Studio Art, BASA
for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art Major in Studio Art
The Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art (BASA) focuses on the study of art, design, and art history in the context of a broader program of general study offered through the diverse research and teaching activities across the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. The BASA degree is intended for those students who have strong interests in blending the study of art and creative practices with coursework in other academic areas. It differs from the Bachelor of Fine Arts in that it offers students rigorous education in studio art for students who plan to pursue dual majors, minors, or advanced degrees in non-art fields, while integrating a studio art experience into their undergraduate studies.
First year courses for the BA in Studio Art introduce basic materials and conceptual approaches to making art, using traditional media including drawing and painting, printmaking, clay, plaster, wood and metal, to code, digital imaging, interactive media, and time-based applications.
The advanced BA Studio Art student can look forward to a changing menu of courses on a variety of studio practices and topics, taught by a diverse faculty with expertise in a wide variety of conceptual, material and technical strategies for making art. The BA Studio Art’s curriculum offerings are designed to reflect an increasingly dynamic culture and provide students with experiences and skills that promote adaptability after graduation.
BA Studio Art students are provided with studio spaces housed in a communal studio building, where they pursue a self-determined studio practice. The communal studio configuration provides the geography for a strong, vibrant community of student-artists working together as they establish their focus and participate in exhibitions, performances, and critiques.
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.
Students majoring in this degree program must complete the First Year Curriculum requirements before beginning other major requirements.
A portfolio review is required for admission to the School of Art and Design.
for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art Major in Studio Art
Graduation Requirements
Minimum hours required for graduation: 122 hours.
University Requirements
Minimum of 40 hours of upper-division coursework, generally at the 300- or 400-level. These hours can be drawn from all elements of the degree. Students should consult their academic advisor for additional guidance in fulfilling this requirement.
The university and residency requirements can be found in the Student Code (§ 3-801) and in the Academic Catalog.
General Education Requirements
Follows the campus General Education (Gen Ed) requirements. Some Gen Ed requirements may be met by courses required and/or electives in Art and Design.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Composition I | 4-6 | |
| Advanced Composition | 3 | |
| Humanities & the Arts (6 hours) | 6 | |
fulfilled by ARTH 110 and any other course approved as Humanities & the Arts | ||
| Natural Sciences & Technology (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Social & Behavioral Sciences (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Cultural Studies: Non-Western Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: US Minority Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: Western/Comparative Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
fulfilled by ARTH 110 | ||
| Quantitative Reasoning (2 courses, at least one course must be Quantitative Reasoning I) | 6-10 | |
| Language Requirement (Completion of the third semester or equivalent of a language other than English is required) | 0-15 | |
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 |
| ARTF 103 | Design I | 3 |
| ARTF 105 | Design II | 3 |
| Select one Drawing course: | 3 | |
| Observational Drawing | ||
| Expressive Drawing | ||
| Visualization Drawing | ||
| Total Hours | 17 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Art History Requirements | ||
| 200 level and above ARTH courses | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 9 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Studio Art requirements | ||
| 200-level ARTS course from the following list: | ||
| Introduction to Printmaking | ||
| Ceramics Sculpture I | ||
| Introduction to Fashion | ||
| Fashion Illustration | ||
| Beginning Illustration | ||
| Image Practice | ||
| Time Arts I | ||
| Beginning Painting | ||
| Basic Photography | ||
| Beginning Sculpture | ||
| Any additional 200-level ARTS course | 3 | |
| 300-level ARTS course | 3 | |
| ARTS 392 | Current Art Issues Seminar | 3 |
| 400-level ARTS course | 3 | |
| ARTS 448 | BASA Capstone Project | 4 |
| Total Hours | 19 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Summary of credits for Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts | ||
| General Education Requirements | ||
| First-Year Curriculum Requirements | 17 | |
| Art History Requirements | 9 | |
| Studio Art Requirements | 19 | |
| Free Electives | ||
| A minimum of 40 credits at the 300 or 400 course level are required | ||
| Total Hours | 122 | |
for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art Major in Studio Art
Sample Sequence
This sample sequence is intended to be used only as a guide for degree completion. All students should work individually with their academic advisors to decide the actual course selection and sequence that works best for them based on their academic preparation and goals. Enrichment programming such as study abroad, minors, internships, and so on may impact the structure of this four-year plan. Course availability is not guaranteed during the semester indicated in the sample sequence.
Students must fulfill their Language Other Than English requirement by successfully completing a third level of a language other than English. For more information, see the corresponding section on the Degree and General Education Requirements page.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| ARTF 101 | 2 | ARTE 101 | 2 |
| ARTH 110 | 3 | ARTF 105 | 3 |
| ARTF 103 | 3 | ARTS 200-level course from list | 3 |
| ARTF ### (Drawing Category) | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| Composition I or Language Other than English (3rd level) | 4 | Composition I or Language Other than English (3rd level) | 4 |
| FAA 101 | 1 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| ARTH 200-400 level course | 3 | ARTH 200-400 level course | 3 |
| ARTS 200-level course | 3 | ARTS 300-level course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| ARTH 200-400 level course | 3 | ARTS 392 | 3 |
| ARTS 400-level course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| Free Elective | 4 | Free Elective | 3 |
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| ARTS 448 | 4 | Free Elective | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| Free Elective | 2 | Free Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Hours 122 | |||
for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art Major in Studio Art
Upon completion of the BASA:
- Students will understand and be able to apply basic principles of visual and material communication, including two-dimensional pictorial concepts, three-dimensional formal and spatial concepts, and a wide variety of media and formats for artistic production, and possess the ability to apply them to a specific aesthetic intent.
- Students will demonstrate an ability and willingness to experiment and explore the expressive possibilities of various media, and artistic and creative strategies for self-directed artmaking and investigate the diverse activities and conceptual modes available to the contemporary artist, including work that directly addresses or engages with recent developments in the field of fine art as well as broader social questions and challenges. Students are trained in the production and critique of artworks that explore forms and technologies identified as new or emerging.
- Students will gain knowledge of, understand, and be able to apply concepts of visual rhetoric in the development of content, and be able to recognize and critically analyze an evolving variety of communicative practices in art and visual culture, including those that that represent diverse cultures and sociopolitical positions, and to demonstrate openness to new social possibilities and a critical empathy towards both audiences and culture producers of differing histories, origins and identities.
- Students will be willing and able to investigate and accommodate broad-ranging types of knowledge and artistic strategies for the purpose of synthesizing diverse and even disparate ideas to create sophisticated, unique works of art, participate in new types of collaboration, and to make innovative statements and hypotheses, or propose creative solutions to social, organizational, and societal problems using aesthetic strategies.
- Students will develop an innovative, imaginative, and entrepreneurial self-directed studio practice, will gain a deep understanding of their own creativity, be able to apply it in any context, and will learn to independently generate thematic investigation and implementation of research in a broad variety of social locations, including art and educational institutions, activist forums, and cyberspace. Students in the BASA will produce web and print based documents that serve to market and promote their practice as independent makers.
for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art Major in Studio Art
School of Art & Design
School of Art & Design
Art & Design Faculty
Academic Coordinator of Undergraduate Academic Affairs: Michael Foellmer
143 Art and Design Building, Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 244-8462
Academic Coordinator of Undergraduate Academic Affairs email
College of Fine & Applied Arts
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