446 ; Filmmaking— ART 142 , 341 , 342 ; ART 442 or 443

Distribution of courses  4 courses at 200 level or above; 2 courses in hist of art

Senior requirement Two-term senior project ( ART 495 , 496 )

Substitution permitted Filmmaking concentration— 2 courses in Film and Media Studies may be substituted for the hist of art req

Prerequisites  

3 additional introductory courses, numbered 001-199  

Sophomore review  

Requirements  

14 courses (14 credits), including prerequisites and senior requirement

4 courses numbered 200 or above  

2 courses in the history of art  

5 courses from chosen area of concentration

con centration options: graphic design, painting/printmaking, photography, sculpture, filmmaking

see suggested courses for each concentration on Overview page

ART 495  and  ART 496

The program in Art offers courses in a variety of media and provides a background in visual arts as part of a liberal education and as preparation for graduate study and professional work. Areas of concentration include painting/printmaking (including drawing), sculpture, graphic design, photography, and filmmaking.

All introductory courses numbered 001–199 are open to first-year students, and no prior experience is required. Demand is usually great for basic courses, and students should consider more than one section. During registration, prior to the start of the term, the director of undergraduate studies (DUS) meets with students who need advice about course selection.

Students are admitted to the major in the spring term of their sophomore year after a sophomore review. Prospective majors present a portfolio of work from Yale studio art courses to a group of faculty and receive advice based on their coursework and on the strengths and deficiencies of their portfolios.

Five introductory-level courses, including First-Year Seminars, are required as prerequisites to the major, including ART 111 and ART 114 . To be eligible for the sophomore review, students must have completed four of the prerequisite courses and should be enrolled in the fifth.

Acceleration credits are not available in art.

MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL OF ART TEACHING IN YALE COLLEGE

Professor  Martin Kersels

Associate Professor  Meleko Mokgosi

Senior Critics  Julian Bittiner, Sandra Burns, Alice Chung, Benjamin Donaldson, Pamela Hovland, Matthew Keegan, Lisa Kereszi, Sophy Naess, Christopher Pullman, A.L. Steiner, Sarah Stevens-Morling, Elizabeth Tubergen, Henk Van Assen

Critics  Beverly Acha, Michel Auder, Yeju Choi, Rachelle Dang, Maria de Los Angeles, Neil Goldberg, Halsey Rodman, Karin Schneider, Douglass Scott, Alexander Valentine, Anahita Vossoughi, Molly Zuckerman-Hartung

Lecturers  Jonathan Andrews, American Artist, Elena Bertozzi, Nathan Carter, Luiza Dale, Luchina Fisher, Ben Hagari, Shira Inbar, Hasabie Kidanu, Desmond Lewis, Jesse Marsolais, Rosa McElheny, Ted Partin, Michael Rader, Kern Samuel, Ryan Sluggett, Greg Parma Smith

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School of art + design menu, school of art + design, ba or bs in art.

The BA or BS in art is a four-year liberal arts degree focusing on studio art practice. You can receive the bachelor of arts (BA) or bachelor of science (BS) degree with a major in art.

Declare the Art Major

As an art student, you will learn to think critically, communicate clearly, and work creatively. You will develop an understanding of:

• materials and tools,
• technical skills,
• different ways of seeing,
• as well as fluency in visual languages and the articulation of meaning.

Starting with core foundation courses that introduce strategies of experimentation, making, and critical thinking, you will also take courses on the history of art and architecture, and seminar classes that expand your understanding of art and its potential.You will gain an understanding of diverse cultural context through travel opportunities, gallery exhibitions, and the visiting artist lecture series.

The art curriculum includes coursework in eight media areas :

• Art & Technology
• Jewelry & Metalsmithing
• Painting & Drawing
• Photography
• Printmaking

While all art majors share the basic requirements, you have the flexibility to pursue more advanced course work in the media area or areas of primary interest. You will gain technical and conceptual understanding and develop a unique and individual approach to your work.

Degree Requirements for BA or BS in Art

Complete a minimum of 180 credits, including satisfying the general education requirements for a BA or BS degree. Art majors are required to take a minimum of 68 credits in ART courses.

Core Studio prerequisites for 200-level studios:

• ART 115, Surface, Space, and Time, 4 credits
• ART 116, Core Interdisciplinary Lab or ARTS 288, Sculpture I: Mixed Media, 4 credits
• ART 233, Drawing I, 4 credits

Additional foundational requirements:

• ART 333, Drawing II, 4 credits
• ART 101, Understanding Contemporary Media, 4 credits
• ART 111, The Artist Experience, 4 credits
• ARTD 250, Print Media Digital Arts, 4 credits
• ARTD 251, Time-Based Digital Arts, 4 credits
• ARTD 252, Interactive Digital Arts, 4 credits

Studio requirements:

• Studio courses at the 200-level or higher in two different media areas within the department, 8 credits
• Upper–division art studio credits, 24 credits

History of Art and Architecture requirements:

• Three courses from the Department of the History of Art and Architecture, 12 credits. Recommended courses include ARH 353 Modern Art and ARH 354 Art Since 1945.

General Studies Requirements for the BA in Art:

• WR 121 College Composition I 4 credits
• College WR 122/WR 123 Composition II 4 credits
• Arts & Letters: selected from approved courses 15 credits
• Social Science: selected from approved courses 15 credits
• selected from approved courses 15 credits
• US: Difference, Inequality, Agency one course 4 credits
• Global Perspectives one course 4 credits
• Language proficiency equivalent to 2 years study 0-27 credits

Total General Studies 61-88 credits

Electives Requirements for the BA in Art:

• Total Electives 24-51 credits

General Studies Requirements for the BS in Art:

• WR 122/WR 123 College Composition II 4 credits
• Science: selected from approved courses 15 credits
• Proficiency equivalent to 1 year 0-12 credits

Total General Studies 61-73 credits

Electives Requirements for the BS in Art:

• Total Electives 39-51 credits

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• Studio Art Major, Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A)

The B.F.A. is considered the preprofessional course of study, providing a more in-depth experience of visual concept and practice. Students intending to pursue further study in visual arts disciplines (master of fine arts, design fields, or architecture) should choose this degree option. Students considering the B.F.A. degree are advised to contact the undergraduate advisor for studio art during the first year and no later than the sophomore year.

Learning Outcomes

The overall goal of the studio art program at UNC–Chapel Hill is for students to develop interconnected skills of creative thinking and critical making in order to produce outstanding works of art.

Upon completion of the studio art program (B.A., B.F.A.), students should be able to demonstrate the following competencies:

• Acquire the technical skills (informed control of technique, process, and materials) and an understanding of principles of visual organization sufficient to achieve basic visual communication and expression in one or more media
• Understand fundamentals of studio practice shared across studio disciplines
• Document and present work (portfolio, exhibition, online gallery) that demonstrates a basic understanding of professional practices
• Develop the ability to think and act creatively through experimentation, and analysis of options and parameters — enabling work to progress from idea to physical form
• Develop an understanding of creative research as an iterative process that informs and allows artwork to evolve
• Develop effective vocabulary and skill (both verbal and written) to engage in critical analysis of form and content relationships in their own artwork and the work of others

Requirements

In addition to the program requirements, students must

• earn a minimum final cumulative GPA of 2.000
• complete a minimum of 45 academic credit hours earned from UNC–Chapel Hill courses
• take at least half of their major core requirements (courses and credit hours) at UNC–Chapel Hill
• earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the major core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for major or specific courses.

For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog .

Students can include an additional art history course in place of one studio art course. Students can count up to six hours of senior honors thesis credit.

