The highly ranked Department of Art’s degree programs provide creative students with the critical and artistic skills needed to excel in contemporary and multidisciplinary art and design practices. The art curriculum fosters positive collaboration, the creation of innovative and technically-advanced artworks, and encourages the sharing of diverse points of view.
Approximately 17 of the 45 required studio credits for a Bachelor of Science in Art are spent in intermediate and advanced-level studio courses, allowing students to graduate with a high-intermediate level portfolio. The smaller number of studio credits required in the BS-Art degree affords the flexibility for students to pursue second majors, certificates, or simply take more courses in other areas of academic interest. This degree can be completed in four years.
All degree programs in art feature a rigorous foundation program, a set of six courses that students often complete by participating in the popular Contemporary Art & Artists First-Year Interest Group (FIG), before branching out into one or more specialized areas:
- 4D Digital Media
- 4D Video and Performance
- Ceramics
- Drawing/Painting
- Glass/Neon
- Graphic Design
- Metals/Jewelry
- Printmaking/Book Arts
- Photography
- Sculpture
- Wood/Furniture
Potential careers for artists include
The Department of Art believes that hardworking students who learn to harness and nurture their creative energies today will be the people influencing progress tomorrow. Come join us!
"I came in as a Communication Arts major and knew I wanted to get an Art certificate. Then, through the art classes at UW, I was like, this is where I need to be and went full Art [major] my sophomore year." – Wylie Knight (read more)
How to Get In
Program Admission Overview
The Art–BS degree program currently admits on-campus students to begin in the fall, spring, and summer. Requirements and selection criteria may be modified from one application/admission period to the next. Potential applicants should consult the School of Education's Undergraduate Admissions page for eligibility requirements prior to submitting an application.
Entering the School of Education
Prospective UW–Madison Applicants
The Office of Admissions and Recruitment makes final determinations regarding admission criteria and status of all applicants. Additional information, including submission guidelines, is available on the How to Apply page of the art department's website.
New and Current UW–Madison Students
New freshmen and off-campus transfers are admitted directly to the Art–BS degree program. Students planning on declaring the Art-BS: Graphic Design named option should first declare Art-BS The successful completion of ART 102 2D Foundations and ART 107 Introduction to Digital Forms is required to declare the named option. All other on-campus students interested in becoming Art students must follow the application procedures outlined below.
Prospective Transfer Students
Applicants not already enrolled on the UW–Madison campus must be admissible to the university to enroll in a School of Education program. Admission to UW–Madison requires a separate application and admission process. See UW–Madison Office of Admissions and Recruitment for application information. BFA candidates cannot transfer directly into the Art–BFA degree program; instead, they will be admitted to campus as if pursuing the Art–BS degree program (ART classification) and can apply for the BFA program once enrolled on campus. Transfer students are strongly encouraged to meet with the art department advisor prior to coming to campus; call 608-262-1660 to schedule an appointment. Prospective transfer students are strongly advised to meet with an advisor in the School of Education Student Services office in advance of their application; to schedule, call 608-262-1651.
Students With A Previous Degree
Prospective applicants who already hold an undergraduate degree are strongly encouraged to meet with an advisor in the School of Education Student Services office in advance of their application. Consultations with advisors are available in person or via telephone; to schedule, call 608-262-1651.
Applicants who already hold an undergraduate degree are admitted to the School of Education as either an Education Special student or a second degree student, depending on their interests and academic background. Admission as an Education Special student indicates that that the student has an interest in pursuing certification in a subject area studied during the initial degree; another degree is not awarded for this "certification only" coursework. Second degree students are seeking a second, unrelated degree from the School of Education, which may, or may not, include teacher certification. Candidates for limited enrollment programs must meet all admission eligibility requirements for the program and must compete with the eligible applicants for program admission. More information is available here.
Application and Admission
On-campus students should contact an undergraduate advisor in the Department of Art to discuss their interest in pursuing the Art–BS degree program. This meeting is required and can be scheduled using Starfish, or by contacting the Department of Art at 608-262-1660. An application to the Art–BS degree program will be completed after this meeting.
Criteria for Admission
- Cumulative grade point average of at least a 2.5 based on UW–Madison campus coursework, as modified by the Last 60 Credits Rule (detailed below).
- If applying for named option in Graphic Design, successful completion of ART 102 2D Foundations and ART 107 Introduction to Digital Forms.
- Filing of all required paperwork, including professional program application and transcripts. Application must be signed by the art department advisor.
Last 60 Credits Rule
Two grade point averages will be calculated to determine candidates' eligibility to programs. GPAs will be calculated using
- all transferable college level coursework attempted, and
- the last 60 credits attempted.
The higher GPA of these two will be used for purposes of determining eligibility. If fewer than 60 credits have been attempted, all credits will be used to calculate the GPA. Graded graduate coursework will also be used in all GPA calculations. ("Attempted" coursework indicates coursework for which a grade has been earned.) For more information on this rule, see this link.
University Requirements
All undergraduate students must complete both the following Core General Education (Core GenEd) and University Degree and Quality of Work requirements. The requirements below apply to students whose first term at UW-Madison or whose earliest post-high school college attendance at any institution is Summer 2026 or later.
Students whose first term at UW-Madison or whose earliest post-high school college attendance at any institution occurred before Summer 2026 should refer to the archived Guide for the requirements that apply to them.
Core General Education (Core GenEd) Requirements
| Civics & Perspectives | 3 credits of Civics & Perspectives coursework. |
| Communication & Literacy | 6 credits of Communication & Literacy coursework. This requirement may be partially satisfied by a qualifying placement test score. More information: https://go.wisc.edu/qualifyingenglishplacement |
| Humanities & Arts | 6 credits of Humanities & Arts coursework. |
| Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning | 6 credits of Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning coursework. This requirement may be partially satisfied by a qualifying placement test score. More information: https://go.wisc.edu/qualifyingmathplacement |
| Natural Science & Wellness | Complete both:
|
| Social & Behavioral Science | 3 credits of Social & Behavioral Science coursework. |
| Total Credits | 30 credits. |
For more information see the policy.
University Degree and Quality of Work Requirements
All undergraduate degree recipients must complete the following minimum requirements. Requirements for some programs will exceed these requirements; see program requirements for additional information.
| Total Degree | 120 degree credits. |
| Residency | Complete 30 credits in residence. A course is considered “in residence” if it is taken when in undergraduate degree-seeking status and:
|
| Quality of Work | Achieve at least the minimum grade point average specified by the school, college, and/or academic program. |
| Math | Demonstrate minimal mathematics competence by: |
| English Language | If required to take the UW-Madison English as a Second Language Assessment Test (MSN-ESLAT), demonstrate minimal English language competence by:
|
| Language | Complete one:
|
| Major Declaration | Declare and complete the requirements for at least one major. |
School of Education Degree Requirements
Communication: Breadth and Depth
Courses designated as Communication A (Comm A) and Communication B (Comm B) help students learn how to gather and assess information from a variety of sources and to present different kinds of information, insight, and analysis to diverse audiences. Comm A courses focus on essential communication skills and Comm B courses teach research, writing, and communication skills within a disciplinary area.
| Communication A | Complete either:
|
| Communication B | One course with the Communication B designation. |
Quantitative Reasoning: Breadth and Depth
Quantitative Reasoning A courses provide students with foundational skills in mathematics, computer science, statistics or formal logic that are needed for dealing with quantitative information. In Quantitative Reasoning B courses, students use quantitative tools in the context of other disciplines or course material.
| Quantitative Reasoning A | Complete either:
|
| Quantitative Reasoning B | One course with the Quantitative Reasoning B designation. |
Liberal Studies Requirements
All students are required to complete a minimum of 40 credits of Liberal Studies coursework. This requirement provides an opportunity to do some academic exploration beyond the scope of the major. Students take courses in areas of particular interest and also have an opportunity to sample the wide selection of courses offered across the university. Coursework is required in humanities, social studies (social science), science, and cultural and historical studies. Some elective coursework is also needed to reach the required number of credits.
The School of Education’s Liberal Studies requirements can be used to satisfy the campus-wide Core General Education requirements. Communication A and B, and Quantitative Reasoning A and B coursework can also be used towards Core General Education and other requirements. Academic advisors can suggest courses that will count in multiple places.
A basic outline of the liberal studies is included below. Students must consult the detailed version of the requirements for more information about course selection and how the liberal studies requirements apply to this major.
Are you interested in switching to the School of Education? If so, you should run a “what-if” DARS report. It will show how many of these requirements you have already met and are unmet.
Humanities
Complete a minimum of 9 credits from these categories.
| Literature | Complete a course with the Literature designation, minimum of 2 credits |
| Fine Arts | Complete a minimum of 2 credits from the list of courses below. |
| Humanities | Courses to total 9 Humanities credits. Select from:
|
Fine Arts Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AFRICAN/AFROAMER 220 | HipHop, Youth Culture, and Politics in Senegal | 3 |
| AFRICAN/AFROAMER 233 | Global HipHop and Social Justice | 3 |
| AFROAMER 154 | Hip-Hop and Contemporary American Society | 3 |
| AFROAMER 156 | Black Music and American Cultural History | 3 |
| AFROAMER 225 | Introduction to African American Dramatic Literature | 3 |
| AFROAMER/ART HIST 241 | Introduction to African Art and Architecture | 3 |
| AFROAMER/ART HIST 242 | Introduction to Afro-American Art | 3 |
| AFROAMER/GEN&WS 267 | Artistic/Cultural Images of Black Women | 3 |
| AFROAMER/DANCE/MUSIC 318 | Cultural Cross Currents: West African Dance/Music in the Americas | 3 |
| AFROAMER 338 | The Black Arts Movement | 3 |
| AFROAMER/GEN&WS 367 | Art and Visual Culture: Women of the African Diaspora and Africa | 3 |
| AFROAMER/AFRICAN 413 | Contemporary African and Caribbean Drama | 3-4 |
| AMER IND 325 | American Indians in Film | 3 |
| Any ART course | ||
| Any ART HIST course | ||
| COM ARTS 350 | Introduction to Film | 3 |
| COM ARTS 357 | History of the Animated Film | 3 |
| Any DANCE course | ||
| DS 120 | Design: Fundamentals I | 3 |
| ENGL 207 | Introduction to Creative Writing: Fiction and Poetry Workshop | 3 |
| ENGL 307 | Creative Writing: Fiction and Poetry Workshop | 3 |
| ENGL 407 | Creative Writing: Nonfiction Workshop | 3 |
| ENGL 408 | Creative Writing: Fiction Workshop | 3 |
| ENGL 409 | Creative Writing: Poetry Workshop | 3 |
| ENGL 410 | Creative Writing: Playwriting Workshop | 3 |
| ENGL 411 | Creative Writing: Special Topics Workshop | 3 |
| ENVIR ST/HIST SCI/HISTORY 125 | Green Screen: Environmental Perspectives through Film | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/MUSIC 103 | Introduction to Music Cultures of the World | 3 |
| GERMAN 253 | Introduction to German Cinema | 3 |
| GERMAN 267 | Yiddish Song and the Jewish Experience | 3-4 |
| ILS 203 | Western Culture: Literature and the Arts I | 3 |
| ILS 204 | Western Culture: Literature and the Arts II | 3-4 |
| LITTRANS 207 | Slavic Science Fiction through Literature and Film | 3 |
| LITTRANS 231 | Manga | 3 |
| LITTRANS 232 | Anime | 3 |
| LITTRANS 233 | Russian Life and Culture Through Literature and Art (to 1917) | 3-4 |
| LITTRANS 234 | Soviet Life and Culture Through Literature and Art (from 1917) | 3-4 |
| LITTRANS/FOLKLORE 327 | Vampires | 3 |
| LITTRANS/THEATRE 335 | In Translation: The Drama of Henrik Ibsen | 3-4 |
| Any MUSIC course | ||
| Any MUS PERF course | ||
| Any THEATRE course | ||
Social Studies
| Social Studies | Complete 9 credits with the Social Science designation. The following programs have specific requirements:
|
Science
Complete a minimum of 9 credits, including Physical and Biological Science. A laboratory science course is also required. The lab course can count toward the Biological or Physical Science requirement if it has the requisite breadth designation.
| Physical Science | Complete one course with the Physical Science designation. |
| Biological Science | Complete one course with the Biological Science designation. |
| Lab Science | Complete one course with the Biological, Physical, or Natural Science designation with a lab component; see Course Search and Enroll. Additional eligible courses are listed below. |
| Science Elective(s) | If needed, complete a course with the Biological, Physical, or Natural Science designation to total 9 Science credits. |
Laboratory Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTHRO 105 | Principles of Biological Anthropology | 3 |
| ATM OCN 101 | Weather and Climate | 4 |
| BOTANY 100 | Survey of Botany | 3 |
| BOTANY/PL PATH 123 | Plants, Parasites, and People | 3 |
| FOOD SCI/MICROBIO 324 | Food Microbiology Laboratory | 2 |
| GEOSCI 100 | Introductory Geology: How the Earth Works | 3 |
| PHYSICS 109 | Physics in the Arts | 3 |
| PLANTSCI 110 | Introduction to Plant Science and Technology | 4 |
Cultural and Historical Studies
Complete three requirements met by separate courses. Any of these courses can also be used to meet other requirements if it has the relevant breadth designation. A single course cannot satisfy more than one of the three Cultural and Historical Studies requirements listed below.
| Ethnic Studies | Complete 3 credits with the Ethnic Studies Designation. |
| United States or European History | Complete 3 credits from the list of courses below. |
| Global Perspectives | Complete 3 credits from the list of courses below. |
United States or European History Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AFROAMER 154 | Hip-Hop and Contemporary American Society | 3 |
| AFROAMER 156 | Black Music and American Cultural History | 3 |
| AFROAMER 231 | Introduction to African American History | 3 |
| AFROAMER 272 | Race and American Politics from the New Deal to the New Right | 3 |
| AFROAMER/AFRICAN/HISTORY/POLI SCI 297 | African and African-American Linkages: An Introduction | 4 |
| AFROAMER 302 | Undergraduate Studies in Afro-American History | 3 |
| AFROAMER/HISTORY 321 | African American History Since 1900 | 3-4 |
| AFROAMER/HISTORY 322 | African American History to 1900 | 3 |
| AFROAMER/GEN&WS 323 | Gender, Race and Class: Women in U.S. History | 3 |
| AFROAMER/GEN&WS 324 | Black Women in America: Reconstruction to the Present | 3 |
| AFROAMER/GEN&WS 326 | Race and Gender in Post-World War II U.S. Society | 3 |
| AFROAMER/HISTORY 347 | The Caribbean and its Diasporas | 3-4 |
| AFROAMER/HISTORY 393 | Slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction, 1848-1877 | 3-4 |
| AFROAMER/HIST SCI/MED HIST 523 | Race, American Medicine and Public Health | 3 |
| AFROAMER/ED POL 567 | History of African American Education | 3 |
| AFROAMER 621 | Slavery and Capitalism in the United States | 3 |
| AFROAMER 623 | Women and Slavery in the United States | 3 |
| AFROAMER/GEN&WS 624 | African American Women's Activism (19th & 20th Centuries) | 3 |
| AFROAMER/GEN&WS 625 | Gender, Race and the Civil Rights Movement | 3 |
| AFROAMER 626 | Slavery and Emancipation in the United States | 3 |
| AFROAMER/HISTORY 628 | History of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States | 3 |
| AFROAMER 631 | Colloquium in African American History | 3 |
| AFROAMER 671 | Selected Topics in African American History | 3 |
| AMER IND 100 | Introduction to American Indian Studies | 3 |
| AMER IND 185 | Indigenous Athletes and Sports | 3 |
| AMER IND/HISTORY 190 | Introduction to American Indian History | 3-4 |
| AMER IND 230 | Indigenous Resistance and Activism | 3 |
| AMER IND 250 | Indians of Wisconsin | 3 |
| AMER IND/ANTHRO 314 | Indians of North America | 3 |
| AMER IND/HISTORY 380 | Sovereignty and the Schoolhouse | 3 |
| AMER IND/SOC WORK 636 | Social Work in American Indian Communities: The Indian Child Welfare Act | 3 |
| ART HIST 357 | History of Wisconsin Architecture, 1800-present | 3 |
| ASIAN AM/AFROAMER/AMER IND/CHICLA 102 | Introduction to Comparative US Ethnic, American Indian, and Indigenous Studies | 3 |
| ASIAN AM/HISTORY 160 | Asian American History: Movement and Dislocation | 3-4 |
| ASIAN AM/HISTORY 161 | Asian American History: Settlement and National Belonging | 3-4 |
| ASIAN AM 170 | Hmong American Experiences in the United States | 3 |
| ASIAN AM/SOC 220 | Ethnic Movements in the United States | 3-4 |
| ASIAN AM/ASIAN/HISTORY 246 | Southeast Asian Refugees of the "Cold" War | 4 |
| ASIAN AM 253 | Critical Refugee Studies | 3 |
| ASIAN AM 441 | Hmong American Social Movements in the 20th and 21st Centuries | 3 |
| C&E SOC/HISTORY/POLI SCI/SOC 259 | Forward? The Wisconsin Idea, Past and Present | 1-3 |
| CHICLA/HISTORY 151 | The North American West to 1850 | 3-4 |
| CHICLA/HISTORY 152 | The United States West Since 1850 | 3-4 |
| CHICLA/HISTORY 153 | Latina/Latino/Latinx History | 3-4 |
| CHICLA 201 | Introduction to Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies | 3 |
| CHICLA/GEN&WS/HISTORY 245 | Chicana and Latina History | 3 |
| CHICLA/HISTORY/LACIS/POLI SCI 268 | The U.S. & Latin America from the Colonial Era to the Present: A Critical Survey | 3 |
| CHICLA 301 | Chicana/o and Latina/o History | 3 |
| CHICLA 315 | Racial Formation and Whiteness | 3 |
| CHICLA/GEN&WS 332 | Latinas: Self Identity and Social Change | 3 |
| CHICLA/SPANISH 364 | Survey of Latinx/e Popular Culture | 3 |
| CHICLA/HISTORY/POLI SCI 422 | Latino History and Politics | 3 |
| CHICLA/HISTORY 435 | Colony, Nation, and Minority: The Puerto Ricans' World | 3 |
| CLASSICS/HISTORY 110 | The Ancient Mediterranean | 4 |
| CLASSICS 206 | Classical Influences on Western Art and Science | 3 |
| CLASSICS/HISTORY/POLI SCI 362 | Athenian Democracy | 3 |
| CLASSICS/HISTORY/RELIG ST 517 | Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean | 3 |
| CURRIC/ED POL/HISTORY/JEWISH 515 | Holocaust: History, Memory and Education | 3 |
| ECON/HISTORY 466 | The American Economy Since 1865 | 3-4 |
| ED POL/HISTORY 107 | The History of the University in the West | 3 |
| ED POL/HISTORY 143 | History of Race and Inequality in Urban America | 3 |
| ED POL/HISTORY 412 | History of American Education | 3 |
| ED POL/HISTORY 478 | Comparative History of Childhood and Adolescence | 3 |
| ED POL/HISTORY 612 | History of Student Activism from the Popular Front to Black Lives Matter | 3 |
| ENGL/HISTORY/RELIG ST 360 | Early Medieval England | 3 |
| ENVIR ST/HIST SCI/HISTORY 125 | Green Screen: Environmental Perspectives through Film | 3 |
| ENVIR ST/GNS 210 | Cultures of Sustainability: Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe | 3 |
| ENVIR ST/HISTORY 328 | Environmental History of Europe | 3 |
| ENVIR ST/GEOG/HISTORY 460 | American Environmental History | 4 |
| ENVIR ST/HISTORY/LEGAL ST 430 | Law and Environment: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/GNS 200 | Folklore of Central, Eastern and Northern Europe | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 442 | Immigration and Indigeneity in the Upper Midwest | 3 |
| GEN&WS/HISTORY 353 | Women and Gender in the U.S. to 1870 | 3-4 |
| GEN&WS/HISTORY 354 | Women and Gender in the U.S. Since 1870 | 3-4 |
| GEN&WS/HISTORY 392 | Women and Gender in Modern Europe | 3-4 |
| GEN&WS/HIST SCI 537 | Childbirth in the United States | 3 |
| GEOG/HISTORY/POLI SCI/SLAVIC 253 | Russia: An Interdisciplinary Survey | 4 |
| GEOG/HISTORY/POLI SCI/SLAVIC 254 | Eastern Europe: An Interdisciplinary Survey | 4 |
| HIST SCI/HISTORY/MED HIST 132 | Bees, Trees, Germs, and Genes: A History of Biology | 3 |
| HIST SCI 150 | The Digital Age | 3 |
| HIST SCI 201 | The Origins of Scientific Thought | 3 |
| HIST SCI 218 | History of Twentieth Century American Medicine | 3 |
| HIST SCI/AFROAMER 275 | Science, Medicine, and Race: A History | 3-4 |
| HIST SCI/HISTORY 323 | The Scientific Revolution: From Copernicus to Newton | 3 |
| HIST SCI 404 | A History of Disease | 3-4 |
| HIST SCI/HISTORY/MED HIST 508 | Health, Disease and Healing II | 3-4 |
| HIST SCI/MED HIST 509 | The Development of Public Health in America | 3 |
| HIST SCI/GEN&WS/MED HIST 531 | Women and Health in American History | 3 |
| HIST SCI/GEN&WS/MED HIST 532 | The History of the (American) Body | 3 |
| HISTORY 101 | Amer Hist to the Civil War Era, the Origin & Growth of the U S | 4 |
| HISTORY 102 | American History, Civil War Era to the Present | 4 |
| HISTORY 109 | Introduction to U.S. History | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 115 | Medieval Europe 410-1500 | 4 |
| HISTORY 119 | Europe and the World, 1400-1815 | 4 |
| HISTORY 120 | Europe and the Modern World 1815 to the Present | 4 |
| HISTORY 124 | Britain since 1688 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 136 | Sport, Recreation, & Society in the United States | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 145 | America and China, 1776-Today | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 154 | Who is an American? | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 155 | The Long Black Freedom Struggle from the Civil War to the Present | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/JEWISH 156 | The American Jewish Experience: From Shtetl to Suburb | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 170 | East Meets West: Myth, Meaning, and Modernity | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 201 | The Historian's Craft (topic must be approved) | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/RELIG ST 208 | Western Intellectual and Religious History to 1500 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/RELIG ST 209 | Western Intellectual and Religious History since 1500 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/RELIG ST 212 | The History of Western Christianity to 1750 | 4 |
| HISTORY/JEWISH 213 | Jews and American Pop. Culture | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/JEWISH 220 | Introduction to Modern Jewish History | 4 |
| HISTORY 221 | Explorations in American History (H) | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 223 | Explorations in European History (H) | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 227 | Explorations in the History of Race and Ethnicity | 3 |
| HISTORY/ART HIST/ENVIR ST/GEOG/LAND ARC 239 | Making the American Landscape | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/LACIS 243 | Colonial Latin America: Invasion to Independence | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/LEGAL ST 261 | American Legal History to 1860 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/LEGAL ST 262 | American Legal History, 1860 to the Present | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 269 | War, Race, and Religion in Europe and the United States, from the Scramble for Africa to Today | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 270 | Eastern Europe since 1900 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 271 | Study Abroad in History: European History | 1-4 |
| HISTORY 272 | Study Abroad in History: United States History | 1-4 |
| HISTORY 302 | History of American Thought, 1859 to the Present | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 303 | A History of Greek Civilization | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 306 | The United States Since 1945 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 307 | A History of Rome | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/MEDIEVAL/RELIG ST 309 | The Crusades: Christianity and Islam | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/JEWISH 310 | The Holocaust | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 329 | History of American Capitalism | 4 |
| HISTORY/INTL ST 332 | East Asia & The U.S. Since 1899 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 344 | The Age of the American Revolution, 1763-1789 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 345 | Military History of the United States | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 348 | France from Napoleon to the Great War, 1799-1914 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 349 | Contemporary France, 1914 to the Present | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 350 | The First World War and the Shaping of Twentieth-Century Europe | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/CHICLA/LACIS/POLI SCI 355 | Labor in the Americas: US & Mexico in Comparative & Historical Perspective | 3 |
| HISTORY 357 | The Second World War | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 358 | French Revolution and Napoleon | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 359 | History of Europe Since 1945 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/INTL ST 366 | From Fascism to Today: Social Movements and Politics in Europe | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 401 | Public History Workshop | 3 |
| HISTORY 403 | Immigration and Assimilation in American History | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/RELIG ST 409 | Christianity in the Atlantic World, 1500-1800 | 3 |
| HISTORY 410 | History of Germany, 1871 to the Present | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/RELIG ST 411 | The Enlightenment and Its Critics | 3 |
| HISTORY 417 | History of Russia | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 418 | History of Russia | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 419 | History of Soviet Russia | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 420 | Russian Social and Intellectual History | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 424 | The Soviet Union and the World, 1917-1991 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/CHICLA/POLI SCI 422 | Latino History and Politics | 3 |
| HISTORY/LEGAL ST 426 | The History of Punishment | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 427 | The American Military Experience to 1902 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 428 | The American Military Experience Since 1899 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/SCAND ST 431 | History of Scandinavia to 1815 | 3 |
| HISTORY/SCAND ST 432 | History of Scandinavia Since 1815 | 3 |
| HISTORY 434 | American Foreign Relations, 1901 to the Present | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/SCAND ST 577 | Contemporary Scandinavia: Politics and History | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/LEGAL ST 459 | Rule of Law: Philosophical and Historical Models | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/LEGAL ST 476 | Medieval Law and Society | 3 |
| HISTORY/LEGAL ST 510 | Legal Pluralism | 3 |
| HISTORY 500 | Reading Seminar in History | 3 |
| HISTORY/JEWISH/SOC 518 | Antisemitism in European Culture | 3 |
| HISTORY/JOURN 560 | History of U.S. Media | 4 |
| HISTORY 607 | The American Impact Abroad: The Historical Dimension | 3 |
| ILS 201 | Western Culture: Science, Technology, Philosophy I | 3 |
| ILS 202 | Western Culture: Science, Technology, Philosophy II | 3 |
| MUSIC 202 | Delta Blues | 3 |
| MUSIC 203 | American Ethnicities and Popular Song | 3 |
| MUSIC 317 | Musical Women in Europe and America: Creativity, Performance, and Identity | 3 |
| SCAND ST 348 | The Second World War in Nordic Culture | 3 |
Global Perspectives Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| A A E/ENVIR ST 244 | The Environment and the Global Economy | 4 |
| A A E 319 | The International Agricultural Economy | 3 |
| A A E/NUTR SCI 350 | World Hunger and Malnutrition | 3 |
| A A E/INTL ST 373 | Globalization, Poverty and Development | 3 |
| A A E/INTL ST 374 | The Growth and Development of Nations in the Global Economy | 3 |
| A A E/ECON 473 | Economic Growth and Development in Southeast Asia | 3 |
| AFRICAN/HISTORY 106 | Introduction to African History | 3-4 |
| AFRICAN/HISTORY 129 | Africa on the Global Stage | 3-4 |
| AFRICAN 201 | Introduction to African Literature | 3 |
| AFRICAN 202 | Introductory Topics in African Cultural Studies | 3 |
| AFRICAN 203 | Introductory Topics in African Literature | 3 |
| AFRICAN 204 | Introductory Topics in African Languages | 3 |
| AFRICAN/FOLKLORE 210 | The African Storyteller | 3 |
| AFRICAN 212 | Introduction to African Popular Culture | 3 |
| AFRICAN/FRENCH 216 | Modern and Contemporary Francophone Topics | 3 |
| AFRICAN/AFROAMER 220 | HipHop, Youth Culture, and Politics in Senegal | 3 |
| AFRICAN 230 | Introduction to Yoruba Life and Culture | 3 |
| AFRICAN/AFROAMER 233 | Global HipHop and Social Justice | 3 |
| AFRICAN 231 | Introduction to Arabic Literary Culture | 3 |
| AFRICAN/AFROAMER/ANTHRO/GEOG/HISTORY/POLI SCI/SOC 277 | Africa: An Introductory Survey | 4 |
| AFRICAN/AFROAMER/HISTORY/POLI SCI 297 | African and African-American Linkages: An Introduction | 4 |
| AFRICAN 300 | African Literature in Translation | 3 |
| AFRICAN/INTL ST 302 | Arabic Literature and Cinema | 3 |
| AFRICAN/ASIAN/RELIG ST 370 | Islam: Religion and Culture | 3-4 |
| AFRICAN 403 | Theories of African Cultural Studies | 3 |
| AFRICAN/RELIG ST 408 | Everyday Religion in Africa | 3 |
| AFRICAN/RELIG ST 414 | Islam in Africa and the Diaspora | 3 |
| AFRICAN/COM ARTS/L I S 444 | Technology and Development in Africa and Beyond | 3 |
| AFROAMER/ART HIST 241 | Introduction to African Art and Architecture | 3 |
| AFROAMER/ANTHRO/C&E SOC/GEOG/HISTORY/LACIS/POLI SCI/SOC/SPANISH 260 | Latin America: An Introduction | 3-4 |
| AFROAMER/DANCE/MUSIC 318 | Cultural Cross Currents: West African Dance/Music in the Americas | 3 |
| AFROAMER/GEN&WS 367 | Art and Visual Culture: Women of the African Diaspora and Africa | 3 |
| AGROECOL 377 | Global Food Production and Health | 3 |
| ANTHRO 100 | General Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 102 | Archaeology and the Prehistoric World | 3 |
| ANTHRO 104 | Cultural Anthropology and Human Diversity | 3 |
| ANTHRO 105 | Principles of Biological Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTHRO/FOLKLORE/INTL ST/LINGUIS 211 | Global Language Issues | 3 |
| ANTHRO 237 | Cut 'n' Mix: Music, Race, and Culture in the Caribbean | 3 |
| ANTHRO 265 | Introduction to Culture and Health | 3 |
| ANTHRO 300 | Cultural Anthropology: Theory and Ethnography | 3 |
| ANTHRO/ASIAN 305 | Anthropology of South Asia | 3 |
| ANTHRO/AMER IND 314 | Indians of North America | 3 |
| ANTHRO 321 | The Emergence of Human Culture | 3 |
| ANTHRO 322 | The Origins of Civilization | 3 |
| ANTHRO 330 | Topics in Ethnology (topic must be approved) | 3-4 |
| ANTHRO 333 | Prehistory of Africa | 3 |
| ANTHRO 339 | Archaeology of Warfare and Human Nature | 3 |
| ANTHRO 350 | Political Anthropology | 3-4 |
| ANTHRO 357 | Introduction to the Anthropology of Japan | 3-4 |
| ANTHRO 365 | Medical Anthropology | 3 |
| ART HIST/ASIAN 179 | Passage Through India: South Asia's Global Architectural Histories | 3 |
| ART HIST 205 | Global Arts | 3-4 |
| ART HIST 305 | History of Islamic Art and Architecture | 3 |
| ART HIST 307 | From Tomb to Temple: Ancient Chinese Art and Religion in Transition | 3 |
| ART HIST 308 | The Tastes of Scholars and Emperors: Chinese Art in the Later Periods | 3 |
| ART HIST 354 | Cross-Cultural Arts Around the Atlantic Rim: 1800 to the Present | 3-4 |
| ART HIST/ASIAN 379 | Cities of Asia | 3 |
| ART HIST 411 | Topics in Asian Art | 3-4 |
| ART HIST 412 | Topics in African and African Diaspora Art History | 3-4 |
| ART HIST 413 | Art and Architecture in the Age of the Caliphs | 3 |
| ART HIST/ASIAN 428 | Visual Cultures of India | 3 |
| ART HIST 440 | Art and Power in the Arab World | 3 |
| ART HIST 510 | Proseminar in Islamic Art and Architecture | 3 |
| ASIAN 100 | Gateway to Asia: Special Topics | 3-4 |
| ASIAN 205 | Animal Ethics in Asia | 3 |
| ASIAN/LITTRANS 212 | Classical South Asian Literatures | 3 |
| ASIAN 252 | Contemporary Indian Society | 3 |
| ASIAN 253 | Japanese Popular Culture | 3 |
| ASIAN 254 | Korean Popular Culture | 3 |
| ASIAN/RELIG ST 274 | Religion in South Asia | 3 |
| ASIAN 277 | Kendo: Integration of Martial Arts and Liberal Arts | 2 |
| ASIAN 300 | Topics in Asian Studies | 3 |
| ASIAN 301 | Social Science Topics in Asian Studies | 3 |
| ASIAN/RELIG ST 303 | Jainism: Religion and Culture of Nonviolence | 3 |
| ASIAN/RELIG ST 306 | Hinduism | 3 |
| ASIAN/RELIG ST 307 | A Survey of Tibetan Buddhism | 3 |
| ASIAN/HISTORY/RELIG ST 308 | Introduction to Buddhism | 3-4 |
| ASIAN 310 | Introduction to Comics and Graphic Novels: Theory, History, Method | 3 |
| ASIAN/SOC 334 | Gender, Work, and Family in East Asia | 3 |
| ASIAN/SOC 336 | Social Change in Contemporary South Korea | 3 |
| ASIAN 351 | Survey of Classical Chinese Literature | 3 |
| ASIAN 352 | Survey of Modern Chinese Literature | 3 |
| ASIAN 353 | Lovers, Warriors and Monks: Survey of Japanese Literature | 3 |
| ASIAN 355 | Modern Japanese Literature | 3 |
| ASIAN 361 | Love and Politics: The Tale of Genji | 3 |
| ASIAN 371 | Topics in Chinese Literature | 2-3 |
| ASIAN 374 | Korean Cinema | 3 |
| ASIAN 378 | Anime | 3 |
| ASIAN 403 | Southeast Asian Literature | 3 |
| ASIAN/RELIG ST 405 | Gods and Goddesses of South Asia | 3 |
| ASIAN/RELIG ST 444 | Introduction to Sufism (Islamic Mysticism) | 3 |
| ASIAN/RELIG ST 466 | Buddhist Thought | 3 |
| ASIAN/RELIG ST 505 | The Perfectible Body in Religions, Medicines, and Politics | 3 |
| ASIAN 533 | Readings in Early Modern Japanese Literature | 3 |
| ASIAN 642 | History of Chinese Literature II | 3 |
| ATM OCN/ENVIR ST/GEOG 322 | Polar Regions and Their Importance in the Global Environment | 3 |
| C&E SOC/SOC 140 | Introduction to Community and Environmental Sociology | 4 |
| C&E SOC/SOC 222 | Food, Culture, and Society | 3 |
| C&E SOC/F&W ECOL/SOC 248 | Environment, Natural Resources, and Society | 3 |
| C&E SOC/POP HLTH 370 | Introduction to Public Health | 3 |
| CHICLA/SPANISH 215 | Border and Migration Studies of Latinx America | 3 |
| CHICLA/POLI SCI 231 | Politics in Multi-Cultural Societies | 3-4 |
| CHICLA/HISTORY/LACIS/POLI SCI 268 | The U.S. & Latin America from the Colonial Era to the Present: A Critical Survey | 3 |
| CHICLA/GEN&WS 334 | Feminist Social Movements Across the Americas | 3 |
| CHICLA/ED POL/LACIS 342 | Education across the Americas: Empire, Capitalism, and Resistance | 3 |
| CLASSICS 321 | The Egyptians: History, Society, and Literature | 3 |
| DANCE 118 | African Dance | 1 |
| DANCE 165 | Introduction to the Histories of Dance | 3 |
| ENTOM/NUTR SCI 203 | Introduction to Global Health | 3 |
| ENTOM/ENVIR ST 205 | Our Planet, Our Health | 3 |
| ENVIR ST/GEOG 139 | Global Environmental Issues | 3 |
| ENVIR ST/HIST SCI 213 | Global Environmental Health: An Interdisciplinary Introduction | 3 |
| ENVIR ST/GEOG 309 | People, Land and Food: Comparative Study of Agriculture Systems | 3 |
| ENVIR ST/GEOG 339 | Conservation and Climate Change - Local to International Strategies | 4 |
| ENVIR ST/HISTORY 465 | Global Environmental History | 3-4 |
| FOLKLORE 100 | Introduction to Folklore | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/MUSIC 103 | Introduction to Music Cultures of the World | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/RELIG ST 352 | Shamanism | 3 |
| GEN&WS 102 | Gender, Women, and Society in Global Perspective | 3 |
| GEN&WS 104 | Gender, Sexuality, and Global Health | 3 |
| GEN&WS/HISTORY 134 | Women and Gender in World History | 3-4 |
| GEN&WS 423 | The Female Body in the World: Gender and Contemporary Body Politics in Cross Cultural Perspective | 3 |
| GEN&WS/POLI SCI 435 | Politics of Gender and Women's Rights in the Middle East | 3 |
| GEN&WS 444 | From Past Feminisms to Postfeminism: Feminisms for the 21st Century | 3 |
| GEN&WS/PORTUG 450 | Brazillian Women Writers | 3 |
| GEOG 101 | Human Geography: Space, Place, Society, and Politics | 4 |
| GEOG/ASIAN/HISTORY/POLI SCI/SOC 244 | Introduction to Southeast Asia: Vietnam to the Philippines | 4 |
| GEOG/INTL ST 311 | The Global Game: Soccer, Politics, and Identity | 3-4 |
| GEOG 307 | International Migration, Health, and Human Rights | 3 |
| GEOG/INTL ST 315 | Universal Basic Income: The Politics Behind a Global Movement | 3 |
| GEOG 340 | World Regions in Global Context | 3 |
| GEOG 355 | Africa, South of the Sahara | 3 |
| GEOG 358 | Human Geography of Southeast Asia (German, Nordic, and Slavic) | 3 |
| GEOG/GEN&WS 504 | Feminist Geography: Theoretical Approaches | 3 |
| GEOG 507 | Waste Geographies: Politics, People, and Infrastructures | 3 |
| GNS 460 | Readings in Turkish: Contemporary Turkey through Literature and Media | 4 |
| GNS/HISTORY 265 | An Introduction to Central Asia: From the Silk Route to Afghanistan | 3 |
| HISTORY/ASIAN 103 | Introduction to East Asian History: China | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/ASIAN 104 | Introduction to East Asian History: Japan | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/ASIAN 108 | Introduction to East Asian History - Korea | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/CLASSICS 110 | The Ancient Mediterranean | 4 |
| HISTORY 130 | An Introduction to World History | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 133 | Global Military History (5000 BCE - Present) | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 137 | The History of War in Film | 3 |
| HISTORY 139 | Introduction to the Modern Middle East | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 142 | History of South Asia to the Present | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 145 | America and China, 1776-Today | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/INTL ST 146 | A Global History of Now | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 170 | East Meets West: Myth, Meaning, and Modernity | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 179 | Afro-Atlantic Histories and Peoples, 1791-Present | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 201 | The Historian's Craft (Latin American Topics) | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/RELIG ST 205 | The Making of the Islamic World: The Middle East, 500-1500 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 225 | Explorations in Third World History (H) | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 229 | Explorations in Transnational/Comparative History (Humanities) (topic must be approved) | 3 |
| HISTORY/INTL ST/LACIS 242 | Modern Latin America | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/LACIS 243 | Colonial Latin America: Invasion to Independence | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/CHICLA/GEN&WS 245 | Chicana and Latina History | 3 |
| HISTORY/ASIAN/ASIAN AM 246 | Southeast Asian Refugees of the "Cold" War | 4 |
| HISTORY/ASIAN/POLI SCI 255 | Introduction to East Asian Civilizations | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 273 | Study Abroad in History: Non-Western History | 1-4 |
| HISTORY 278 | Africans in the Americas, 1492-1808 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/MEDIEVAL/RELIG ST 309 | The Crusades: Christianity and Islam | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/ASIAN 319 | The Vietnam Wars | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/INTL ST 332 | East Asia & The U.S. Since 1899 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/ASIAN 335 | The Koreas: Korean War to the 21st Century | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 336 | Chinese Economic and Business History: From Silk to iPhones | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/ASIAN 337 | Social and Intellectual History of China, 589 AD-1919 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 340 | Cultural History of Korea | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/ASIAN 341 | History of Modern China, 1800-1949 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/ASIAN 342 | History of the Peoples Republic of China, 1949 to the Present | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/AFROAMER 347 | The Caribbean and its Diasporas | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/ASIAN 363 | China and World War II in Asia | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/INTL ST 375 | The Cold War - From World War II to End of Soviet Empire | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/RELIG ST 409 | Christianity in the Atlantic World, 1500-1800 | 3 |
| HISTORY/CHICLA/POLI SCI 422 | Latino History and Politics | 3 |
| HISTORY/CHICLA 435 | Colony, Nation, and Minority: The Puerto Ricans' World | 3 |
| HISTORY 450 | Making of Modern South Asia | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/ASIAN 454 | Samurai: History and Image | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/ASIAN 456 | Pearl Harbor & Hiroshima: Japan, the US & The Crisis in Asia | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/ASIAN 458 | History of Southeast Asia Since 1800 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/HIST SCI/MED HIST 564 | Disease, Medicine and Public Health in the History of Latin America and the Caribbean | 3 |
| INTL BUS 200 | International Business | 3 |
| INTL ST 101 | Introduction to International Studies | 3-4 |
| INTL ST 266 | Introduction to the Middle East | 3 |
| INTL ST 310 | International Learning Community Seminar (topic must be approved) | 1-3 |
| INTL ST/ED POL 335 | Globalization and Education | 3 |
| JOURN 567 | Mass Media and Global Communication | 4 |
| LITTRANS 226 | Introduction to Luso-Afro-Brazilian Literature | 3 |
| LITTRANS 231 | Manga | 3 |
| LITTRANS 261 | Survey of Chinese Literature in Translation | 3 |
| LITTRANS 263 | Survey of Japanese Literature in Translation | 3 |
| LITTRANS 264 | Survey of Japanese Literature in Translation | 3 |
| LITTRANS 373 | Topics in Japanese Literature | 3 |
| MUSIC 260 | Global Hand Drumming Ensemble: Survey of Selected Global Hand Drumming Traditions | 1 |
| POLI SCI 120 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 4 |
| POLI SCI 182 | Introduction to Comparative Politics (Honors) | 3 |
| POLI SCI 320 | Governments and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 324 | Chinese Politics | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/INTL ST 325 | Social Movements and Revolutions in Latin America | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 328 | Politics of East and Southeast Asia | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 329 | African Politics | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 336 | Democracy (and Its Uncertain Future) | 4 |
| POLI SCI 349 | Global Access to Justice | 3 |
| POLI SCI/CHICLA/HISTORY/LACIS 355 | Labor in the Americas: US & Mexico in Comparative & Historical Perspective | 3 |
| POLI SCI 370 | Islam and Politics | 3-4 |
| RELIG ST/ASIAN 206 | The Qur'an: Religious Scripture & Literature | 3 |
| RELIG ST 400 | Topics in Religious Studies - Humanities (topic must be approved) | 3-4 |
| RELIG ST 401 | Topics in Religious Studies - Social Studies (topic must be approved) | 3-4 |
| RELIG ST 407 | Buddhism and Anti-Racism | 3 |
| SOC 170 | Population Problems | 3-4 |
| SPANISH 223 | Introduction to Hispanic Cultures | 3 |
| THEATRE 526 | The Theatres of China and Japan | 3 |
Liberal Studies Electives
| Liberal Studies Electives | Complete additional liberal studies coursework as needed to reach the required 40 Liberal Studies credits. |
Program Structure
The bachelor of science (BS) degree program in art has five components:
- Liberal studies courses expose students to a broad range of academic disciplines. The university-wide General Education requirements also encourage this breadth of study.
- The Foundations Program requires six interrelated studio and aesthetics courses designed to prepare first-year students for further study in studio art and design.
- Aesthetics coursework gives students an opportunity to study both the history of art and contemporary developments in the visual arts.
- Major requirements permit in-depth studies of studio art. After taking courses in the Foundations area, students complete coursework in each of the four studio areas: 2D, 3D, 4D, and Graphics. BS–Art majors are required to reach an advanced level in at least one studio discipline.
- Elective credits to pursue individual areas of interest, such as a second major or additional studio credits. Many BS–Art students complete an additional major from the College of Letters & Science. Some use this major to complement their art preparation (e.g., focusing on written communication for an eventual career in advertising), or a subject that complements their interest in art. Students interested in medical illustration, for example, may wish to take courses in the biological sciences. Others select majors that reflect interests completely unrelated to art.
Art Foundations Program
The Art Foundations Program is a series of interrelated studio and lecture courses to be taken by art and art education majors in their first year as preparation for further study in studio art and design. The program addresses the fundamentals of art through investigation of formal, technical and conceptual issues. The drawing, 2D and 3D design, digital media, and art historical lecture classes are designed to expose, broaden, and challenge students' understanding of contemporary art production.
Art foundations classes are meant to be taken concurrently and the information covered in them is interrelated. Students completing the Foundations Program should enroll in ART 102 2D Foundations, ART 212 Drawing Foundations, and ART 108 Foundations of Contemporary Art for the fall semester and complete ART 104 3D Foundations, ART 107 Introduction to Digital Forms, and ART 208 Current Directions in Art in the spring.
Most freshman art majors complete their foundations courses through participation in the very popular Contemporary Art and Artists First-Year Interest Group (FIG), which also creates a network of corresponding experiences and a peer community that will continue throughout the program and often beyond graduation. Students in FIGs enjoy studying with instructors dedicated to serving first year students, the opportunity to integrate related ideas from all three classes, and the ready-made opportunities to form support networks and lasting friendships.
Additional information about the Foundations Program is available on the departmental website.
Aesthetics Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ART 108 | Foundations of Contemporary Art (component of the Foundations Program) | 3 |
| ART 208 | Current Directions in Art (component of the Foundations Program) | 3 |
| Select two additional courses from the following: | 8 | |
| History of Western Art I: From Pyramids to Cathedrals | ||
| History of Western Art II: From Renaissance to Contemporary | ||
| Global Arts | ||
| History of Graphic Design and Typography 1 | ||
- 1
If taken prior to summer, 2018, ART 438 may count toward either the aesthetics or studio requirements, but not both. Effective summer, 2018, it may only count toward the aesthetics requirement. This course is designed for students pursuing graphic design.
Major Requirements
The requirements listed here are effective for students admitted to the program effective summer 2016. Students admitted prior to this time can find their major requirements listed in previous editions of the Undergraduate Catalog and on their DARS reports.
Complete a minimum of 45 studio credits, including the specific coursework below. No more than 58 studio credits will be counted toward the minimum 120 credits required for the BS degree. Thus, if a student wishes to graduate with the minimum of 120 credits, 62 of these credits must be "non-studio" coursework.
Major residency requirement: Students completing the BS degree must complete at least 24 credits of major studio coursework in residence on the UW–Madison campus.
Art and BFA degree students have priority access to studio courses. Note: Some courses are offered for 3 or 4 credits; it is preferred that the course be taken for 4 credits.
Required Studio Foundations Courses
Complete the following:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ART 102 | 2D Foundations | 3 |
| ART 104 | 3D Foundations | 3 |
| ART 107 | Introduction to Digital Forms | 3 |
| ART 212 | Drawing Foundations | 3 |
Required Studio Breadth Courses
Select one course in each of the 2D, 3D, 4D, and Graphics areas. Students will also take ART 508 at least once and complete a 500-level or 600-level art studio course in at least one discipline.
2D Studio
Select one of the following:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ART 222 | Introduction to Painting | 3-4 |
| ART 232 | Life Drawing I | 4 |
| ART 242 | Watercolor I | 3-4 |
| ART 302 | Color | 4 |
| ART 312 | Intermediate Drawing I | 3-4 |
3D Studio
Select one of the following:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ART 214 | Sculpture I | 4 |
| ART 224 | Ceramics I | 4 |
| ART 244 | Art Metal I | 3-4 |
| ART 334 | Wood Working | 3-4 |
| ART 343 | Metal Fabrication and Welding in Sculpture | 3-4 |
| ART 354 | Glassworking | 4 |
| ART 454 | Neon: Light as Sculpture | 4 |
4D Studio
Select one of the following:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ART 309 | Digital Art and Code | 4 |
| ART 318 | Introduction to Video, Performance & Installation Art | 4 |
| ART 338 | Service Learning in Art | 2 |
| ART 409 | Digital Fabrication Studio | 4 |
| ART 428 | Digital Imaging Studio | 4 |
| ART 429 | 3D Digital Studio I | 4 |
| ART 470 | Special Topics in 4D Art | 3-4 |
| ART 521 | Installations and Environments | 4 |
| ART 531 | Screen Performance | 3-4 |
Graphics
Select one of the following:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ART 306 | Relief Printmaking | 3-4 |
| ART 316 | Lithography | 4 |
| ART 326 | Etching | 4 |
| ART 336 | Serigraphy | 3-4 |
| ART 346 | Basic Graphic Design | 4 |
| ART 348 | Introduction to Digital Printmaking | 4 |
| ART 376 | Darkroom Photography | 4 |
| ART 446 | Artists' Books | 4 |
Art Colloquium
Complete the following:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ART 508 | Colloquium in Art (Students are encouraged to enroll in this visiting artist lecture series multiple times) | 1 |
Advanced Studio Requirement
Complete a 500-level or 600-level art studio course in at least one discipline. ART 508, ART 608, and ART 699 will not fulfill this requirement.
Elective Studio Courses
Select elective studio courses to reach the minimum of 45 credits.
Areas of Concentration
Although a concentration is not required, students may wish to select a sequence of related courses to develop an area of interest. Concentrations in multi-media, 2D studio, 3D studio, and printmaking are just some of the concentrations listed on the art department's website. Students wishing to concentrate in graphic design should declare the Graphic Design Named Option when eligible..
Elective Coursework
BS–Art students must complete additional coursework to reach the minimum 120 credits required for the degree. These students must complete a minimum of 62 non-studio credits. Another way of describing this requirement is that only 13 additional studio credits beyond the required 45 credits can count toward the 120 credits. Students interested in completing more than 58 total studio credits may wish to consider the BFA degree program, which requires at least 72 studio credits.
Completing an additional major. Students choosing the BS–Art option often also choose to complete an additional major in the College of Letters & Science. Review Academic Policies and Procedures to find detailed information about declaring an additional L&S major while a student in the School of Education.
Completing two degree programs. Students also occasionally choose a second degree in another campus school or college. For instance, students may choose an Art degree program as well as a science degree program in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. See Academic Policies and Procedures for more detailed information about the requirements and the approvals necessary to be permitted to complete dual degrees. Important note: Some campus schools/colleges do not permit dual degrees; at the present time this includes the College of Letters & Science and the College of Engineering. These policies do not permit students to complete, for example, an art degree program and a journalism degree program.
Students interested in additional majors or dual degrees should consult carefully with an advisor in the School of Education Student Services office. Students may be referred to the associate dean for additional consultation and approvals.
GPA and other Graduation Requirements
Graduation Requirements
Requirements are based on UW–Madison coursework.
- 2.5 minimum cumulative grade point average. This may be modified by the Last 60 Credits Rule.
- Cumulative major grade point average: 2.5 cumulative grade point average in all major studio coursework.
- Upper-level major coursework: 2.5 cumulative grade point average in all upper-level major coursework (Art courses numbered 214 and above, excluding ART 236 and ART 338).
- Major Residency: Must complete at least 24 credits of major coursework in residence on the UW–Madison campus.
- Senior Residency: Degree candidates must complete their last 30 credits in residence on the UW–Madison campus, excluding retroactive credits and credits granted by examination.
- Total Credits: A minimum of 120 credits to include at least 62 non-studio credits are required for graduation in the Art–BS degree program.
Degree Audit (DARS)
UW–Madison uses “DARS” to document a student's progress toward the completion of their degree, including any additional majors and certificates. A DARS (Degree Audit Reporting System) report shows all the requirements for completing a degree and, against courses that are planned or completed, shows the requirements that have been met, and those that are unmet. A report can offer suggestions about courses that may be taken to meet specific requirements and can assist in the academic planning and enrollment process. Students can access a DARS report in the Course Search & Enroll app or Student Center via My UW.
DARS also has a "what-if" function. This feature makes it possible to request a DARS report as if pursuing another program, major, or certificate. It is an excellent tool if considering a new or additional area of study. School of Education students in a pre-professional classification such as Pre-Elementary (PRE) or Pre-Kinesiology should request a "what if" DARS report of their professional program of interest. For example, Pre-Elementary Education (PRE) students will request Elementary Education K-9; Pre-Kinesiology (PKN) students will request the Kinesiology report. Minors have their own DARS programs and are run separately from the main degree audit.
More information (including tutorials) on how to request and read regular and what-if DARS reports is available under the Resources tab on the Office of the Registrar’s website.
DARS is not intended to replace student contact with academic advisors. It creates more time in an advising appointment to discuss course options, research opportunities, graduate school, or issues of personal interest or concern to students.
DARS is used as the document of record for degree program, major, and certificate completion in the School of Education.
Learning Outcomes
- Learn the fundamentals of art and design through investigation of form, technology and concept within a cohort of like-minded and diverse artists and designers.
- Develop skills in research, creative problem solving, and professional practices.
- Expand knowledge of historical, thematic, critical, and theoretical issues as a means of strengthening verbal and visual vocabulary.
- Demonstrate a broad understanding of distinct concepts and practices in two-dimensional media, three-dimensional media, four-dimensional media, and in a choice of printmaking, photography, or graphic design media.
- Demonstrate competency at an advanced level in at least one discipline of student's choice. (Graphic design named option: Generate advanced level competency in graphic design.)
Four-Year Plan
Bachelor of Science in Art: Sample Four-Year Plan
This four-year sample graduation plan is designed to guide your course selection throughout your academic career; it does not establish a contractual agreement. Use it along with your DARS report, the Guide, and the Course Search and Enroll app to create a four-year plan reflecting your placement scores, incoming credits, and individual interests. Consult with your academic advisor(s) to develop a personalized plan of study and refer to the Guide for a complete list of requirements. You will likely revise your plan several times during your academic career here, based on your activities and changing academic interests.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Communication A (fall or spring) | 3 | Communication A (fall or spring) | 3 |
| ART 108 | 3 | ART 208 | 3 |
| ART 102 | 3 | ART 104 | 3 |
| ART 212 | 3 | ART 107 | 3 |
| ART 508 | 1 | ART 508 (recommended) | 1 |
| Liberal Studies course work | 2-5 | Liberal Studies course work | 2-5 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Aesthetics Elective | 3-4 | Aesthetics Elective | 3-4 |
| Two Art Studio Breadth courses from 2D, 3D, 4D or GR categories | 8 | Art Studio Breadth course from 2D, 3D, 4D or GR categories | 4 |
| Quantitative Reasoning A | 3 | Communication B | 3 |
| Liberal Studies or General Elective course work | 4-6 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Art Studio Breadth course from 2D, 3D, 4D or GR categories | 4 | Art Studio Elective course work | 4 |
| Art Studio Elective course work | 4 | Quantitative Reasoning B | 3 |
| Ethnic Studies | 3 | Liberal Studies or General Elective course work | 8 |
| Liberal Studies or General Elective course work | 4 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Studio Elective course work | 3-4 | Advanced Studio Elective | 4 |
| Liberal Studies, Studio or General Elective course work1 | 11-12 | Liberal Studies, Studio or General Elective course work | 11 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits 120 | |||
- 1
At least 62 “non-studio” credits must be taken to complete the BS Art degree. Aesthetics courses are considered to be non-studio. No more than 58 studio credits can be applied toward the 120 credits.
Advising and Careers
Art Department Advising
Students declared in the BS–Art or BFA–Art major (including graphic design named options), as well as potential transfers into art, will meet with undergraduate art program advisor A`ha Vuong, ttvuong@wisc.edu, or through artadvising@education.wisc.edu.
Prospective freshmen and art studio/graphic design certificate students will meet with the prospective student and certificate advisor Annmarie Suglio, suglio@wisc.edu, or through artadvising@education.wisc.edu.
Current art majors can schedule an appointment with A`ha online through the Starfish app in MyUW. Certificate students can also use the Starfish app to schedule an appointment with Annmarie. Appointments can also be made via email or by calling 608-262-1660. Students are also strongly encouraged to confer with an advisor in the School of Education Student Services office on a regular basis, see below.
School of Education Advising
Academic Advising in the School of Education
Dedicated to supporting and promoting student success, academic advisors are here to assist students with the adjustment to college, understanding their degree and career goals, and connecting them to resources. Advisors support prospective and current School of Education students in all programs through:
- Course selection
- Mentoring and advocacy for underrepresented and international students
- Understanding degree requirements and progression
- Interpreting academic policies
- Helping students recognize their strengths and suggesting ways to expand their skills
- Expanding learning through activities such as study abroad, volunteering/work/internship, and by assuming leadership roles
Advising appointments are available in person, virtually, or over the phone. Current students schedule appointments through the Starfish app in MyUW. Appointments can also be made by calling 608-262-1651, or in person in Room 139 Education Building.
Academic Dean Support staff are also here for you when facing academic or personal challenges. We provide undergraduate School of Education students support, problem-solving, advocacy, resources, and approve exceptions to policies.
Career Advising in the School of Education
Through individual appointments, events, courses, and online resources, the Career Center provides students and alumni with the tools needed to be successful in their career development.
Career and Internship Advisors are prepared to help students with:
- Exploration of career and academic pathways
- Resumes
- Cover letters
- Job/Internship search
- Interview preparation
- Mock interviews
- Graduate school search, applications and decisions
- Negotiating job or internship offers
- Professional networking
- Connecting with employers
Students are encouraged to meet with their Career and Internship Advisor early in their college experience to take full advantage of the resources and support available.
To make an appointment: log into Starfish from the MyUW dashboard.
For more information, visit the School of Education Career Center website or reach out at career-center@education.wisc.edu.
Information about common career pathways, ways to get involved and gain experience, and transferrable skills developed through this major can be found on the School of Education Career Center's Art Pathways webpage.
Wisconsin Experience
UW–Madison’s vision for the total student experience, the Wisconsin Experience, combines learning in and out of the classroom. Tied to the Wisconsin Idea and steeped in long-standing institutional values — the commitment to the truth, shared participation in decision-making, and service to local and global communities — the Wisconsin Experience describes how students develop and integrate these core values across their educational experience.
UW–Madison encourages students to mindfully engage in four core concepts throughout their time on campus: Empathy & Humility, Relentless Curiosity, Intellectual Confidence, and Purposeful Action.
Since its inception, the School of Education has embraced the concepts of the Wisconsin Experience, providing opportunities for students to learn in venues beyond the traditional classroom. Our students also independently seek out related activities and experiences, thus creating their own unique Wisconsin Experience.
Art and the Wisconsin Experience
The UW–Madison art department provides a wide range of opportunities for students on campus and beyond. Available resources include courses that connect with the community, job opportunities, the chance to show work, and the ability to manage campus student organizations.
Visiting Artists
The art department is unique in its ability to bring in weekly visiting artists through the Art Colloquium series. A professional national or international artist comes to campus to provide an artist’s talk, studio visits, and general conversation about art-making with students. Individual courses often bring in visiting artists throughout the semester to provide workshops on unique techniques from those who specialize in particular processes.
Career Advising and Internships
The School of Education Career Center has a designated advisor for art students who can provide connections with hourly campus employment, internships, and career options after graduation. Art advisors host informational town halls for students to learn best practices in art entrepreneurship, applying to graduate programs, and how to get involved in Art student organizations. The BFA capstone course also provides detailed instruction in writing a resume, cover letter, grant proposals, residency applications, and portfolio websites.
Service Learning
The art department offers a two-credit Service Learning in the Arts course in which students examine community-based art practices and the roles artists play in fostering civic engagement and cultural development. In partnership with Madison-area art organizations, students apply service-learning principles by creating impactful projects that address identified community needs, integrating academic study with hands-on experience.
Student Organizations
Student organizations are an excellent opportunity for art majors to establish connections with working artists, host workshops for the community, and raise funds for travel. Fresh Hot Press (printmaking), AIGA (graphic design), Mad Gaffers (glassblowing), Mad Metals (Metals), and Art Club are just a few of the art-related options. Student organizations are led by undergraduates and graduate students, with several using fundraising throughout the year to attend national conferences. Overall, there are multiple ways for undergraduates to refine their professional and technical skills in relation to their future career goals in the arts through student organizations.
Exhibiting Artwork
It is important for any artist to consistently show their work, and the art department does its part to provide this professional development to our students. Undergraduates may reserve one of our three large-scale galleries to install and document their work for future exhibition submissions. During the department’s Fall Open House, art student organizations exhibit together in one of its premier galleries. In the spring term, the BFA capstone course culminates in a group exhibition across two galleries, where students develop skills in collaboration, exhibition planning, installation, and lighting. Faculty guide participating students to clearly articulating the concepts and intentions behind their exhibited work. The art department works with students in many ways to help promote their work and develop the skills necessary to establish a thriving career in the world of art.
Study Abroad
The art department designates the Santa Reparata Institute for Studio Art (SRISA) program as one that meets the department’s philosophy of teaching and learning for Art majors. Located in the heart of Florence, Italy, this English-speaking program allows students to explore the rich tradition of Italian Art and offers the most access to courses that can satisfy art program requirements. In the summer, two Art faculty lead UW City as Studio: Drawing in Portugal, one of the three-credit study abroad programs. Through visual and drawing skills, students acquire immersive knowledge through their interaction with the city and its natural and built environments as a venue that functions as a “studio.”
Resources and Scholarships
Information related to scholarships, academic and career advising, study abroad opportunities, student well-being, and other resources for students in the School of Education can be found on the School's Resources page.