Visual Arts Degree Programs & Minors
Majors
Art History
Bachelor of Arts
Beginning with foundational art and art history classes, the art history program provides its students with in-depth explorations into the visual and material cultures of past and present civilizations. The program promotes visual literacy expressed through research, vibrant discussions, and critical writing. Further, the global approach to the degree and the interdisciplinary nature of art history will prepare graduates for a variety of culturally rich career paths or graduate school.
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Art Studio
Bachelor of Arts
You love art. You love making art, working with your hands, making personal or social statements with paint, clay, ink, a camera. You're looking for a program where you can explore many media and choose a focus, culminating with the production of a body of work exhibited in our beautiful gallery space and preparing you to enter the art world or graduate school. This program is it. Students of this program have the ability to craft Art Studio degree tracks in Ceramics, Drawing, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, or a combination multiple interests.
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Graphic Design
Bachelor of Arts
Our graphic design students are thinkers, seekers, problem-solvers, and makers. B.A. majors in graphic design will have a broad based, liberal arts education that also emphasizes thinking and creating using the technology and tools of the field and the principles and styles of visual communication as a whole. Students study typography, print design, advertising, graphic design history, and web design while choosing from studio art electives that include print making, photography, color theory, and more. The B.A. curriculum also permits students to customize their degree with the addition of a second major or a minor of their choosing.
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Visual Art
Bachelor of Fine Arts
By pursuing the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Art, you will be immersed in a program that is conceptually driven and holistic in practice. This degree focuses on the mastery of diverse technical skills, the development of dynamic visual communication across multiple media, and an understanding of contemporary art practices.
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Visual Communication Design
Bachelor of Fine Arts
The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Visual Communication Design is a professional degree for graphic designers seeking a more focused, design intensive curriculum that simulates a professional studio experience. As members of a small cohort, students participate in extensive design research methods and complete a variety of individual and collaborative projects under close direction from our award winning faculty. The BFA degree in Visual Communication Design provides a rigorous, sequenced studio approach to design thinking, concepts, and problem solving, preparing students to excel in a dynamic industry. Students in the program take courses on typography, motion, interactive design, branding, environmental design, art, art history, and more.
Learn more about our B.F.A. in Visual Communication Design »
Minors
Turbo-charge your major with a minor from the Department of Visual Arts! The Department of Visual Arts allows students from within the department as well as students majoring in other areas to customize their degrees with unique minors. Our majors can easily benefit from one of these minors through credit sharing. Credit sharing can help you graduate on time and still tailor your degree with a minor (or two!).
Art History
This minor can be earned in 18 credit hours and will provide any student with a broad foundation in the discipline from a global perspective. The analytical, writing, and research skills acquired with an art history minor can augment and customize the knowledge from many majors, such as art studio, history, graphic design, political science, management, and more. Further, this combination can lead to a variety of careers such as museum work, collections management, exhibit design, and even art crime and insurance investigation.
Art Studio
For Graphic Design Majors
This 18-credit-hour minor is specifically designed for Graphic Design majors. As a major in the Department of Visual Arts, a strong arts foundation is guaranteed regardless of area. As a Graphic Design Major seeking an Art Studio Minor, stronger technical and conceptual art-making skills are further developed in the medium of your choosing—ceramics, paintings, drawing, metals. The Art Studio Minor complements the skills acquired with a Graphic Design Major, giving your degree a competitive edge.
Art Studio
For Non-Art Studio Majors
The Art Studio Minor can be earned with the successful completion of 18 credit hours, providing the student with a solid foundation in 2-D art, 3-D art, and drawing, followed by a couple of 200-level courses of the student’s choosing and from a variety of media. This minor can complement other majors, such as art history, management, education, or psychology, to name a few, and lead to careers in museum work, arts management, art education, or art therapy.
Graphic Design
For Art Studio Majors
This 18-credit-hour minor is intended for art studio majors. Due to the requirements of art studio, these majors will already have a strong foundation in studio practices and, therefore, could customize their major by developing graphic design skills offered in this minor. Art studio majors will paint, draw, and sculpt, but with a minor, such students will also learn web-design, photography, and desktop publishing, and, thus, expand their career possibilities.
Graphic Design
for Non-Art Studio Majors
This 18-credit-hour minor is designed for students in other disciplines, such as Communications, Marketing, or Digital Culture and Design, who are interested in tailoring their major with the unique skills acquired by studying art and design. With a broad foundation in studio and design, the minor complements many majors and can help lead to careers involving social media research and marketing or web design and advertising.
Photography
A photography minor can be earned with the successful completion of 18 credits. The minor in photography will introduce students to a broad range of photographic processes and conceptual practices. In addition to the required courses for the minor, students are encouraged to take classes in digital photography to add to their breadth of knowledge. A photography minor can be paired with many majors both within the Visual Arts department (such as with Graphic Design or Art Studio) as well as outside the department, such as Communication or Marketing and Hospitality, Resort and Tourism Management.