History of Art

The only prerequisite for entry into Art History is successful completion of ARTH 2000 Art Worlds with a grade of C or above. The major in art history requires 10 courses, 9 of which must be above the 1000 level. Courses taken at any time during the student’s career can be counted, regardless of when or where the coursework was conducted, including dual-enrollment courses, transfer credits, study abroad opportunities, those studied during summer session and/or in architectural history. By graduation, a student must have achieved a minimum GPA of 2.000 in major courses. (A student who does not maintain an average of 2.000 or better in departmental courses will be put on probation and may be dropped from the program.) No course graded below C- may count for major credit.

Distribution Requirements

Students must complete one course focused upon material before and after the year 1500 at the 2000-level or above. Students must also complete one course focused upon the cultural historical traditions of Africa, Asia or Indigenous peoples. Please note: a single course may not satisfy more than one of these three requirements. 

Any two 4000-level courses count as capstone experiences in Art History, but may not be used to satisfy one of the three requirements above. These include opportunities in Arts Administration, art historical or architectural historical seminars, DMP preparation, and investigations of advanced skills or topics which rotate on an annual basis. In addition to the two capstone courses, two courses must be at the 3000 level or above. 3000-level courses may satisfy any other requirement.

Students may count toward the major: one ARTH course at the 1000 level including AP credit with a score of 4 or 5; one course in Studio Art (ARTS); courses in Architectural History at the 2000 level or above; ARAD coursework.

The Department’s Distinguished Majors Program (DMP) is an opportunity for qualified undergraduates to undertake substantial, independent research projects while working closely with department faculty. Participants are prepared for advanced independent research and analysis by a required seminar in art historical theory, methods, and historiography. The program culminates in the submission of a DMP capstone project consisting of a significant piece of original research, such as a text with a length of about fifty pages, a digital humanities project, and exhibition project, etc. Students who successfully complete the program receive departmental honors, with a degree of Distinction, High Distinction, or Highest Distinction in art history.

 

Students should ordinarily declare their intention to apply for admission to the program by the end of the spring semester of their third year with formal application for admission to the program submitted to the director of the Distinguished Majors Program. To apply, students must have the approval of a faculty member who has agreed to direct their research. A GPA of at least 3.4 in the major and an overall GPA of at least 3.4 are required for admission.

 

In the fall of their third or fourth year, students enroll in ARTH 4051, DMP students in the program are required to enroll in six credits of Undergraduate Thesis coursework with their faculty advisor. ARTH 4998 is taken in the Fall semester and ARTH 4999 in the Spring semester. Once capstone projects are submitted, a committee of department faculty determines degrees of distinction. This evaluation depends above all on the level of accomplishment the project has attained, considered in tandem with the students’ overall performance in the major. In the case that a project fails to meet departmental standards, a determination of no distinction may be made. The committee passes on its recommendations to the Committee on Special Programs.