Art and Design B.A. – Art History Emphasis

This program is not currently accepting applications for admission.

College of Performing and Visual Arts

Location: Guggenheim 101

Telephone: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Website: https://arts.unco.edu/art/

Advising Information:

Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.

To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information. 

Contact the Art office for more information.

The program consists of three parts:

1. Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
2. Required Major Credits
3. University-Wide Credits

Program Description:

The art history emphasis is a program preparing the student for an academic career in Art History, and provides the student with the basic skills needed for graduate level coursework. This emphasis requires the student to be competent in the visual arts, including an understanding of artistic techniques, styles, historical context and various research methodologies. The student will also demonstrate competency of an appropriate foreign language for continual research and scholarly development.

Program Admission Requirements:

Academic Good Standing

Program Requirements:

• New Art & Design students must complete the Foundation requirements before they can begin their advanced art studies. The Foundation Courses include ART 181, ART 182, ART 183, ART 184, and ART 234.
• Art & Design majors must pass a foundations portfolio review upon completion of ART 181, ART 182, ART 183, ART 184, and ART 234. Passing the portfolio review is required to take upper level courses in the School of Art & Design.
• Transfer students who have articulated coursework from another institution will only submit artwork completed in courses taken at UNC. Students who have completed ART 181, ART 182, ART 183, ART 184, and ART 234 at another accredited university are exempt from the portfolio review.
• Students need to achieve an overall rating of 3.0 or higher on the assessment rubric in order to advance in the program. Students who do not meet the minimum 3.0 may rework and resubmit the foundation portfolio by the announced deadline in a given semester for reconsideration. Those who do not meet the minimum requirements after resubmission are encouraged to meet with an advisor to discuss options for completing a degree at UNC.
• An exit level Art History research paper is required prior to graduation. Students will be evaluated through a defense of their thesis by committee during their last semester of their senior year. Students will also be evaluated on their knowledge and successful demonstration of academic research and methodology skills.

Degree Requirements — 120 Credits

1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 credits

To complete the degree in 120 credits as outlined, the program recommends the below LAC courses that also count toward the 63 required major credits.

Any additional coursework completed outside of the recommended list below may extend the length of the program of study.

Written Communication — 6 credits

Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.

See Written Communication courses

Mathematics — 3 credits

Select any course to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.

See Mathematics courses

Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies, and International Studies — 15 credits

To complete the LAC in the minimum number of credits, be sure to choose at least one course with an IS designation and one course with an MS designation.

ART 181 (3), ART 182 (3), and ART 185 (3) are recommended to fulfill Arts & Humanities requirement and the additional 3 credits required in Arts & Humanities or History or Social & Behavioral Sciences and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements. 

Students are encouraged to choose a History course with an IS designation, and choose a Social and Behavior Sciences course with an MS designation. 

See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses

Natural & Physical Sciences — 7 credits

Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.

See Natural & Physical Sciences courses

See Liberal Arts Curriculum

2. Required Major — 63 credits

Take all of the following courses:

First complete the following five Freshman Foundation Courses:

ART 181	Ancient Art HistoryLAA1	3
ART 182	Medieval to Rococo Art HistoryLAA1	3
ART 183	2D Design	3
ART 184	3D Design	3
ART 234	Drawing I	3

Complete the following courses:

ART 185	Neoclassic to Modern Art HistoryLAA1	3
ART 224	Research and Writing in the Visual Arts	3
ART 489	Contemporary Art	3

Art History Core (12 credits)

Choose four of the following courses:

ART 482	Arts of Indigenous People	3
ART 484	Asian Art History	3
ART 486	Renaissance Art	3
ART 495	Topics in Art	1- 4
ART 496	Art of the Twentieth Century	3

ART Electives (15 credits)

Take five ART prefix courses.

Foreign Language: (Choose 9 credits)

Directed Art History Study

Choose 3 credits from the following courses:

ART 492	Internship in Art	1- 5
ART 422	Directed Studies in Art	1- 4

ART 422: (Research, internship, or other academic experience)

3. University-Wide Credits — 26 credits*

Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for any degree at UNC; for this program, that will typically be 26 credits.

*Note: Students who apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum and the major requirements will have an increased number of university wide electives to apply to this degree. See your advisor for details.