Art History Bachelor of Arts degree

Degree Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Art History

Total credit hours required: 42+ Visiting Artist Program

Core: (15+ credit hours)

ART 100Visual Concepts

3

ARTH 101Art in Culture from Prehistory to 1400

3

ARTH 102Art in Culture from 1400 to the Present

3

ARTH 350Art History Theory and Methods

3

ARTH 355Writing About Art

3

27 credit hours of electives distributed as follows:

  • 6 credit hours of 200-level Art History courses: one course in Ancient, Precolumbian, Medieval or Renaissance art and one course in Modern, Postmodern or Contemporary art
  • 6 credit hours of 300-level Art History courses: one course in Ancient, Precolumbian, Medieval or Renaissance art and one course in Modern, Postmodern or Contemporary art
  • 6 credit hours of 200 or 300-level Art History electives
  • 3 credit hours of Art History Practicum (Capstone experience): ARTH 490 - Learning Assistant, ARTH 460 - Gallery Practicum or ARTH 499 - Internship
  • 6 credit hours of ARTS courses as advised
  • Only 3 credit hours of ARTS 490 or ARTS 497 allowed to complete degree requirements

Additional Degree Requirements

All Art History majors (except for double majors) are required to complete a minor or a full-semester study abroad program. Each student selects a minor in consultation with an advisor. Students may minor in Visual Arts and New Media but must complete four (4) studio art courses beyond the two (2) required for the Art History major in order to complete the minor.

All Art History majors who plan to study at the graduate level are strongly advised to complete a Senior Thesis.  This capstone paper is typically initiated in ARTH 355: Writing about Art and completed in a later ARTH 495: Independent Study.  Students should discuss this option with Art History faculty during the junior year of study.  Senior Thesis topics must meet required guidelines and be approved by art history faculty.

All Art History majors are strongly advised to pursue a foreign language beyond the requirement for the College Core Curriculum (CCC). Majors interested in pursuing graduate studies in art history should reach the intermediate to advanced level, preferably in French, Italian or German. All Art History majors are also strongly advised to study abroad at some point during their undergraduate career.