History of Art, BALAS
for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences, major in History of Art
The History of Art, BALAS is not currently accepting applications. Suspension of admissions effective Spring 2026. This program has been replaced by the Art History, BALAS program.
The Program in Art History is unique at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Though 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 Arts degree in the History of Art from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences administers admission to the major in the History or Art; however, the Program in Art History advises all History of Art majors.
The curriculum in the History of Art requires 120 credit hours and offers a broad historical and cultural education related to the visual and build world. The curriculum provides sound preparation for the graduate study required for museum work or teaching at the college level.
Departmental distinction: To be eligible for distinction, a student must earn a high grade point average and complete at least 4 semester hours of independent research to write a senior research paper. See the undergraduate adviser for details.
for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences, major in History of Art
Departmental distinction: To be eligible for distinction, a student must earn a high grade point average and complete at least 4 semester hours of independent research to write a senior research paper. See the undergraduate adviser for details.
Graduation Requirements
Minimum hours required for graduation: 120 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 the program.
| 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 fourth semester or equivalent of a language other than English is required) | 0-20 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation and Professional Development | ||
| LAS 101 | Design Your First Year Experience | 1 |
OR | ||
| LAS 100 & LAS 101 | Success in LAS for International Students and Design Your First Year Experience | 3 |
OR | ||
| LAS 102 | Transfer Advantage | 1 |
| Total Hours | 1 or 3 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Core Requirements and Electives | ||
| 1 course in studio art (ARTS), graphic design (ARTD) or industrial design (ARTD) | 3 | |
| 1 foundational gateway course at the 100-level: | 3 | |
| Introduction to the History of Art and Visual Culture | ||
| Three (3) Supporting Courses in the Humanities offered by LAS: | 9 | |
| These courses must be approved by the Art History advisor and be outside the field of art history with the goal of enhancing the student’s understanding of the cultural context within which works of art and architecture have been created. | ||
| Please note: this is not a complete list of approved courses as individual student interests may guide supplemental courses in any number of directions. To ensure students take appropriate courses, all supplemental Humanities hours must be approved by the BALAS advisor. | ||
| Introduction to African American Theatre | ||
| Studies in Black Television | ||
| Hip Hop Music: History and Culture | ||
| Pan Africanism | ||
| Early African American Literature and Culture | ||
or AFRO 260 | Modern African American Literature and Culture | |
| African Amer Families in Film | ||
| African Diasporic Thought in the Caribbean | ||
| Introduction to Modern Africa | ||
| The World Through Museums | ||
| Performing 'America' | ||
| Museum Theory and Practice | ||
| U.S. Race and Empire | ||
| Asian Americans and the Arts | ||
| Asian American Youth in Film | ||
| The Politics of Fashion | ||
| Theories of Race, Gender, and Sexuality | ||
| War, Memory, and Cinema | ||
| Classical Allusions in Cinema | ||
| Gender & Sexuality in Greco-Roman Antiquity | ||
| Medieval Literature and Culture | ||
| Renaissance Literature and Culture | ||
| Enlightenment Literature and Culture | ||
| Romantic Literature and Culture | ||
| Victorian Literature and Culture | ||
| Early British Literature and Culture | ||
or ENGL 210 | Modern British Literature and Culture | |
| Introduction to Modern African Literature | ||
| Modernist Literature and Culture | ||
| Latina/o Popular Culture | ||
| Topics in Literature and New Media | ||
| Early American Literature and Culture | ||
| American Cinema, 1950-2000 | ||
| Postcolonial Literature in English | ||
| Intro Hist Interpretation | ||
| American Environmental History | ||
| Reacting to the Past | ||
| Lived Experience in Latin America | ||
| History of Southern Africa | ||
| History of Eastern Africa | ||
| Traditional China | ||
| Modern China | ||
| Premodern Japanese History | ||
| Modern Japanese History | ||
| 20thC World to Midcentury | ||
| 20thC World from Midcentury | ||
| History of Russia | ||
| United States History to 1815 | ||
| Nineteenth Century America | ||
| Twentieth Century America | ||
| US Foreign Relations Since 1917 | ||
| Mexican-American History | ||
| Constructing Race in America | ||
| US Gender History to 1877 | ||
| US Gender History Since 1877 | ||
| African-American Women | ||
| Global Capitalism in History | ||
| Immigrant America | ||
| Medieval Civilization | ||
| Protestant & Catholic Refs | ||
| Age of Revolution, 1775-1815 | ||
| 19thC Romanticism & Politics | ||
| Europe in the World | ||
| Twentieth Century Europe | ||
| Modern France | ||
| Colonial America | ||
| Origins of the Civil War | ||
| Civil War and Reconstruction | ||
| Latina/os and the City | ||
| US in an Age of Empire | ||
| China Under the Qing Dynasty | ||
| Classical Chinese Thought | ||
| Postcolonial/Queer | ||
| Soviet Union Since 1917 | ||
| History of the American West | ||
| Italian Culture and Globalization | ||
| Latina/o Anthropology | ||
| Latina/o Performance | ||
| Critical Ethnic Studies | ||
| Race, Sex, and Deviance | ||
| Immigration, Health & Society | ||
| Nineteenth Century Philosophy | ||
| Classical Modern Philosophers | ||
| Major Recent Philosophers | ||
| Six (6) 200-400 level courses in Art History, offered in the School of Art & Design | 18 | |
| (Though students must take a total of 6 courses, some 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.) | ||
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 | ||
With an advisor’s approval, up to 6 credit hours of courses in the history of architecture or landscape architecture at the 200-400 level may be taken towards the fulfillment of these required hours | ||
At least one course must cover material before 1700 | ||
At least one course must cover material after 1700 | ||
Other courses may be approved in consultation with the advisor. | ||
1. Africa and the Middle East | ||
| Islamic Gardens & Architecture | ||
| African Arts and Architecture | ||
| African Art and Society I | ||
| Central African Art | ||
| Modern and Contemp African Art | ||
| West African Art and Ideas | ||
| Sacred African Diaspora Arts | ||
2. Asia | ||
| East Asian Art History | ||
| Art in China | ||
| Sacred Sites in Japan | ||
| Ways of Seeing in Edo Japan | ||
| Word and Image in Chinese Art | ||
| China through Film | ||
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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| Baroque & Rococo Arch | ||
At least one course must cover material after 1700 | ||
| Design History Survey | ||
| Art of the Nineteenth Century | ||
| Modern Art, 1880-1940 | ||
| 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 | ||
| Institutional Critique | ||
| Modernity’s Mirror: Nineteenth-Century Architecture 1750-1900 | ||
| The Architecture of the United States, c.1650 to Present | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Global Architecture | ||
| ARTH 495 | Undergraduate Seminar in Art History (3 hours, completed twice) | 6 |
for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences, major in History of 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 fourth level of a language other than English. See the corresponding section on the Degree and General Education Requirements page.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| Free elective course | 1 | 1 course in studio art (ARTS), graphic design (ARTD) or industrial design (ARTD) | 3 |
| ARTH 110 | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| Composition I or General Education course | 3 | General Education course or Composition I | 3 |
| Language Other Than English (3rd level) | 4 | Language Other than English (4th level) | 4 |
| 14 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| Supporting course in the Humanities offered by LAS | 3 | Supporting course in the Humanities offered by LAS | 3 |
| 200-400 level course in Art History, offered in the School of Art & Design | 3 | 200-400 level course in Art History, offered in the School of Art & Design | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | Free elective course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| Supporting course in the Humanities offered by LAS | 3 | 200-400 level course in Art History, offered in the School of Art & Design | 3 |
| 200-400 level course in Art History, offered in the School of Art & Design | 3 | 200-400 level course in Art History, offered in the School of Art & Design | 3 |
| 200-400 level course in Art History, offered in the School of Art & Design | 3 | Free elective course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | Free elective course | 3 |
| Free elective course | 3 | Free elective course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| ARTH 495 | 3 | ARTH 495 | 3 |
| Free elective course | 3 | Free elective course | 3 |
| Free elective course | 3 | Free elective course | 3 |
| Free elective course | 3 | Free elective course | 3 |
| Free elective course | 3 | Free elective course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Hours 120 | |||
for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences, major in History of Art
Students who graduate with a degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences in History of Art will be able to:
- Demonstrate familiarity with key artistic monuments and modes of art production from various global contexts.
- Analyze and interpret works of art and architecture situated in a variety of historical and social contexts, and in comparative perspective.
- Use visual and verbal primary sources, secondary sources, and core critical frameworks of art historical analysis to develop and articulate persuasive arguments about works of art and the cultures that produced them.
- Engage with adjacent humanities disciplines in development of an interdisciplinary practice of art history.
for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences, major in History of Art
Art History information
Art History advising
Art History faculty
Overview of College Admissions & Requirements: Liberal Arts & Sciences
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences website