Art

BA in Studio Art

Admission to the Program

Formal admission to the major requires satisfactory completion (grades of C or better) of 12 credit hours of studio courses and departmental approval.  

University Requirements

  • A total of 120 credit hours 
  • 6 credit hours of college writing 
  • 3 credit hours of college mathematics or the equivalent by examination 

General Education Requirements

  • A total of ten courses, consisting of one foundation course and one second-level course in an approved sequence from each of the five curricular areas 
  • No more than 6 credit hours may be taken in the same discipline 

Major Requirements

  • 54-55 credit hours with grades of C or better 

Areas of Specialization

Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, or Installation 

Course Requirements

  • ARTH-105 Art: The Historical Experience 1:1 (3) 
  • ARTH-210 Modern Art: Nineteenth and Twentieth
        Centuries 1:2 (3) 
  • ARTS-205 The Artist’s Perspective: Drawing 1:2 (3) 
  • ARTS-210 The Artist’s Perspective: Painting 1:2 (3) 
  • ARTS-235 The Artist’s Perspective: Multimedia (3) 
  • ARTS-320 Painting Studio (3) 
  • ARTS-340 Sculpture Studio (3) 
  • ARTS-360 Drawing Studio (3) (9 credit hours total) 
  • ARTS-363 Relief Printmaking Studio (3) 

or 

ARTS-364 Intaglio Studio (3) 

  • ARTS-370 Composing with Media (3) 
  • ARTS-400 Senior Seminar (3) 
  • 12 credit hours from the following including 9 credit hours from the student’s area of specialization and 3 credit hours from another area: 

ARTS-320 Painting Studio (3) 

ARTS-340 Sculpture Studio (3) 

ARTS-344 Ceramics Studio (3)  

ARTS-360 Drawing Studio (3) 

ARTS-363 Relief Printmaking Studio (3) 

ARTS-364 Intaglio Studio (3) 

ARTS-520 Advanced Printmaking (3) 

ARTS-560 Drawing Practicum I (3) 

ARTS-561 Drawing Practicum II (3) 

  • 3 credit hours in art history (ARTH) 

Area of Specialization

Multimedia 

Course Requirements

  • ARTH-105 Art: The Historical Experience 1:1 (3) 
  • ARTH-210 Modern Art: Nineteenth and Twentieth
        Centuries 1:2 (3) 
  • ARTS-205 The Artist’s Perspective: Drawing 1:2 (3) 
  • ARTS-235 The Artist’s Perspective: Multimedia (3) 
  • ARTS-360 Drawing Studio (3) 
  • ARTS-370 Composing with Media (3) 
  • ARTS-400 Senior Seminar (3) 
  • ARTS-410 Multimedia Seminar (3) (9 credit hours total) 
  • ATEC-101 Fundamentals of Audio Technology (3) 
  • ATEC-102 Audio Technology Laboratory (1) 
  • COMM-330 Principles of Photography (3) 
  • COMM-331 Film and Video Production I (3) 
  • COMM-350 Digital Imaging (3) 
  • COMM-352 Web Studio (3) 
  • GDES-220 Computer Literacy for Design (3) 
  • GDES-315 Experience Design and the Computer (3) 
  • 3 credit hours from the following: 

Art history (ARTH) course (3) 

COMM-100 Understanding Media 4:1 (3) 

COMM-105 Visual Literacy 1:1 (3) 

COMM-209 Communication and Society  (3) 

COMM-511 History of Documentary (3) 

COMM-516 Topics in Film and Media Arts (3):
The Radical Image 

COMM-517 History of Cross-Cultural Cinema (3) 

COMM-520 History of Animation (3) 

COMM-527 History of Photography (3) 

COMM-558 Survey of American Cinema (3) 

PHIL-230 Meaning and Purpose in the Arts 1:2 (3) 

University Honors Program

All University Honors students must complete at least 12 credit hours of advanced-level (300-level and above) Honors courses including a 3 to 6 credit hour Honors Senior Capstone Project. Students may graduate with University Honors in the major if they complete at least 12 advanced-level Honors courses including the Senior Capstone Project in the department. Each department has three levels of University Honors requirements: Level I Options (100-200-level Honors classes); Level II Options (300-level and above Honors classes); and Level III Options (Honors Senior Capstone). The department Honors coordinator advises students in the University Honors Program regarding departmental options. For more information, go to www.american.edu/academic.depts/honors/ . 

Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its accelerated bachelor’s/master’s programs. Undergraduate students may complete up to 3 credits for every 9 credits required for the graduate degree that may be applied to the requirements for both degree programs.  The department that oversees the graduate program the student enters will determine if the courses the undergraduate student completes will satisfy master’s degree requirements. 

Bachelor’s/master’s students must complete at least 18 in-residence credit hours at the graduate level after the bachelor’s degree is earned and  maintain continuous, sequential enrollment in the two programs. Students must finish the master’s degree requirements within three years from the date of first enrollment in the master’s program.