Degree Requirements - Art History and Criticism; Art Studio

Requirements for the Major in Studio Art (ARS)

The major in Studio Art leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. All courses offered for the major must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher. Completion of the major requires 57 credits.

1. Two introductory art history courses:
ARH 101 Art in Culture from Prehistoric Times to the Age of the Cathedrals, ca. 1400 A.D.
ARH 102 Art in Culture from the Early Renaissance, ca. 1400, to Postmodernism

2. ARS 154 Foundations of Drawing

3. ARS 208 Technology in the Arts or ARS 225 Introductory Electronic Media

4. ARH 342 Art of the 20th Century

5. At least six additional credits in art history/criticism, of which at least three must be in modern (i.e., one
course from ARH 322, ARH 324, ARH 330, ARH 331, ARH 332, ARH 333, ARH 334, ARH 335, ARH 336, ARH 344, or ARH 345)

6. Thirty-six additional credits in studio art. Twelve of the required studio credits must be in upper-division courses and twelve must be in one of the following areas of concentration:


7. Upper-Division Writing Requirement: Students must demonstrate acceptable writing skills before they graduate. Before the end of the second semester of his or her junior year, each student majoring in Studio Art must submit to the director of undergraduate studies three term papers for art history courses together with each instructor’s satisfactory evaluation, confirming that the paper demonstrates advanced writing proficiency suitable for studio art majors. At least two of the papers must have been written for upper-division courses and for different instructors. The student must notify the instructor before each paper is turned in that it is intended to satisfy this requirement in addition to the course requirements. A student anticipating or experiencing difficulty in satisfying this requirement should seek the advice of the
director of undergraduate studies as soon as possible.

Honors Program in Art

The honors program is open to seniors majoring in Art History and Criticism or Studio Art who have maintained a grade point average of at least 3.00 overall and 3.50 in the major. The student should
apply for the honors program before the beginning of the senior year. The student must find a faculty member of the Department to act as sponsor. The student, with the approval of the sponsor, must submit a proposal of a project, in writing, to the Department. Acceptance into the honors program depends on the
approval of the proposal by the Department. Selected students for the program must enroll in ARH 495 or ARS 495 for the semester in which they pursue their project.

In the art history/criticism field, the student’s research project is supervised by the honors advisor. In the studio art field, the student is expected to prepare a small one-person show or similar project (i.e., one large, more ambitious work) in lieu of a thesis, under the supervision of the honors advisor. The student’s project is judged by a jury composed of at least two members of the Department of Art and a faculty member from another department. This pertains to students in both the Art History and Criticism and Studio Art majors. If the honors program is completed with distinction, and the student achieves a 3.50 grade point average in all art courses taken in the senior year, honors are conferred.

Requirements for the Minor in Studio Art (ARS)

All courses offered for the minor must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher. Completion of the minor in Studio Art requires 21 credits.

1. ARS 154 Foundations of Drawing

2. Eighteen additional studio credits, of which at least nine must be upperdivision