Art Courses & Requirements

Degrees Offered:

  • B.A.: Art with a Concentration in Studio Art
  • B.A.: Art with a Concentration in Art History
  • B.F.A.: Art with a Concentration in Studio Art
  • Minor: Art with a Concentration in Studio Art
  • Minor: Art with a Concentration in Art History

Course Listings

  • Click here to read complete descriptions of the Art courses offered at Wittenberg.

Degree Overview:

Our department offers a variety of majors and minors tailored to the individual student's interests while providing breadth of knowledge in the discipline. The requirements vary according to the degree the student chooses to pursue.

  • The Bachelor of Arts provides a set of rigorous foundation courses and the opportunity for technical and critical exploration in a specific area.
  • The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree encourages further development of artistic skills and critical engagement. A student who wishes to complete a Bachelor of Fine Arts must make a formal application to the department at the end of the sophomore year.

Degree Requirements:

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) with a Concentration in Art History

Forty-four credits of art are required for a B.A. with a concentration in art history. The following course requirements and an Art History Senior Thesis Presentation must be completed:

  1. Art History I and II; 8 credits
  2. Studio Foundations: Two-Dimensional Design; 4 credits
  3. Studio Elective or Studio Foundations: Three-Dimensional Design; 4 credits
  4. Basic Drawing; 4 credits
  5. Upper-Level Art History (must include one course from each of the following areas: ancient and medieval; Renaissance and Baroque; modern); 20 credits
  6. Senior Thesis - Art History; 4 credits

Total: 44 credits

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) with a Concentration in Studio Art

Majors and minors in studio art must focus on one of the following concentrations:

  • Painting
  • Drawing
  • Printmaking
  • Photography
  • Ceramics
  • Sculpture
  • Silver Jewelry
  • Digital Imaging, Video & Animation
  • Graphic Design

Forty-four credits of art are required for a B.A. degree with a concentration in studio art. The following course requirements and a Senior Studio Thesis Seminar exhibition must be completed:

  1. Art History I and II; 8 credits
  2. Modern Art History; 4 credits
  3. Studio Foundations: Two-Dimensional Design; 4 credits
  4. Studio Foundations: Three-Dimensional Design; 4 credits
  5. Basic Drawing; 4 credits
  6. Art Elective; 4 credits
  7. Courses in concentration of choice; 12 credits
  8. Senior Thesis - Studio Art; 4 credits (Art 498 Senior Thesis Seminar - 2 credits during fall semester of senior year, Art 496 - Senior Thesis Media Concentration - 1 credit during fall and spring semester of senior year)

Total: 44 credits

Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.)

Sixty-eight credits are required for the B.F.A. A student wishing to earn this degree needs to:

  • begin the general art requirements and foundations sequence in the freshman year
  • maintain an average of at least two art courses per semester throughout the four years
  • maintain a 3.00 grade-point average within the Art Department
  • candidacy for the B.F.A. must be declared by the end of the sophomore year

The following course requirements and a Senior Thesis Solo Exhibition must be completed:

  1. Art History I and II; 8 credits
  2. Modern Art History; 4 credits
  3. Upper-Level Art History Elective; 4 credits
  4. Studio Foundations: Two-Dimensional Design; 4 credits
  5. Studio Foundations: Three-Dimensional Design; 4 credits
  6. Basic Drawing; 4 credits
  7. Drawing I or Upper-Level Printmaking; 4 credits
  8. Art Electives; 12 credits
  9. Courses in concentration of choice; 20 credits
  10. Senior Studio Thesis Seminar; 4 credits (Art 498 Senior Thesis Seminar - 2 credits during fall semester of senior year, Art 496 - Senior Thesis Media Concentration - 1 credit during fall and spring semester of senior year)

Total: 68 credits

Minor in Art

A minor in art may be earned with a focus in art history or studio art. Twenty credits in art are required.

Art History:

  1. History of Art I and History of Art II; 8 credits
  2. Studio Foundations: Two-Dimensional Design; 4 credits
  3. Upper-Level Art History; 8 credits

Studio Art:

  1. History of Art I or History of Art II; 4 credits
  2. Studio Foundations: Two-Dimensional Design; 4 credits
  3. Basic Drawing; 4 credits
  4. Studio Electives; 8 credits

Residence Requirements for Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts Degrees

Due to the need to maintain overall continuity in the art program for the B.A. in Art and the B.F.A., the Art Department requires the following to be taken in residence:

  1. Two Foundations courses (101 and 103)
  2. One art history course
  3. Senior Thesis Seminar and the Art History Senior Thesis Seminar courses

Certification for Teaching in Art

Students interested in pursuing a course of study leading to a license to teach art should contact their advisor or the Education Department for specific requirements.

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