Jul 08, 2025  
2025-2026 Catalog 
    
2025-2026 Catalog

Art, B.A. Art History - 120 units


Art History

Art history studies art, architecture, and visual and material culture, from prehistory up through the present day. Art history analyzes and interprets the artistic, historical, and political frameworks of artmaking and addresses global and local identities, historical and contemporary events, social and racial justice, and the role of digital media. It investigates such issues as the role of images and artworks in constructing identities, the political, social, and economic contexts and functions of the visual arts, and the ways architecture shapes our everyday lived experiences. An inherently interdisciplinary field that intersects with anthropology, communication, ethnic studies, history, and studio art, to name only a few, art history equips students to understand human creativity, past and current, and to be active participants in the creation of our global contemporary world.

The Art Department offers the following degrees in Art History:

  • Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art History
  • Minor in Art History
  • Minor in Arts Management

Art history students develop widely applicable skills in visual observation, description, and analysis, in information literacy, in critical thinking, and in written and oral communication. As a lower unit major, Art History pairs well with minors in the humanities, social sciences, sciences, or professional fields; it is also an excellent second major for students who wish to broaden their cultural understandings. The Art History advisor can help you identify a minor that will support you in your chosen career path.

Careers

A B.A. in Art History prepares students for work in a variety of settings, as well as for graduate study. Art History majors and minors find careers in such sectors as research and education, arts and entertainment, travel and leisure, and marketing and advertising. Art History majors may also opt for further study to obtain teaching credentials, M.A. or Ph.D. degrees in art history, art education, museum studies, or other humanities fields, or professional degrees in library and information science, business, or law.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from the Art History program will be able to:

  • Articulate the potential of art history as a tool for multicultural, interdisciplinary, international, and community-centered understandings of society historically and in the present day;
  • Demonstrate visual literacy for our increasingly image-based society by critically analyzing and questioning diverse modes of visual expression;
  • Select, analyze, and properly employ visual, textual, and on-line resources in the context of art historical research and critical writing;
  • Express ideas clearly in written, oral, and other discipline-specific formats (e.g., exhibition, data visualization), supported by relevant visual and textual sources and appropriate documentation [GWAR];
  • Accurately characterize and define significant artistic movements and traditions from chronologically and geographically distinct societies;
  • Articulate and reflect on the role and impact of visual, physical, and spatial elements on our sensory, emotional, and intellectual responses to visual art and architecture;
  • Explain the visual arts and architecture as central to the formation of human social identities, in the past and in the present;
  • Successfully apply the diverse tools and methods of art history to the study of images, artworks, and architecture, demonstrating skills of critical thinking and analysis.

Summary of Units:

Lower Division Major Requirements 18
Upper Division Major Requirements 30
General Education Requirements   and Graduation Requirements    72
Total Units 120

Special Grade Requirement:

All courses must be completed with a C- or better to apply toward the Art History major.

Lower Division Requirements - 18 units


The B.A. in Art History requires a minimum of eighteen (18) units of lower-division coursework.

Art Studio Foundations - 6 units


Complete two from the following:

  • Any 100-level art studio course (prefix: ART)
  • Any 200-level art studio course (prefix: ART) for which you have satisfied the prerequisites

Lower Division Electives - 3 units


Complete one from the following:

  • Any 100- or 200-level art history course not counted above (prefix: ARTH)
  • Any 100- or 200-level art studio course not counted above (prefix: ART)

Upper Division Requirements - 30 units


The B.A. in Art History requires a minimum of thirty (30) units of upper-division coursework. Twelve(12) units are provided by the required core. Fifteen (15) units satisfy the upper-division breadthrequirement; an additional three (3) units are electives in art history.

Upper Division Core - 12 units


The four courses listed below are to be taken in order, one at a time across four semesters,beginning in the Fall semester of the junior year. ARTH 300 and 400 are offered only in the Fall semester; ARTH 301 and 499 are offered only in the Spring semester.

Complete the following:

Breadth Requirement - 15 units


Complete courses from each of the following three groups as indicated, for a total offive courses (15 units):

Upper Division Elective Courses - 3 units


Complete one or more from the following for a total of 3 units:

Note: prerequisites or consent of instructor may apply to 400-level courses.

General Education and Graduation Requirements - B.A.


To graduate, students must complete 120 units minimum (21 units must be upper division), including the following General Education Requirements  (GE) and Graduation Requirements  not met within the major: