Art & Art History, BFA
for the degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts Major in Art & Art History
school office: 143 Art and Design Building, Champaign, IL 61820
academic advisor: Bryan VanGinhoven
email: bvanginh@illinois.edu
phone: (217) 300-2520
director of undergraduate studies: Professor Kristin Romberg
email: kromberg@illinois.edu
school website: School of Art & Design
school faculty: Art & Design Faculty
overview of college admissions & requirements: Fine & Applied Arts
college website: Fine & Applied Arts
The Program in Art and Art History at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign is unique. Housed in the School of Art and Design in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, the Program in Art History offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in a combined Art History and Studio/Design course of study, providing a broad cultural education that unites academic and studio training. Students who earn this degree will be qualified to pursue a range of careers, museum work, or graduate study in either art history or studio practice.
A portfolio review is required for admission to the School of Art and Design.
Departmental Distinction: a student must earn a 3.25 overall GPA, and 3.50 GPA in Art History. The Student will complete at least 4 semester hours of independent research to write a senior research paper. See the undergraduate adviser for further details.
for the degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts Major in Art & Art History
Students in the School of Art and Design must complete the Campus General Education requirements. Some Art and Design courses will also apply toward the General Education requirements.
A portfolio review is required for admission to the School of Art and Design.
First Year Curriculum
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| FAA 101 | Arts at Illinois | 1 |
| ARTF 101 | Contemporary Issues in Art | 2 |
| ARTE 101 | Art, Design, and Society | 2 |
| ARTH 110 | Introduction to the History of Art and Visual Culture | 3 |
| Select one Drawing course: | 3 | |
| Observational Drawing | ||
| Expressive Drawing | ||
| Visualization Drawing | ||
| Select one course in 2D Category: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Graphic Design | ||
| Introduction to Printmaking (required for Studio Art: Printmaking) | ||
| Fashion Illustration (required for Studio Art: Fashion) | ||
| Beginning Painting (required for Studio Art: Painting) | ||
| Basic Photography (required for Studio Art: Photography) | ||
| Select one course in 3D Category: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Industrial Design | ||
| Ceramics Sculpture I | ||
| Jewelry/Metals I | ||
| Beginning Sculpture (required for Studio Art: Sculpture) | ||
| Select one course in 4D Category: | 3 | |
| Image Practice | ||
| Time Arts I | ||
| Interaction I | ||
| Total Hours | 20 | |
Minimum required major and supporting course work: A minimum of 40 hours of upper-division coursework is required. Twelve (12) hours of 300- and 400-level courses in the major must be taken on this campus.
Art History Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 6 courses at the 200-400 level (3 credit hours each) | 18 | |
| Students must take at least one course in three of the following areas: 1) Africa and the Middle East; 2) Asia; 3) the Americas; 4) Europe; Students must also take at least one course that covers material before 1700 and one course must cover material after 1700. | ||
Though students must take a total of 6 courses, some courses may count toward the fulfillment of more than one area and period requirement. For instance, a course in 20th century African art could count as a class covering both Africa and the Middle East and material after 1700. | ||
1. Africa and the Middle East | ||
| African Art and Society I | ||
| Central African Art | ||
| Modern and Contemp African Art | ||
| West African Art and Ideas | ||
| Sacred African Diaspora Arts | ||
| Islamic Gardens & Architecture * | ||
| Exploring African Cities * | ||
2. Asia | ||
| Art in China | ||
| Ways of Seeing in Edo Japan | ||
| Word and Image in Chinese Art | ||
| China through Film | ||
| S Asian Cultural Landscapes * | ||
3. The Americas | ||
| Art Since 1940 | ||
| American Art | ||
| Graffiti and Murals | ||
| Arts of Colonial Latin America | ||
| Arts of Modern Latin America | ||
4. Europe | ||
| Greek Art | ||
| Development of Ancient Cities | ||
| Ancient Greek Sanctuaries | ||
| Medieval Art | ||
| Italian Renaissance Art | ||
| Northern Renaissance Art | ||
| Art, Power and Culture in 17th-Century Europe | ||
| Modern Art, 1880-1940 | ||
| Art Since 1940 | ||
| Spanish Modern Art | ||
| The Archaeology of Greece | ||
| The Archaeology of Italy | ||
| Romanesque Art | ||
| Gothic Art | ||
| Topics: Italian Art 1300-1500 | ||
| Topics: Northern Art 1300-1500 | ||
| Sixteenth-Century Italian Art | ||
| Fifteenth-Century Italian Art | ||
| Italian Baroque Art | ||
| 17th-Century Dutch & Flemish Art | ||
| Romantic Art | ||
| The Russian Avant-Garde: Revolutionary Forms and Socialist Norms | ||
| European Art Between the Wars | ||
| France and Its Others | ||
| At least one course must cover material before 1700 | ||
| Greek Art | ||
| Development of Ancient Cities | ||
| Ancient Greek Sanctuaries | ||
| Medieval Art | ||
| Italian Renaissance Art | ||
| Northern Renaissance Art | ||
| Art, Power and Culture in 17th-Century Europe | ||
| Arts of Colonial Latin America | ||
| Women and the Visual Arts | ||
| The Archaeology of Greece | ||
| The Archaeology of Italy | ||
| Romanesque Art | ||
| Gothic Art | ||
| Topics: Italian Art 1300-1500 | ||
| Topics: Northern Art 1300-1500 | ||
| Sixteenth-Century Italian Art | ||
| Fifteenth-Century Italian Art | ||
| Italian Baroque Art | ||
| 17th-Century Dutch & Flemish Art | ||
| Medieval Architecture * | ||
| Renaissance Architecture * | ||
| Baroque & Rococo Arch * | ||
| At least one course must cover material after 1700 | ||
| Design History Survey | ||
| Art of the Nineteenth Century | ||
| Art Since 1940 | ||
| History of Photography | ||
| Graffiti and Murals | ||
| Art Criticism and Writing | ||
| Arts of Modern Latin America | ||
| Spanish Modern Art | ||
| Realism to Postimpressionism | ||
| American Art 1750-1900 | ||
| Early American Modernism | ||
| Contemporary Art | ||
| Romantic Art | ||
| The Russian Avant-Garde: Revolutionary Forms and Socialist Norms | ||
| European Art Between the Wars | ||
| France and Its Others | ||
| Modernity’s Mirror: Nineteenth-Century Architecture 1750-1900 * | ||
| The Architecture of the United States, c.1650 to Present * | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Global Architecture * | ||
| Institutional Critique | ||
| *With an advisor’s approval, up to 6 credit hours of courses in the history of architecture or landscape architecture at the 200-400 may be taken towards the fulfillment of these required hours | ||
| One Advanced art history course (300 or 400 level) not used elsewhere | ||
| Arts of Colonial Latin America | ||
| Arts of Modern Latin America | ||
| Spanish Modern Art | ||
| Realism to Postimpressionism | ||
| American Art 1750-1900 | ||
| Early American Modernism | ||
| Women and the Visual Arts | ||
| The Archaeology of Greece | ||
| The Archaeology of Italy | ||
| Romanesque Art | ||
| Gothic Art | ||
| Topics: Italian Art 1300-1500 | ||
| Topics: Northern Art 1300-1500 | ||
| Sixteenth-Century Italian Art | ||
| Fifteenth-Century Italian Art | ||
| Italian Baroque Art | ||
| 17th-Century Dutch & Flemish Art | ||
| Romantic Art | ||
| European Art Between the Wars | ||
| France and Its Others | ||
| Total Hours | 18 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Two (2) seminars in Art History at the 400-level, chosen in consultation with the art history advisor. | 6 | |
Art & Design Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 4 ARTS or ARTD courses (at any level) | 12 | |
| Seven (7) additional courses in the School of Art and Design (at any level), including courses with the following rubrics: ARTE, ARTD, ARTH, or ARTS | 21 | |
| Total Hours | 33 | |
Open Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Open electives as needed to total 122 hour degree. | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Hours required for graduation | 122 | |