Major & Minor Requirements

Major Requirements

A major in art and art history includes coursework in studio art and in the history of art. In addition to the general graduation requirements, a minimum of 10 units is necessary for the major; the maximum number of units allowable is 14. This includes both transfer units and courses taken abroad. Transfer students are required to take at least 6 units of credit in the department. All art and art history majors are expected to obtain a minimum grade point average of 2.0 in department courses, although a better-than-average grade level is recommended.

* Students may take more than the minimum of 10 courses in Art and Art History.  However, the registrar may not give credit toward graduation for more than 14 courses in a single academic department. 

A. Art History Concentration: 10 units (8 art history/2 studio)

Studio:

  • Drawing I (AAH 131) and (1) studio elective

Art History: 

  • Survey of Art History I or II (not both)
  • (7) other art history courses:
    • (1) non-Western art history course
    • (1) must be a 300- or 400- level course
    • (1) must be a 400- level course

* One semester of foreign language at the 200- level course or higher may replace one 200-level art history course.

Students interested in attending graduate school in art history are strongly encouraged to study at least one foreign language appropriate to their areas of interest.

B. Studio Art Concentration: 10 units (7 studio/3 art history)

Students interested in a Studio Art Concentration should plan to take AAH 131 Drawing I, the pre-requisite for upper-level studio art courses, as soon as possible.

Studio:

  • Drawing I
  • (5) studio electives. Students must take courses in at least two different media. Students must also have two semesters of study in at least one specific media/area.
  • AAH 460 Senior Seminar in Visual Arts. Offered each spring semester.

Art History:

  • Survey of Art History I or II (not both)
  • (2) upper-level art history courses.

Students interested in pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree are strongly encouraged to take a modern or comtemporary art history course.

C.  Combined Concentration (Art History/Studio Art): 10 units (5 art history/5 studio)

  • Drawing I
  • Survey of Art History I or II (not both)
  • (8) upper-level courses split evenly between art history and studio (4/4)
    • at least 2 of these 8 courses must be at the 300- or 400-level

Minor Requirements

Minor: 6 units

  • Drawing I
  • One Art History course (any level)
  • (4) other courses with diversity of selection

** Students participating in the New York City Semester Program will receive (1) credit for the Arts Management course (NC248G). This credit will replace one of the electives in their concentration.

Distribution-Credit Courses

The department offers courses to a large number of undergraduates each term; these are intended to satisfy the needs of both majors and non-majors. Below are the courses that fulfill specific distributions:

ARTS (ARTS):

  • AAH 116 Survey of Art History I
  • AAH 117 Survey of Art History II
  • All studio art courses

HUMANITIES (HU):

  • AAH 202 Italian Renaissance Art
  • AAH 203 Northern Renaissance Art
  • AAH 204 Baroque and Rococo Art
  • AAH 206 Art of the Middle Ages
  • AAH 212 Icons of Islamic Architecture
  • AAH 217 Buddhist Art and Ritual
  • AAH 218 Arts of South Asia
  • AAH 256 Art and Nature
  • AAH 319 Gender Issues in Asian Art

DIVERSITY (DIV13)

  • AAH 212 Icons of Islamic Architecture
  • AAH 217 Buddhist Art and Ritual
  • AAH 218 Arts of South Asia
  • AAH 319 Gender Issues in Asian Art