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Department of Art

Major and Minor

Explore and Discover. The Department of Art offers a rigorous, socially minded, and research-driven curriculum. Students engage in an immersive laboratory of fearless experimentation and challenge the rapidly expanding role of art in our society. Through radical methodologies and trans-disciplinary thinking, students utilize a range of artistic disciplines in a state-of-the-art facility.

The Major in Art

The art major requires 30 credit hours and presents students with the opportunity to explore their ideas conceptually, as well as to learn the technical skills involved in the creation of art. The program offers a wide range of classes and media. Our diverse faculty of artist/educators represents a wide range of teaching styles and aesthetic philosophies. We consider how ideas have been developed through the centuries as well as how specific techniques have been used to enrich the expression of the idea.

Many students will use the program in art as a foundation for careers that value design, creativity, visual thinking, and creating problem solving.

Requirements

Foundation Requirement (3 credit hours)

  • ARTS 1101: Intro to Studio, ARTS 1102: Drawing and Composition I, or ARTS 1104: Intro to Lens-Based Art

Studio Requirement (15 credit hours)

  • Any ARTS courses with the exception of ARTS 1099 and ARTS 1800.

Within the 15 credit hours, students must take at least one 2000-level or higher ARTS course.

Related Requirement (6 credit hours)

  • Must include one course of each of the following:
    • ARTS 1800: Sources of Contemporary Art
    • Any HART course or one course from the following: ARTS 1099; CMA 1600, 2300; PHIL 3014

The department highly recommends taking ARTS 1800: Sources of Contemporary Art prior to the senior year.

Directed Study (6 credit hours):

  • ARTS 3970: Directed Study: Senior Show and Contemporary Practices
  • ARTS 3971: Independent Research: Senior Show

Majors are required to complete the Independent Research course, ARTS 3971, their senior year. This course is designed specifically to help prepare majors for their Senior Show and is typically taken in the second semester of the senior year. No other independent research/study course may be counted toward the major.

The Minor in Art

The minor in art can be a wonderful compliment to a wide variety of majors. The creative process and visual thinking skills learned through an art minor is beneficial for many disciplines.

Requirements

The minor in art requires 18 credit hours of course work, including the following:

  • HART 1105 or ARTS 1800
  • ARTS 1102: Drawing and Composition I
  • Four other ARTS courses, with at least one at the 2000-or-higher level

Declaring a Major or Minor

Students can declare a major or minor by completing a Declaration of Major/Minor form. See the Major/Minor Declaration User Guide for more information.