 Any ARTS classes, including first-year seminars.

 Any ARTH classes, including first-year seminars.

B.F.A. students should be aware that a minimum of 30 credit hours must be completed in coursework outside the Department of Art and Art History.

All General Education requirements must be completed. 

Listing of Studio Art Courses by Tier

Honors in Studio Art

The Senior Honors Thesis Project is designed to provide senior studio art majors an opportunity to pursue serious and substantial work that may qualify them to graduate "with honors" or "with highest honors." Students selected for the program conduct original creative research spanning the two semesters of the senior year.

To be eligible to apply for this opportunity, students must be rising senior studio art majors and meet the minimum GPA threshold of 3.3 established by the Honors Carolina office. The application consists of the following:    

• A completed application form
• A proposal for the senior thesis project
• A digital portfolio demonstrating a mature capability to perform visual research

A call for applications is announced via the department student listserv in spring semester. Applications are due in early April of spring semester and are reviewed by the studio faculty within a week of the application deadline. If accepted as studio art honors candidates, students enroll the following year in the honors courses through the student services manager.

Studio honors students work with a thesis committee consisting of a thesis advisor — who must be a studio art faculty member — and two additional faculty members. One of the two faculty members serving on the honors thesis committee may be from a discipline outside of the department.

In studio art, the thesis project consists of the creative work produced and accompanying written components. Work is reviewed at the end of the fall semester to determine progress toward completion. In the spring semester, the completed honors project work and written thesis are presented to the honors committee for an oral defense. On the basis of this defense and the work presented, the committee determines whether or not a student graduates with an honors designation (honors or highest honors). Honors students exhibit their work in a formal exhibition either as a solo show at the time of the thesis defense and/or as a participant in the Senior Exhibition required for all graduating studio art majors. Studio art honors students also join their art history peers in a departmental honors symposium in April.

Current deadlines, details of the application process, and requirements for the senior studio art honors project (research, work, and written components) are available on the art and art history majors’ Canvas site or from the student services manager.

Special Opportunities in Art and Art History

Independent study.

Students may pursue independent study coursework with individual faculty members. Such work may be undertaken only with the permission of the sponsoring faculty member. Students should consult individual faculty members prior to registration to secure permission. A proposal and a contract must be approved by the appropriate director of undergraduate studies (studio art or art history) before students may enroll. (See the Undergraduate Policies, Procedures, and Resources section of the Department of Art and Art History website for instructions.) Since faculty members are limited to supervising only two independent study students each semester, students are strongly advised to contact the faculty member with whom they wish to work early in the registration period for the upcoming semester.

Independent study work requires a minimum of three hours per week per credit hour. For example, a typical three-credit-hour class would require at least nine hours of work per week. Once the semester begins, students must meet with the faculty member initially to confirm goals, review expectations, and establish semester deadlines. Thereafter, students must meet regularly to review work in progress, with a suggested biweekly frequency. Total time spent in direct interaction with the faculty member for the semester must average 45 minutes per week. This may be in the form of face-to-face meetings, blog or e-mail exchanges, or group critiques with other independent study students and their advisors.

Departmental Involvement

Students have opportunities to see and interact with a variety of arts professionals through exhibitions in the Allcott Galleries, installations of sculptural works in the Alumni Sculpture Garden, an artist-in-residence program, the Visiting Arts Professionals Program, and the Hanes Visiting Artist Lecture Series.

There are several undergraduate student organizations serving the visual arts at Carolina. The Undergraduate Art Association (UAA) is a campuswide social club that supports and develops undergraduate visual artists at Carolina — regardless of their enrollment in art classes — and strengthens the impact of visual art in the University community. The Studio Art Majors Association (SAMA) is aimed at developing community and professional opportunities that augment the experience for studio art majors and minors, especially through programming of the SAMple Gallery in the Hanes Art Center. ArtHeels is a service-based organization that is passionate about bringing arts (visual, performing, and literary) to the healthcare setting. The Art History Liaisons is the undergraduate art history group. Kappa Pi is the department majors' honors society which includes both studio and art history majors. These groups serve as an important link between the majors and the department’s administration. The department utilizes these organizations to facilitate communication about matters of interest, including participation in departmental initiatives or other extracurricular opportunities.

• Internships

Art and art history majors are encouraged to pursue internships at local, regional, or national arts institutions or businesses. Students have worked in many art career contexts including museums and galleries, arts programming, and local businesses specializing in art-related production (photo studios, printmaking studios, illustration, design firms, and publishing). The Undergraduate Policies, Procedures, and Resources section of the Department of Art and Art History website has useful information about the requirements and how to set up the contracts for ARTH 293 and ARTS 493 as well as a partial listing of organizations that have worked with our students in the past. If you would like to discuss specific ideas about a possible internship, speak to any faculty member or the relevant director of undergraduate studies (art history or studio). All internships taken for UNC credit are subject to governmental guidelines, and students must have internships preapproved and under contract before enrolling for either ARTH 293 or ARTS 493 . 

• Study Abroad

Students are encouraged to pursue study abroad opportunities. While there are many opportunities to study art abroad, the Department of Art and Art History maintains a special affiliation with the Lorenzo di Medici school in Florence, Italy and the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. Students should discuss their study abroad plans with the undergraduate advisor in studio art to obtain prior approval for courses taken abroad. Basically, courses that have an equivalent in the UNC–Chapel Hill curriculum usually are approved. Courses that fall outside the UNC–Chapel Hill curriculum must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. No guarantee exists that a course will transfer for credit unless pre-approved. Departmental Study Abroad scholarships are available. Contact the Study Abroad Office to discuss the procedures for approval.

Undergraduate Awards

Undergraduate scholarships in studio art.

The studio program awards more than $24,000 annually to students, with individual awards ranging from a minimum of $500 to $3,000. A portfolio review each year allows studio art majors to submit up to four works to be considered for the following scholarships:

• The Alexander Julian Prize (recognizing the outstanding achievements of one exceptional student)
• The Sharpe Scholarships (multiple awards for students receiving financial aid)
• George Kachergis Studio Art Scholarships (multiple awards chosen by a student-designated committee)
• The Anderson Award
• The Penland School of Craft Scholarships (two awards cover expenses for a summer course at the Penland School of Craft)
• Undergraduate Research

Opportunities for undergraduate research in the Department of Art and Art History exist in several forms. Detailed descriptions and application guidelines are available in the Undergraduate Policies, Procedures, and Resources section of the Department of Art and Art History website and from the department's student services manager.

Allcott Travel Fellowships support two summer research projects in studio art and/or art history.

The Beatrice Pearman Fund supports special projects in both art history and studio art. Competitions for art history research funds are held in the fall and the spring. Studio art students may request funds for special projects by submitting a proposal to the director of undergraduate studies in studio art. Awards are $500 or less. 

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) are administered through the UNC Office for Undergraduate Research. These $3,000 awards support undergraduate research projects over the summer. UNC's broad definition of research includes creative practices, and the James Boyd Gadson SURFs are specifically designated for studio art. SURF applications from studio art majors are automatically considered for these Gadson Fellowships. This fund typically supports at least two awards. Application deadlines (usually in February) are set by the Office for Undergraduate Research. Students interested in pursuing summer research should contact possible faculty sponsors toward the end of the fall semester.

The Jacquelyn Friedman and Marvin Saltzman Fund in Art provides supplemental monies for painting supplies for students who for economic reasons may be hindered from working to their full potential. Any undergraduate student with need, regardless of major, enrolled in a departmental studio art painting class during the fall and/or spring semesters is eligible. Students can contact their course instructor or the student services specialist for further information.

Department Programs

• Art History Major, B.A.
• Studio Art Major, B.A.
• Art History Minor
• Studio Art Minor

Graduate Programs

• Master of Art in Art History, M.A.
• Master of Fine Arts in Art, M.F.A.
• Doctor of Philosophy in Art History, Ph.D.

Department of Art and Art History

Visit Program Website

101 Hanes Art Center, CB# 3405

(919) 962-2015

Director of Undergraduate Studies (Studio Art)

Mario Marzán

[email protected]

Annette Lawrence

Director of Undergraduate Studies for Studio Art

Beth Grabowski

[email protected]

Director of Undergraduate Studies for Art History

Cary Levine

[email protected]

Student Services Specialist

Emily Terrell

[email protected]

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How to Choose the Perfect College Major for a Career in the Arts

Photo: Kelly Sikkema

So you’re in college and have decided you want to embark on a career in the arts. What now? Selecting a path of study can be difficult for anyone, and requires careful consideration as you look toward your future career path. Luckily, there are a wide variety of art majors that cover almost any type of career you'd like to consider in the arts.

Whether you are already enrolled in art school or wish to focus your studies at a liberal arts college toward the creative world, there are different factors to consider when deciding what art major is right for you. And while it can sometimes seem less clear than the path to becoming a doctor, engineer, or lawyer, much of the thinking is the same when making your choice.

Selecting a college major is a highly personal choice that relies on many different factors—and it isn’t always about money. Understanding that no major is a surefire path to employment or success is the first way to take stress off the situation. Careers ebb and flow over time, and you may find yourself in a job position that seems far removed from your initial studies. And you may also see that employers in fields you hadn’t even thought of value your background in the arts for the creative thinking that it brings to the table.

So as you can see, there is no straightforward answer as to what is right and what is wrong when it comes to selecting a major. There is only what is right for you. But, to help you make this important decision, we’ve laid out some different factors to consider before settling in on your course of study.

How can you select the best art major to set you up for success in the career of your choice?

Photo: Tim Gouw

Consider earning potential

This factor is one that unfortunately often overshadows the rest. You’ll find tons of articles talking about the majors that earn the most money, but don’t get discouraged if you don’t see your chosen art major at the top of the list. While business and STEM majors top the list, this doesn’t mean you won’t have earning potential if you choose a creative career path, and as we’ll see below, enjoying what you do for a living needs to be an equal consideration.

But, if we’re sticking to creative majors, there are a few that will give you the edge when it comes to high earning potential. According to Payscale , people majoring in graphic design and interior design dominate the list when it comes to high paying positions earning six-figures. Of the top 10 job titles, which range from creative director to visual designers, 7 have graphic design as the most common field of study. But interestingly, only 28% of the people in those positions actually hold that major, proving that getting the job isn’t always based on what you study.

This differs slightly, however, when talking about more specialized positions. Interior design, fashion design, and industrial design also sneak into the top of the list. Here, more than half of the people working in the industry hold a specialized major. So, if you are interested in industrial design, interior design, or fashion, studying the right field is a huge plus.

What about fine artists? They land 38th on Payscale's earnings list, with just 18% having a major in studio art, proving that you don’t necessarily need to have gone to art school to make your way as a career artist.

Photo: Bru-nO

Follow your passion

This second consideration deserves as much weight, if not more than the what art job will pay the most. So many college students select a major based on earning potential, only to graduate and find themselves switching career paths when they realize they’re unhappy with the work they are doing. It’s essential that you ask yourself not only what you are passionate about, but what you have an aptitude for. There are so many jobs that a creative major can prepare you for depending on what you are interested in that you don’t need to feel limited to traditional positions. In fact, there are many artists who forgo the traditional studio art world for alternate careers that allow them to harness their creativity in unique ways.

Photo: Štefan Štefančík

Here are some creative art majors that you may want to consider based on your interests.

What gets you excited…

• Nature and environment? Landscape architecture
• Working with kids? Art education
• Technology and gadgets? Game and interactive media design
• Working with your hands? Industrial design
• Media and entertainment? Motion graphics, Animation
• Design and style? Textile design, Fashion design, Interior design
• Social issues? Photojournalism , Art therapy
• Business and organization? Arts administration, Commercial art

And if you aren’t sure that you'll enjoy the career you are thinking of, take advantage of your college’s internship opportunities to what a day in the life of your potential career looks like. There is no better way to see what works for you than to dip your toes in the water and gain firsthand experience.

Photo: Anna Kolosyuk

Still aren’t sure what to do with a major in the arts? This infographic will help you understand different career opportunities for artistic people.

Image: Student Art Guide

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Art Majors Guide

What does it mean to study art .

Earning an art degree can lead to a number of career fields. In addition to traditional degrees in the visual and fine arts, many applied arts degrees can lead to employment in modern forms of art and media. Courses in graphic design, animation, music and more can be found online or at traditional on-campus schools.

If you have a particular talent or passion that you’d like to nurture into a career, becoming an art major and obtaining some level of formal education is often the best way to start. Depending on your medium, building a career can be more or less challenging. However, if art is something you love, earning an art degree may be worth it for you.

Types of Art Degrees

In general, art degrees usually fall under one of two categories: Fine arts or media arts. A degree in fine arts can educate students in artistic fields such as theatre, film, sculpture, painting, music, and other performing and visual arts. Degrees focusing on the more commercial aspects of art are often considered “media arts.” Concentrations like graphic design, interior design, and animation are found under this umbrella.

An art degree can be earned at every level of education, from certificates to doctoral degrees. Many colleges and universities offer several of their art programs online. Although performing arts don’t generally translate well to an online environment, courses in art history and theory can easily be taken online. Students focusing on concentrations in the media arts will find almost any level of degree program online. Earning an online art degree is great for adult learners and students who have families of their own. Online programs give these students the opportunity to study at a time that is convenient for them, allowing them to meet the demands of their prior work or family commitments.

Certificate and Diploma Programs in Art

Because “art” covers a broad variety of topics, colleges and universities often offer a wide range of undergraduate certificates in art-related fields. Certificates in art history, studio art, digital art, graphic design and more are available to interested students. These types of certificates show that a student has taken additional courses and obtained specialized knowledge beyond that of a basic undergraduate degree. Depending on the certificate focus, courses may include:

• Basics of Visual Studies
• Concepts in Visual Arts
• Fundamentals of Drawing
• Introduction to Computer Graphics

Associate Degrees in Art

Students interested in art careers have a number of options for degrees at the associate level. Students can choose to study traditional studio art, or they might pursue their art degree in a media-related niche. Earning an associate degree generally requires two years of full-time study. Online degrees in some visual and studio arts programs might require an on-campus component. Degrees in the media arts or in art history and theory may have no such requirement. Associate degree courses can include:

• Art History I
• Introduction to Ceramics
• Fundamentals of Painting
• Foundations of 3D Art

Bachelor’s Degrees in Art

Earning a bachelor’s degree in art is an excellent first step for those students aspiring to careers in art, art history, or other art-related fields. Additionally, a bachelor’s degree program is an important step for a student who is considering furthering their art education at the graduate level. Bachelor’s degree programs generally require four years of full-time study prior to graduation. These programs can also help students build a broad base of knowledge by requiring the completion of general education requirements. Some typical courses for an art major at this level might include:

• Integration of Art and Design
• Drawing for Design
• Art History
• Art and New Media
• Intermediate Visual Studies

Master’s Degrees in Art

Students pursuing a master’s degree in art often use the degree to advance their career as a practicing artist or as a way to find employment in the academic field. Most master’s degree programs in the field culminate in a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree. Students seeking an MFA generally specialize in a specific concentration, such as photography, graphic design, painting, or sculpture. Depending on the area of concentration, some online programs may require an in-person component. Core courses at the master’s level may include:

• Contemporary Issues in Art
• Typographic Methods
• Advanced Color and Space
• Methods for Moving Images

Doctoral Programs in Art

Ph.D. programs in art are generally reserved for those students seeking advanced research positions within higher education or artistic organizations. Students study the role of art in culture, both on a national and global scale. Ph.D. candidates are usually required to first earn a master’s degree in a related subject. Most doctoral programs also require the completion and defense of a dissertation prior to graduation. An on-campus residency may also be required. Common courses at this level include:

• Quantitative Research Methods for Art Education
• Visual Culture and Literacy
• Strategies for Visual Thinking
• Visible Learning Strategies

What Can You Do With a College Degree in Art ?

Possible careers for an art major are relatively wide open. Careers in the visual arts generally require a solid background in arts education, on-the-job training, and experience. Therefore, an art degree can cross over to any number of different fields. Exceptions to this may include advanced research positions or teaching positions in higher education. These roles typically require graduate-level degrees.

Although an art degree is relatively flexible, keen competition can be expected for both salaried jobs and freelance work. Many talented people are attracted to the visual arts, so you should be tenacious in your job hunt. Possible job opportunities for art majors include:

Craft and Fine Artists

Craft artists create functional goods, such as glassware and pottery, through handmade means. Fine artists like painters and sculptors create art that is meant to be appreciated for its aesthetic value. Both types of artists may display and sell their work in stores, online, or in galleries and museums.

• Minimum Educational Requirement: Artists learn and hone their craft through experience and repetition. Most fine artists choose to pursue some type of formal education, typically a bachelor’s or master’s degree. These programs can also help build an artist’s portfolio. Additionally, those seeking positions in art education will need to obtain a formal degree.
• Special Certifications or Licensures: Except under special circumstances, no license or certification is needed. Those seeking teaching positions must meet the proper licensing and certification requirements of their state.

Graphic Designers

These professionals develop and create the overall concept and design for a variety of visual tools and applications. Graphic designers choose or create images used in advertisements, corporate reports, magazines, and more. They are charged with making these visuals appear appealing, and must be familiar with relevant computer applications and software needed to produce a great looking product.

• Minimum Educational Requirement: To obtain entry-level employment, graphic designers are usually expected to earn at least a bachelor’s degree.
• Special Certifications or Licensures: Although licensing and certification is typically not required, graphic designers are expected to be proficient with computer programs and applications relevant to the field. Many graphic designers continue to receive sporadic training on these technologies after graduation.

Archivists, Curators, and Museum Workers

Archivists, curators, and museum workers can generally be found working in art museums and galleries. Curators are in charge of collecting art, while archivists process and record artistic works and important documents. Other museum workers, such as conservators, treat and repair deteriorating historical works.

• Minimum Educational Requirement: A master’s degree in art history is usually required. A master’s degree in art conservation is required for conservator positions, and a bachelor’s degree is generally required for employment as a museum technician.
• Special Certifications or Licensures: Although it is not generally required, archivists may obtain certification through the Academy of Certified Archivists.

Multimedia Artists and Animators

Multimedia artists and animators are found working in a variety of industries, including cinema, television, video games, and more. They meet with clients and create both two-dimensional and three-dimensional designs to meet their needs. Multimedia artists and animators rely heavily on computer applications and programs to assist in developing their models.

• Minimum Educational Requirement: A bachelor’s degree in graphic design or a related artistic field is generally considered the minimum educational requirement for most animators and multimedia artists. Relevant work history and a portfolio are also highly preferred.
• Special Certifications and Licensures: No special certification or licensure is needed, although some firms may train employees on the particular programs needed to satisfactorily complete their work.

Art Salaries and Career Outlook Data

Art Associations and Organizations

After graduating with an art degree, students can join a number of associations and organizations offering professional support and advocacy. Listed below are some of the most popular:

• National Art Education Association (NAEA) — The NAEA is a professional organization of art educators practicing at all levels. They seek to advance the interests of art education in schools and promote greater understanding around the globe. This organization also advocates for public policy proposals and learning tools for art educators.
• AIGA — Formerly known as the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the AIGA changed its name in 2005 to be more inclusive of all design disciplines. The association supplies resources for designers and helps to set the standards for ethics and practice in design.

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• Archivists, Curators, and Museum Workers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2016-17 Edition, Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/curators-museum-technicians-and-conservators
• Craft and Fine Artists, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2016-17 Edition, Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/craft-and-fine-artists
• Graphic Designers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2016-17 Edition, Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/graphic-designers
• Multimedia Artists and Animators, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2016-17 Edition, Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/multimedia-artists-and-animators
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The highly ranked Department of Art’s degree programs provide creative students with the critical and artistic skills needed to excel in contemporary, multidisciplinary art and design practices. The art curriculum fosters positive collaboration, the creation of innovative and technically advanced art works, and encourages the sharing of diverse points of view. Students can pair t he BS Art degree with many different majors  on campus in order to work toward specific career goals.

Degree programs feature a rigorous foundation program, a set of six courses that students often complete by participating in the popular Contemporary Art & Artists First-Year Interest Group (FIG), before branching out into one or more  specialized areas :

• 4D Digital Media
• 4D Video and Performance
• Drawing/Painting
• Graphic Design
• Metals/Jewelry
• Printmaking/Book Arts
• Photography
• Wood/Furniture

The department offers five ways to complete a degree:

• The Bachelor of Science in Art degree
• The Bachelor of Science in Art degree with Graphic Design option
• The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree
• The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with Graphic Design option
• The Bachelor of Science in Art Education degree

Potential careers for artists include  creative director, content marketing manager, arts coordinator  and studio manager, ce ramics, glassblowing, metal fabrication, illustration, commercial or fine arts  photographer, primary/secondary school art teacher, gallerist, or studio artist. Our graduates also work  as community arts organizers, user experience designers, technical assis tants for major film companies,  jewelry designers and fabricators, book designers, museum preparators, and more !

The BFA degree is often selected by students wishing to develop a refined visual art portfolio in  preparation for a career as a professional artist or designer, and/or for graduate study. The BS-Art degree  requires 45 studio art credits, while the BFA requir es 72 studio art credits.

All studio art majors begin their undergraduate careers in the BS - Art program. After completing the  foundations and studio breadth coursework, and going through the proper advising steps, students can  declare one of the other a rt programs, such as a BFA or the BFA - Graphic Design Named Option.

The Bachelor of Science in Art Education provides essential preparation for careers in art education.  Graduates of the Art Ed program earn a BS - Art Education degree, a Wisconsin teaching licens e in K - 12 art  education, and gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence to teach the visual arts in public and private  schools, at the elementary and secondary levels, and in community settings such as art museums, maker  spaces and senior centers.

The Depa rtment of Art believes that hardworking students who learn to harness and nurture their  creative energies today will be the people influencing progress tomorrow. Come join us!

How to Get In

Program admission overview.

The Art–BS degree program currently admits on-campus students to begin in the fall, spring, and summer. Requirements and selection criteria may be modified from one application/admission period to the next. Potential applicants should consult the School of Education's Undergraduate Admissions page for eligibility requirements prior to submitting an application.

Entering the School of Education

Prospective uw–madison applicants.

The Office of Admissions and Recruitment makes final determinations regarding admission criteria and status of all applicants. Additional information, including submission guidelines, is available on the How to Apply page of the art department's website.

New and Current UW–Madison Students

New freshmen and off-campus transfers are admitted directly to the Art–BS degree program. Students planning on declaring the Art-BS: Graphic Design named option should first declare Art-BS The successful completion of ART 102 Two-Dimensional Design and ART 107 Introduction to Digital Forms is required to declare the named option. All other on-campus students interested in becoming Art students must follow the application procedures outlined below.

Prospective Transfer Students

Applicants not already enrolled on the UW–Madison campus must be admissible to the university to enroll in a School of Education program. Admission to UW–Madison requires a separate application and admission process. See UW–Madison  Office of Admissions and Recruitment  for application information. BFA candidates cannot transfer directly into the Art–BFA degree program; instead, they will be admitted to campus as if pursuing the Art–BS degree program (ART classification) and can apply for the BFA program once enrolled on campus. Transfer students are strongly encouraged to meet with the art department advisor prior to coming to campus; call 608-262-1660 to schedule an appointment. Prospective transfer students are strongly advised to meet with an advisor in the School of Education Student Services office in advance of their application; to schedule, call 608-262-1651.

Students With A Previous Degree

Prospective applicants who already hold an undergraduate degree are strongly encouraged to meet with an advisor in the School of Education Student Services office in advance of their application. Consultations with advisors are available in person or via telephone; to schedule, call 608-262-1651.

Applicants who already hold an undergraduate degree are admitted to the School of Education as either an  Education Special   student  or a  second degree student , depending on their interests and academic background. Admission as an Education Special student indicates that that the student has an interest in pursuing certification in a subject area studied during the initial degree; another degree is not awarded for this "certification only" coursework. Second degree students are seeking a second, unrelated degree from the School of Education, which may, or may not, include teacher certification. Candidates for limited enrollment programs must meet all admission eligibility requirements for the program and must compete with the eligible applicants for program admission. More information is available  here .

Application and Admission

On-campus students should contact an undergraduate advisor in the Department of Art to discuss their interest in pursuing the Art–BS degree program. This meeting is required and can be scheduled using Starfish, or by contacting the Department of Art at 608-262-1660. An application to the Art–BS degree program will be completed after this meeting.

Criteria for Admission

• Cumulative grade point average of at least a 2.5 based on UW–Madison campus coursework, as modified by the Last 60 Credits Rule (detailed below).
• If applying for named option in Graphic Design, successful completion of ART 102 Two-Dimensional Design and ART 107 Introduction to Digital Forms .
• Filing of all required paperwork, including professional program application and transcripts. Application must be signed by the art department advisor.

Last 60 Credits Rule

Two grade point averages will be calculated to determine candidates' eligibility to programs. GPAs will be calculated using

• all transferable college level coursework attempted, and
• the last 60 credits attempted.

The higher GPA of these two will be used for purposes of determining eligibility. If fewer than 60 credits have been attempted, all credits will be used to calculate the GPA. Graded graduate coursework will also be used in all GPA calculations. ("Attempted" coursework indicates coursework for which a grade has been earned.) For more information on this rule, see  this link .

University General Education Requirements

School of education liberal studies requirements, program structure, art foundations program, aesthetics requirements, required studio foundations courses, required studio breadth courses, art colloquium, advanced studio requirement, elective studio courses, areas of concentration.

• Art: Graphic Design, BS

Elective Coursework

Graduation requirements, degree audit (dars), university degree requirements.

All undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison are required to fulfill a minimum set of common university general education requirements to ensure that every graduate acquires the essential core of an undergraduate education. This core establishes a foundation for living a productive life, being a citizen of the world, appreciating aesthetic values, and engaging in lifelong learning in a continually changing world. Various schools and colleges will have requirements in addition to the requirements listed below. Consult your advisor for assistance, as needed. For additional information, see the university Undergraduate General Education Requirements section of the Guide .

All students are required to complete a minimum of 40 credits of Liberal Studies coursework. This requirement provides an opportunity to do some academic exploration beyond the scope of the major. Students take courses in areas of particular interest and also have an opportunity to sample the wide selection of courses offered across the university. Coursework is required in humanities, social studies, science, and cultural and historical studies. Some elective coursework is also needed to reach the required number of credits.

The School of Education’s Liberal Studies Requirements automatically satisfy most of the University General Education Requirements outlined above , including ethnic studies, humanities/literature, social studies, and science. Students pursuing most School of Education degree programs may also complete Communication Part B, Quantitative Reasoning Part A, and Quantitative Reasoning Part B through courses required by their degree program. If a student cannot complete a General Education Requirement within the curriculum of their chosen School of Education program, academic advisors can offer suggestions for courses that meet the requirement and augment the student’s primary area of study.

A basic outline of the liberal studies is included below. Students must consult the detailed version of the requirements for information about course selection and approved course options.

Humanities, 9 credits

All students must complete a minimum of 9 credits to include:

• Humanities Electives

Social Studies (Social Science)

All students must complete a minimum of 9 credits. Teacher certification programs and Kinesiology have unique requirements in this category.

• Biological Science
• Physical Science
• Laboratory Science
• Science Electives

Cultural and Historical Studies

All students must complete three requirements (9 credits) met by separate courses. Any of these courses can also be used to meet the Humanities or Social Studies (Social Sciences) requirements if it has the relevant breadth designation.

• Ethnic Studies
• U.S./European History
• Global Perspectives

Complete  Liberal Studies Electives to total 40 Credits.

The bachelor of science (BS) degree program in art has five components: 

• Liberal studies courses expose students to a broad range of academic disciplines. The university-wide General Education requirements also encourage this breadth of study.
• The Foundations Program requires six interrelated studio and aesthetics courses designed to prepare first-year students for further study in studio art and design.
• Aesthetics coursework gives students an opportunity to study both the history of art and contemporary developments in the visual arts.
• Major requirements permit in-depth studies of studio art. After taking courses in the Foundations area, students complete coursework in each of the four studio areas: 2D, 3D, 4D, and Graphics. BS–Art majors are required to reach an advanced level in at least one studio discipline.
• Elective credits to pursue individual areas of interest, such as a second major or additional studio credits. Many BS–Art students complete an additional major from the College of Letters & Science. Some use this major to complement their art preparation (e.g., focusing on written communication for an eventual career in advertising), or a subject that complements their interest in art. Students interested in medical illustration, for example, may wish to take courses in the biological sciences. Others select majors that reflect interests completely unrelated to art.

The Art Foundations Program is a series of interrelated studio and lecture courses to be taken by art and art education majors in their first year as preparation for further study in studio art and design. The program addresses the fundamentals of art through investigation of formal, technical and conceptual issues. The drawing, 2D and 3D design, digital media, and art historical lecture classes are designed to expose, broaden, and challenge students' understanding of contemporary art production.

Art foundations classes are meant to be taken concurrently and the information covered in them is interrelated. Students completing the Foundations Program should enroll in ART 102 Two-Dimensional Design , ART 212 Drawing Methods & Concepts , and ART 108 Foundations of Contemporary Art for the fall semester and complete ART 104 Three-Dimensional Design , ART 107 Introduction to Digital Forms , and ART 208 Current Directions in Art in the spring. 

Most freshman art majors complete their foundations courses through participation in the very popular  Contemporary Art and Artists First-Year Interest Group (FIG), which also creates a network of corresponding experiences and a peer community that will continue throughout the program and often beyond graduation. Students in FIGs enjoy studying with instructors dedicated to serving first year students, the opportunity to integrate related ideas from all three classes, and the ready-made opportunities to form support networks and lasting friendships.

Additional information about the Foundations Program is available on the departmental website.

 If taken prior to summer, 2018, ART 438 may count toward either the aesthetics or studio requirements, but not both. Effective summer, 2018, it may only count toward the aesthetics requirement. This course is designed for students pursuing graphic design.

Major Requirements

The requirements listed here are effective for students admitted to the program effective summer 2016. Students admitted prior to this time can find their major requirements listed in previous editions of the Undergraduate Catalog and on their DARS reports.

Complete a minimum of 45 studio credits, including the specific coursework below. No more than 58 studio credits will be counted toward the minimum 120 credits required for the BS degree. Thus, if a student wishes to graduate with the minimum of 120 credits, 62 of these credits must be "non-studio" coursework.

Major residency requirement: Students completing the BS degree must complete at least 24 credits of major studio coursework in residence on the UW–Madison campus. 

Art and BFA degree students have priority access to studio courses. Note: Some courses are offered for 3 or 4 credits; it is preferred that the course be taken for 4 credits.

Complete the following:

Select one course in each of the 2D, 3D, 4D, and Graphics areas. Students will also take ART 508 at least once and complete a 500-level or 600-level art studio course in at least one discipline.

Select one of the following:

Complete a 500-level or 600-level art studio course in at least one discipline. ART 508 , ART 608 , and ART 699 will not fulfill this requirement.

Select elective studio courses to reach the minimum of 45 credits.

Although a concentration is not required, students may wish to select a sequence of related courses to develop an area of interest.  Concentrations in multi-media, 2D studio, 3D studio, and printmaking are just some of the concentrations listed on the art department's website. Students wishing to concentrate in graphic design should declare the Graphic Design Named Option when eligible..

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BS–Art students must complete additional coursework to reach the minimum 120 credits required for the degree. These students must complete a minimum of 62 non-studio credits. Another way of describing this requirement is that only 13 additional studio credits beyond the required 45 credits can count toward the 120 credits. Students interested in completing more than 58 total studio credits may wish to consider the BFA degree program, which requires at least 72 studio credits.

Completing an additional major . Students choosing the BS–Art option often also choose to complete an additional major in the College of Letters & Science. Review  Academic Policies and Procedures to find detailed information about declaring an additional L&S major while a student in the School of Education.

Completing two degree programs . Students also occasionally choose a second degree in another campus school or college. For instance, students may choose an Art degree program as well as a science degree program in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. See Academic Policies and Procedures for more detailed information about the requirements and the approvals necessary to be permitted to complete dual degrees. Important note: Some campus schools/colleges do not permit dual degrees; at the present time this includes the College of Letters & Science and the College of Engineering. These policies do not permit students to complete, for example, an art degree program and a journalism degree program.

Students interested in additional majors or dual degrees should consult carefully with an advisor in the School of Education Student Services office. Students may be referred to the associate dean for additional consultation and approvals.

GPA and other Graduation Requirements

Requirements are based on UW–Madison coursework.

• 2.5 minimum cumulative grade point average. This may be modified by the Last 60 Credits Rule.
• Cumulative major grade point average: 2.5 cumulative grade point average in all major studio coursework.
• Upper-level major coursework: 2.5 cumulative grade point average in all upper-level major coursework (Art courses numbered 214 and above, excluding ART 236 and ART 338 ).
• Major Residency: Must complete at least 24 credits of major coursework in residence on the UW–Madison campus.
• Senior Residency: Degree candidates must complete their last 30 credits in residence on the UW–Madison campus, excluding retroactive credits and credits granted by examination.
• Total Credits: A minimum of 120 credits to include at least 62 non-studio credits are required for graduation in the Art–BS degree program.

UW–Madison uses “DARS” to document a student's progress toward the completion of their degree, including any additional majors and certificates. A DARS (Degree Audit Reporting System) report shows all the requirements for completing a degree and, against courses that are planned or completed, shows the requirements that have been met, and those that are unmet. A report can offer suggestions about courses that may be taken to meet specific requirements and can assist in the academic planning and enrollment process. Students can access a DARS report in the Course Search & Enroll app or Student Center via My UW.

DARS also has a "what-if" function. This feature makes it possible to request a DARS report as if pursuing another program, major, or certificate. It is an excellent tool if considering a new or additional area of study. School of Education students in a pre-professional classification such as Pre-Elementary (PRE) or Pre-Kinesiology should request a "what if" DARS report of their professional program of interest.

More information on how to request a DARS report is available on the Office of the Registrar’s website .

DARS is not intended to replace student contact with academic advisors. It creates more time in an advising appointment to discuss course options, research opportunities, graduate school, or issues of personal interest or concern to students.

DARS is used as the document of record for degree program, major, and certificate completion in the School of Education.

• Learning Outcomes
• Learn the fundamentals of art and design through investigation of form, technology and concept within a cohort of like-minded and diverse artists and designers.
• Develop skills in research, creative problem solving, and professional practices.
• Expand knowledge of historical, thematic, critical, and theoretical issues as a means of strengthening verbal and visual vocabulary.
• Demonstrate a broad understanding of distinct concepts and practices in two-dimensional media, three-dimensional media, four-dimensional media, and in a choice of printmaking, photography, or graphic design media.
• Demonstrate competency at an advanced level in at least one discipline of student's choice. (Graphic design named option: Generate advanced level competency in graphic design.)
• Four-Year Plan

Bachelor of Science in Art: Sample Four-Year Plan

This four-year sample graduation plan is designed to guide your course selection throughout your academic career; it does not establish a contractual agreement. Use it along with your DARS report, the Guide, and the Course Search and Enroll app to create a four-year plan reflecting your placement scores, incoming credits, and individual interests. Consult with your academic advisor(s) to develop a personalized plan of study and refer to the Guide for a complete list of requirements. You will likely revise your plan several times during your academic career here, based on your activities and changing academic interests.

 At least 62 “non-studio” credits must be taken to complete the BS Art degree. Aesthetics courses are considered to be non-studio. No more than 58 studio credits can be applied toward the 120 credits.

• Advising and Careers

Art Department Advising

Students declared in the BS–Art or BFA–Art major (including graphic design named options), as well as potential transfers into art, will meet with Undergraduate Art Program Advisor Matthew Mauk,  [email protected] , or through  [email protected] . 

Prospective freshmen and art studio/graphic design certificate students will meet with Prospective Student and Certificate Advisor Mercedes Brandt,  [email protected] , or through  [email protected] . 

Advisors are located at 6241 Humanities Building, 455 North Park Street.

Current Art majors can schedule an appointment with Matthew online through the  Starfish app  in MyUW. Certificate students can also use the Starfish app  to schedule an appointment with Mercedes. Appointments can also be made via email or, by calling 608-262-1660. Students are also strongly encouraged to confer with an advisor in the School of Education Student Services office on a regular basis, see below.

Academic Advising in the School of Education

Dedicated to supporting and promoting student success, academic advisors are here to assist students with the adjustment to college, understanding their degree and career goals, and connecting them to resources. Advisors support prospective and current School of Education students in all programs through:

• Course selection
• Mentoring and advocacy for underrepresented and international students
• Understanding degree requirements and progression
• Interpreting academic policies
• Helping students recognize their strengths and suggesting ways to expand their skills
• Expanding learning through activities such as study abroad, volunteering/work/internship, and by assuming leadership roles

To schedule an appointment: Current students can schedule an appointment online through the Starfish app in MyUW. Appointments can also be made through email at [email protected] , by calling 608-262-1651, or in person.

Career Advising in the School of Education

Through individual appointments, events, courses, and online resources, the Career Center provides students and alumni with the tools needed to be successful in their career development.

Career and Internship Advisors are prepared to help students with:

• Exploration of career and academic pathways
• Cover letters
• Job/Internship search
• Interview preparation
• Mock interviews
• Graduate school search, applications and decisions
• Negotiating job or internship offers
• Professional networking
• Connecting with employers

Students are encouraged to meet with their Career and Internship Advisor early in their college experience to take full advantage of the resources and support available.

To make an appointment: log into Starfish from the MyUW dashboard.

For more information, visit the School of Education Career Center website or reach out at [email protected] .

Potential careers for art majors include  animation, ceramics, glassblowing, metal fabrication, graphic and multimedia design, illustration, videography, photography, teaching, and gallery art. Our graduates also work as community arts organizers, user experience designers, medical imagists, technical assistants for major film companies, jewelry designers and fabricators, book designers, and more.

Students develop important skills that employers look for, including:

• Diverse forms of communication, personal expression and connection
• Collaboration
• Creative problem solving
• Adaptability, agility, and the ability to learn new skills quickly
• Passion for their craft

Applied experiences, including paid internships, apprenticeship programs, career treks, and professional networking events, are available to UW Art students.

Information about faculty, staff, and other contributors to the Department of Art can be found on the department's website .

• Wisconsin Experience

UW–Madison’s vision for the total student experience, the Wisconsin Experience , combines learning in and out of the classroom. Tied to the Wisconsin Idea and steeped in long-standing institutional values — the commitment to the truth, shared participation in decision-making, and service to local and global communities — the Wisconsin Experience describes how students develop and integrate these core values across their educational experience.

UW–Madison encourages students to mindfully engage in four core concepts throughout their time on campus: Empathy & Humility, Relentless Curiosity, Intellectual Confidence, and Purposeful Action .

Since its inception, the School of Education has embraced the concepts of the Wisconsin Experience, providing opportunities for students to learn in venues beyond the traditional classroom. Our students also independently seek out related activities and experiences, thus creating their own unique Wisconsin Experience.

Art and the Wisconsin Experience

The UW–Madison Art Department provides a wide range of opportunities for students on campus and beyond. Available resources include courses that connect with the community, job opportunities, the chance to show work, and the ability to manage campus student organizations. 

Visiting Artists

The Art Department is unique in its ability to bring in weekly visiting artists through the Art Colloquium series. A professional national or international artist comes to campus to provide an artist’s talk, studio visits, and general conversation about artmaking with students. Individual courses often bring in visiting artists throughout the semester to provide workshops on unique techniques from those who specialize in particular processes.

Career Advising and Internships

The School of Education Career Center has a designated advisor for art students who can provide connections with hourly campus employment, internships, and career options after graduation. The Art Department offers courses that focus on internships in the arts and many studios hire hourly workers who learn the basics of maintaining an artist’s studio space. The BFA capstone course also provides detailed instruction in writing a resume, cover letter, grant proposals, and residency applications.

Student Organizations

Student organizations are an excellent opportunity for art majors to establish connections with working artists, host workshops for the community, and raise funds for travel. Fresh Hot Press (printmaking), AIGA (graphic design), Mad Gaffers (glassblowing), and Art for Change (activism) are just a few of the art-related options . Student organizations are led by undergraduates and graduate students, with several using fundraising throughout the year to attend national conferences. Overall, there are multiple ways for undergraduates to refine their professional and technical skills in relation to their future career goals in the arts through student organizations.

Exhibiting Artwork

It is important for any artist to consistently show their work, and the Art Department does its part to provide this professional development to our students. Undergraduates have the opportunity to reserve one of our three large-scale galleries to install their work for documentation and submission of future exhibitions. Students also work with faculty to submit their pieces into galleries throughout Madison, Milwaukee, and nationally. The Art Department works with students in many ways to help promote their work and develop the skills necessary to establish a thriving career in the world of art.

• Resources and Scholarships

Information about scholarships, academic and career advising, study abroad opportunities, student diversity services, and other resources for students in the School of Education can be found on the school's Resources page.

• How to Get in
• Requirements

Contact Information

A`ha Vuong, Undergraduate Art Department Advisor [email protected] 608-262-1660 6241 Humanities Building 455 N. Park St., Madison, WI 53706

School of Education Student Services [email protected] 608-262-1651 Education Building, Suite 139 1000 Bascom Mall, Madison, WI 53706 https://education.wisc.edu/academics/undergrad-majors/academic-advising/

Department of Art 608-262-1660 6241 Humanities Building 455 N. Park St., Madison, WI 53706 https://art.wisc.edu/

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Art & Art History

Explore art and its impact on society

New: Please read the Art & Art History Department’s diversity statement .

The Art and Art History department offers:

• Art History
• Art History and Museum Studies

Featured course

Jump to level: All Art & Art History courses

by level: 100 • 200 • 300 • 400

Video: Art Department 101

Faculty publications & creative activities

“the history of the group exhibition from the harmon foundation to black male ” in the routledge companion to african american art history ed. eddie chambers.

Nicholas Miller, Assistant Professor of Art History

The Politics of Water in the Art and Festivals of Medici Florence: From Neptune Fountain to Naumachia by Felicia Else, Professor of Art History

Exhibition “Through Our Eyes” (spring 2020), digital exhibition by Austin Stiegemeier, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art

Ancient China and its Eurasian Neighbors: Artifacts, Identity and Death in the Frontier , Prof. Yan Sun co-authored with Katheryn M. Linduff, Wei Cao and Yuanqing Liu

Doing Great Work through summer Career-Ready Experiences

Gettysburg faculty publish eight major scholarly works in 2023-2024

What to expect in year one of the Guided Pathways

More stories

Student opportunities, schmucker art gallery.

Schmucker Art Gallery provides students the chance to learn the ropes behind Gallery and Museum work.

West Gallery

West Gallery provides a convenient and flexible exhibition space near the Painting and Drawing Studios.

Art House is a College House centered around celebrating the arts on campus.

Art Alliance

Art Alliance is a visual arts-oriented extracurricular club on campus.

Art and Art History Department Spotlight

• Request Information

Master of Arts in Art Education

The online Master of Arts in Art Education at Ohio State is designed to reignite your passion for teaching art while enhancing the learning experiences of your students. This program blends innovative and contemporary practices with a deep understanding of how art can be a powerful tool for creative expression and critical thinking.

This flexible and 100% online program allows you to advance your education without putting your career on hold. Whether you’re balancing classroom responsibilities, personal commitments, or both, the program’s structure lets you fit your studies around your schedule. The engaging curriculum focuses on contemporary art and social justice to challenge you both as an artist and an educator.

Additionally, the program offers an optional Education Abroad experience, allowing you to expand your cultural horizons and bring global perspectives into your classroom.

"I felt that through my own artmaking within this program, I walked away feeling empowered and inspired by my own work. I strive to help my students feel the same way"

"This program has allowed me to explore my own identity as an educator, a creator, a Latinx woman and an ally which has grown my desire to help others find their own connections with self through the exploration and making of art"

"Over the years teaching in various schools and studios, I have fallen in love with the process of sharing my art and my passion for the performing arts – notably, because I have seen how the arts can empower, encourage, and give students a voice"

"I am already implementing some of the strategies in my teaching practice, and, as a result, my lessons are more engaging and enriching for my students."

Frequently asked questions.

Please find key information about the Master of Arts in Art Education program below.

How many credit hours do students take per semester?

Those taking courses full-time can complete the program in three semesters. For part-time students, you can expect to complete the program in six semesters.

Do I need to be a licensed teacher to be accepted into the program?

Although many students are licensed teachers, this is not a pre-requisite for the program. Students may be art educators within the community, museums, or schools.

Do I need to complete a thesis for this program?

Students do not complete a thesis for the Masters of Art in Art Education program. They do however complete a a non-thesis research project applying their learnings to their classroom or other teaching context.

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Academic Calendar

The Master of Art in Art Education program offers convenient rolling admission for all 3 terms: Spring, Summer, and Autumn.

Spring 2025

Application Deadline December 9, 2024

Term Start Date January 6, 2025

Summer 2025

Application Deadline June 1, 2025

Term Start Date May 6, 2025

Autumn 2025

Application Deadline July 19, 2025

Term Start Date August 26, 2025

Admission Criteria

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum GPA of 3.0

Is this program offered in my state?

Click your state on the map below to view program availability.

The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement, also known as  SARA , establishes uniform standards for distance education for all participating states and institutions. Ohio State joined SARA in 2015, which means Ohio State can offer most online and on-ground courses and programs in  SARA member states, districts and territories without seeking authorization in each state.

Career Outlook

Whether you’re looking to grow in your current career or make a career change altogether, Ohio State’s online programs can help you achieve your goals. Learn what the outlook is for your current or next career move using O*Net’s My Next Move tool.

The Master of Arts in Art Education program offers a comprehensive and innovative approach to art education, designed to enhance both teaching and creative practice. It equips educators with the tools and knowledge to foster artistic expression and critical thinking in students, emphasizing contemporary methods and inclusivity.

ARTEDUC 7000.30 – Issues, Frameworks and Theories for Art Educators

Critically analyze articles that provide an overview of topics for art education research; graduate faculty research; national and international issues, and research resources.  

ARTEDUC 7604 — Teaching of Studio Activities

Students will create their own art in this course through innovative and contemporary  practices, while learning how to use their personal artmaking as a model for fostering creative thought and play in student artmaking.  

ARTEDUC 7607 – Curriculum Planning and Assessment in Art Education

Students in this course are guided in learning about approaches to curriculum development, what causes curriculum and assessment to change, the roles of arts in society, contemporary art, and arts integration. Students develop a unit of study guided by instructor and peer feedback.  

ARTEDUC 7767 – Critical Analysis of Multicultural Art Education

Investigation and analysis of multicultural theories, issues and practices for art education.  

ARTEDUC 7200.3 – Overview of Research for Arts Educators

Introduction to research methodologies in the field of arts education.  

ARTEDUC 7777 – Research to Advocacy

This course engages practicing arts educators in developing effective advocacy strategies, arguments and approaches grounded in reliable research and assessment measures. Educators clearly communicating these measures can effectively leverage them in persuading administrators, parents and policy makers to energetically support and advance the critical work of arts education. 

Understanding Online Course Types

As you research the right online program for you, you likely will come across the terms “asynchronous” and “synchronous.” Learn what these terms mean and how they’re important to consider when understanding how a program will fit into your life.

Program Faculty

Our distinguished faculty members bring a wealth of expertise and experience to the Master of Arts in Art Education program, each contributing to a dynamic and supportive learning environment. They are dedicated to advancing the field of art education through innovative teaching, groundbreaking research, and active engagement with diverse communities. With backgrounds in both traditional and non-traditional educational settings, our faculty members offer a rich blend of academic and practical knowledge. They are committed to preparing students to excel as leaders and advocates in the evolving landscape of art education.

Joni Boyd Acuff

PhD, Art Education, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 2011 MA, Community Based Art Education, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 2007 BS, Art Education, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, 2005 BA, Photography, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, 2005

Christine Ballengee Morris

JT Richardson

James Sanders

Clayton Funk

Testimonials

The  online Master of Arts in Art Education is designed for passionate educators who want to take their teaching and artmaking to the next level. The program is made up of a diverse cohort of artists with experience in the classroom, in the museum, on the stage, and in the community. Hear from real Ohio State Online students and graduates about their experience with the Master of Arts in Art Education program.

"Over the years teaching in various schools and studios, I have fallen in love with the process of sharing my art and my passion for the performing arts – notably, because I have seen how the arts can empower, encourage, and give students a voice,"

Get started.

Speak with a knowledgeable Enrollment Advisor who can help answer your questions and explain different aspects of the more than 70 online degrees and certificates offered at Ohio State.

Brandon University

2024/25, winter term, course-based contract opportunities – faculty of arts.

The Faculty of Arts is seeking qualified Contract Academic Staff (CAS) to teach the following courses at the Brandon University Campus for the 2024-25 Winter term. These courses may be delivered in an online synchronous format, but preference will be given to a qualified candidate who will teach in-person. Please apply by submitting a letter of application, curriculum vitae, evidence of teaching attainment, copies of transcripts, indication of Canadian citizenship or immigration status, and the names and contact information of three referees in a single pdf file to the Office of the Dean of Arts. The courses will run based on sufficient enrollment and budgetary approval. For exact course times, please consult the Registration Guide at https://www.brandonu.ca/registration/ .

Qualifications: Applicants must have successful teaching experience and relevant expertise in the specified area. They will hold a Master’s Degree in a related field, and those holding a Ph.D. or who are at the ABD stage may be preferred. Relevant professional experience will also be considered and applicants may seek to establish an experiential or traditional knowledge equivalency to graduate degrees. More information on how to establish equivalent academic or professional credentials is available through the Dean’s Office.

Salary: $6901.00 per 3 credit hour course.

Application deadline : A review of applications will begin September 15th, 2024, and the posting will remain open until positions are filled.

Please apply to the Office of the Dean of Arts at CampbellH@BrandonU.ca , and indicate for which course you are applying.

90.266 – Families and Society – WINTER A study of the interrelations between societal changes and the institution of the family. Approaches utilized will consider both historical trends and cross-cultural patterns in the family, the influence of subcultures, alternative lifestyles, and family violence. Cross-registered with (Gender and Women’s Studies) 36:266.

90.463 – Body Studies – WINTER This course is a senior seminar designed to build on canonical and contemporary sociological, queer, and feminist theory. In this course, we will grapple with the following questions: What is the body? Is the body natural? What do bodies tell us about ourselves, about others? What kinds of information can we glean from the body? How is embodiment and identity connected? What is the history of classifying the body and bodily differences? How do bodily differences connect to social inequality? How is stigma mapped onto the body? What are acceptable bodily differences? Which are unacceptable? How can the body be in space? How can we be in spaces with other bodies? Cross-registered with (Gender & Women’s Studies) 36:463.

Issued August 30, 2024

Brandon University is committed to equity, welcomes diversity, and hires on the basis of merit. All qualified individuals who may contribute to the diversification of the University, especially women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous persons, racialized persons, and persons of all sexual orientations and genders are encouraged to apply. Canadian citizens and permanent residents are given priority. Evidence of citizenship must be provided.

We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free work environment. This starts with the hiring process. Should you require an accommodation during any phase of the recruitment process, contact HR at hr@brandonu.ca . All information received related to an accommodation is kept confidential. To ensure this employment opportunity is accessible to all interested individuals, this posting is available in an alternate format upon request.

Employment Opportunities

• Employment Opportunities – Open Positions
• Application Form (not required for Faculty positions)

Human Resources Room 337, Clark Hall 270 - 18th Street Brandon, Manitoba R7A 6A9

Phone: (204) 727-9782 Fax: (204) 726-1957 Email: hr@brandonu.ca

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