Undergraduate Program in Art History

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree in Art History

Because the history of art is engaged in problems of historical analysis and the interpretation of culture, it provides students with a broad background in the humanities consistent with a liberal arts and sciences education. The undergraduate degree program is designed to prepare students for competitive placement in graduate schools across the country. As students progress through the program, they become familiar with historical relationships between art objects and society, learn techniques of formal analysis, study patterns of patronage, and absorb methods for interpreting the meaning of paintings, sculptures, and buildings. In the course of their studies, art history majors develop their research abilities and writing skills.

Requirements for an Art History major

Art History majors are required to take 45-46 s.h. of required art history courses (three specified survey courses, three intro courses, five 100-level courses, and the undergraduate seminar), as well as 6 s.h. of studio art courses, and 12 s.h. of non-art history from at least 3 disciplines (specified in the General Catalog). All BA candidates are limited to no more than 50 s.h. from one department toward the 120 s.h. required for the degree. If you take more than 50 s.h. of art or art history, it will not count toward your graduation requirements.

Double BA - Art History and Studio OR BA and minor in Art History or Studio

If you are an art history and studio double major, or an art history major and studio minor, the 50 semester hour rule does not apply, since all the required coursework is offered by one administrative unit. You may take more than 50 s.h. from the SAAH, but must earn a minimum of 56 s.h. from coursework taken outside of the SAAH. Consult with the academic advisor for more information.

Required Courses - BA in Art History

45 hours of art history and studio art courses must be taken. No more than 50 s.h. of credit from the School of Art and Art History may be counted toward the 120 s.h. required for the Bachelor of Arts degree. If you have a minor or major in Studio Art in addition to your Art History Major, then you can exceed 50 semester hours in art courses, but you must have at least 56 semester hours in non-art courses to obtain a BA in Art History. Art History majors are required to meet with their faculty advisor every semester prior to registration for the next term.

Note that sections 1, 2, and 3 should be completed prior to taking art history courses above 01H:098.

1. Courses to be taken during the freshman or sophomore year

All three of the following courses must be completed during the freshman or sophomore year.

Course #	Course Name	S.H.
01H:005	From Cave Paintings to Cathedrals	3
01H:006	From Mona Lisa to Modernism	3
01H:007	Writing for the Visual Arts	3

2. One of the following courses

Course #	Course Name	S.H.
01H:002	Arts of Africa	3
01H:016	Asian Art and Culture	3

3.Courses to be chosen by the student

Three courses to be chosen from 01H:020-01H:098

Course #	Course Name	S.H.
01H:XXX	To be decided by student	3
01H:XXX	To be decided by student	3
01H:XXX	To be decided by student	3

Note that the above requirements should be completed prior to taking Art History courses from the following sections.

4. Undergraduate seminar

Choose to take the undergraduate seminar during the fall semester of your junior or senior year.

Course #	Course Name	S.H.
01H:099	Undergraduate Seminar in the History of Art	3

5. Upper-level art history courses

Choose five courses to be chosen from 01H:100-01H:199

Course #	Course Name	S.H.
01H:XXX	To be decided by student	3
01H:XXX	To be decided by student	3
01H:XXX	To be decided by student	3
01H:XXX	To be decided by student	3
01H:XXX	To be decided by student	3

6. Studio courses

These courses can be taken prior to completing the Art History Coursework in section 1-3.

Course #	Course Name	S.H.
01A:003	Basic Drawing (required prior to second studio course)	3

Choose any additional Studio course from the following list:

Course #	Course Name	S.H.
01C:060	Exploring Forms in Clay I	3
01F:007	Life Drawing	3
01G:084	Introduction to Jewelry and Metal Arts	3
01K:009	Painting I	3
01M:011	Introduction to Printmaking	3
01N:015	Undergraduate Sculpture I	3

7. Disciplines outside Art History

Art History students must take courses in at least three of the following disciplines (total of 12 s.h): Anthropology, Classics, History, Literature, philosophy, political science, religion, sociology, or as approved by the student's faculty advisor.

Note that the requirements can and do change as deemed necessary by the Department. However, once you begun your program, your requirements will not change. Always refer to your degree audit as the official record of your requirements.

Graduating with Honors in the Art History major

School of Art and Art History students who are members of the University of Iowa Honors Program may enroll in the school's honors program. Honors students must maintain a cumulative University of Iowa GPA of at least 3.33 (contact the University of Iowa Honors Program for more information). Honors students in art history must complete the requirements for the BA in art history with a GPA of at least 3.50 in art history courses. There are two options for earning the art history degree with honors.

Option 1: Students take two upper-division courses with honors designation and complete an extra project, such as an annotated bibliography, a supplemental paper or presentation, or a comparable project endorsed by the instructor. Then students enroll in a third upper-division course appropriate to their honors thesis topic and write the thesis (5,000 to 7,000 words) as part of the course, for an additional 1 s.h.

Option 2: Students research and write an honors thesis of 10,000 to 15,000 words under the direction of an art history faculty member, earning 3 s.h.

Students work with an art history faculty member as their thesis advisor. They must have the thesis advisor's approval before beginning work on their thesis project. The thesis should conform to the Graduate College format for theses; see the Manual of Rules and Regulations of the Graduate College in the Graduate College section of the Catalog.