B.A. Major & Minor Requirements

Bachelor of Arts in the College of Liberal Arts

Using a wide variety of methodological approaches, the art history faculty develop in students an awareness, knowledge, and appreciation of the visual environment from all periods of history.

All 1xxx level courses and most 3xxx level courses do not have prerequisites and are intended for general audiences. Students who intend to apply for graduate school are strongly encouraged to take as many 5xxx-level courses from as many different professors as possible. In addition to the B.A., the department offers the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in art history.

Major in Art History (All courses must be taken A-F.)

Total: The Art History Major requires nine (9) courses plus the Major Project, for a total of 30 credits (minimum)

Lower Division Requirements: 6 to 8 credits

All Art History majors are required to take either ArtH 1001, “Introduction to Art History” or ArtH 1002W, “Why Art Matters.” This course is ideally taken early as a gateway to 3xxx and 5xxx level courses. However, credit may be earned for this course at any time during the program. Transfer students who have taken an introductory course in art history elsewhere may use those credits to fulfill this requirement. (3 or 4 credits)
Art Practice, to be selected among Art 1101, 1102, 1301, 1501, 1502, 1505, 1601, 1701, 1702, 1801, 1902, 1905, or 1910W (or other courses with the approval of the Undergraduate Advisor or Director of Undergraduate Studies. 3 or 4 credits)

Upper Division Requirements (including Major Project): Minimum of 22 credits

Electives:

At least five 3xxx level Art History courses. (ArtH 1910W or ArtH 1004W may be used as a substitute for one 3xxx level course)

At least two 5xxx level Art History courses.

Elective coursework for the major must include:

At least one course on art from Ancient to ca. 1300

At least one course on art from ca. 1300 to 1800

At least one course on art from 1800 to the present

Courses on at least two unique geographic and cultural areas

North America and Europe (NAE)

South and/or East Asia (A)

Middle East and/or Islamic World (MEI)

Latin America (LA)

Courses that span two or more time periods or two or more cultural traditions (labeled International) may be taken to satisfy the distribution requirement in only one of the periods or cultural traditions they engage. A single course may fulfill both a time period and a geographic/cultural area requirement.

Consult the List of Classes and the Undergraduate Advisor or Director of Undergraduate Studies for more information on courses that will meet these requirements.

ArtH 3971W Major Project or ArtH 3971V Honors: Major Project (1-3 credits)

Students are required to develop, research, and write a senior thesis paper. This project is developed using the term paper from a 5xxx level ArtH course as a starting point, so students should be sure to complete at least one of their 5xxx electives first. It is important to check with the instructor at the beginning of the semester to ensure that both the course and the paper will be appropriate for later use toward the senior project.

To register for the Major Project course, find a faculty member who can offer guidance on the project’s subject matter. Usually, this will be the instructor from the 5xxx level course on which the project will be based. Fill out a Major Project form with this faculty member, and take it to our Director of Undergraduate Studies for approval.

Students completing the Senior Option in a different major will need to ensure that they still meet the 30 credit minimum for the major in Art History.

No more than three credits of ArtH 3933 or ArtH 5993 Directed Studies, ArtH 5994 Directed Research, or ArtH 3975 Directed Museum Experience may be used to fulfill major requirements.

Honors in Art History

Courses

ArtH 1016V Honors: Introduction to Asian Art
ArtH 3930V Honors: Junior-Senior Seminar
ArtH 3971V Honors: Major Project

Requirements

At least a 3.5 GPA in all credits earned after completion of the 60th semester credit.
At least 4 honors opportunities after completion of the 60th semester credit. (At least 2 of the 4 must be honors classroom experiences. All courses used to satisfy honors requirements must be at the 3xxx level or higher.)

At least 1 honors opportunity must be outside Art History. Recommended is a College Honors Seminar (HSem).
At least 1 of the 4 must be from the following:
1. An Art History honors course: ArtH 3930V Honors: Junior-Senior Seminar or, with an honors contract which requires the permission of the instructor, any 3xxx or 5xxx level Art History lecture course.
2. ArtH 3993 or ArtH 5993 Directed Studies or ArtH 5994 Directed Research, of at least 3 credits (which may not be used to count toward the major requirements; requires instructor and departmental approval.)
3. A graduate seminar (8xxx level; requires special permission from the instructor and the Director of Graduate Studies).
ArtH 3971V Honors: Major Project
The resulting research paper (about 15 pages in length) of a candidate for the degree cum laude and magna cum laude must demonstrate the ability to accomplish independent or original work as evaluated by the faculty advisor. A candidate for the degree suma cum laude must write an acceptable thesis (usually a minimum of 20 pages) which is approved unanimously by a committee of three faculty members from the Art History department and one from a department outside the major.
An additional honors opportunity, either within art history, or not.

For additional information, please see the Honors web site.

Minor in Art History (All courses must be taken A/F)

Requirements (Minimum of 13 credits, upper division)

At least four 3xxx level Art History courses.
At least one 5xxx level Art History course.

Elective coursework for the minor must include:

Courses in at least two historical time periods (Categories I, II, or III)
Courses on at least two unique geographic and cultural areas
North America and Europe (NAE)
South and/or East Asia (A)
Middle East and/or Islamic World (MEI)
Latin America (LA)
Courses that span two or more time periods or two or more cultural traditions (labeled International) may be taken to satisfy the distribution requirement in one of the periods or cultural traditions they engage.

Consult the List of Classes below and the Undergraduate Advisor or Director of Undergraduate Studies for more information on courses that will meet these requirements.

Students are encouraged but not required to take either ArtH 1001 or ArtH 1002W.

No more than three credits of ArtH 3993 or ArtH 5993 Directed Studies, ArtH 5994 Directed Research, ArtH 3975 Directed Museum Experience, may be used to fulfill minor requirements.

Additional Notes

All majors are required to fill out a Senior Checklist with the Undergraduate Advisor in order to graduate
Double majors write the Major Project in only one major. Students completing the project in a different major will need to ensure that they still meet the 30 credit minimum for the major in Art History.
Some courses in American Indian Studies, Afro-American Studies, American Studies, Architecture, Classical Civilization, Classical and Near Eastern Studies, East Asian Studies, and Medieval Studies may be applied toward the major or minor. Consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
"Career Alternatives for Art Historians" is a very interesting web page.
The Art History Undergraduate Association (AHUGA), 374 Heller Hall, meets regularly and plans various activities. Membership is open to students majoring or minoring in Art History, and to others interested in the history of art. The organization elects representatives to participate in departmental meetings and various committees.
Annually, several students are nominated by the Department of Art History for the competition in CLA for various types of scholarships. In addition, every other year, some scholarship aid is available for undergraduate majors in support of travel abroad for research and study.
Students are strongly encouraged to consider studying in a foreign country. Credit for appropriate course work may be applied to either the major or minor in Art History with the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Visit the Learning Abroad Center for more details.
The department offers the possibility of independent and directed study as well as museum and gallery internships, three credits of which may be used toward fulfilling the degree requirements.

Director of Undergraduate Studies

Robert Silberman Associate Professor
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Department of Art History
University of Minnesota
310 Heller Hall
271 - 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0121
E-mail: arthist@umn.edu
Phone: (612) 624-4500

For additional information, please visit the Art History Degree Requirements in the University of Minnesota Catalogs On-Line.

Site last modified on August 24, 2009

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