BA in Art History
Degree Requirements
To earn a Bachelor of Arts in Art History degree from UIC, students need to complete university, college, and department degree requirements. The Department of Art History degree requirements are outlined below. Students should consult the College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts section for additional degree requirements and college academic policies.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Summary of Requirements | ||
| General Education and Foundation Courses | 24-40 | |
| Major Course Requirements | 37-39 | |
| Electives | 40-59 | |
| DLG 120 | UIC First-Year Dialogue Seminar (Required of new freshmen only) a | 1 |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
- a
New freshmen are required to complete DLG 120 for one hour. These students will complete 40–58 hours of electives for the BA in Art History. All other students complete 41–59 hours of electives for the BA in Art History.
General Education and Foundation Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ENGL 160 | Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts | 3 |
| ENGL 161 | Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research | 3 |
| General Education course work a,b | 18 | |
| Four semesters of foreign language courses or the equivalent c | 0-16 | |
| Total Hours | 24-40 | |
- a
Two required art history courses are used to fulfill General Education requirements. Students must complete a total of 24 hours of General Education credit with at least one course in each of the six categories: Analyzing the Natural World; Understanding the Individual and Society; Understanding the Past; Understanding the Creative Arts; Exploring World Cultures; and Understanding U.S. Society.
- b
Students should consult the General Education section of the catalog for a list of approved courses within each category.
- c
Knowledge of a foreign language is required, most commonly French, German, Italian, or Spanish, and should usually be attained by the end of the junior year. The requirement may be met by taking four years of high school language courses, two years of college language courses, or by passing a proficiency examination.
Major Course Requirements
A minimum of 37 semester hours, the major is comprised of the following requirements:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Introductory Study | ||
| Select one course from each of the following categories: | 6-7 | |
| Broad Surveys | ||
| Introduction to Art and Art History a | ||
| The Naked and the Nude: Studies in Visual Literacy b | ||
| World History of Art and the Built Environment I a | ||
| World History of Art and the Built Environment II a | ||
| Focused Surveys | ||
| History of Chicago Architecture a,c | ||
| Introduction to the Art and Architecture of Asia a,d | ||
| Photography in History c | ||
| Trends in International Contemporary Art Since 1960 a | ||
| Intro to Museum & Exhibition a,b | ||
| Methods and Writing in Art History | ||
| AH 301 | Theories and Methods in Art History | 3 |
| AH 303 | Writing in Art History | 1 |
| Electives | ||
| Select four electives that satisfy the Distribution and Specialization requirements described below. A maximum of one elective may be at the 100 level. Two must be at the 200 or 300 level. | 12 | |
| Seminars | ||
| Select a minimum of two 400-level courses that satisfy the Distribution and Specialization requirements described below. Art History Distinction-track students may substitute 500-level courses, but admission is at the discretion of the professor. | 6 | |
| External Study | ||
| Two external courses are taken at UIC outside of Art History and are required for the major. | 6-7 | |
LAS course—One course in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, selected in consultation with and approved by the faculty advisor, that addresses the same category used for the student's area of specialization. See Specialization requirement below. | ||
CADA (Studio) course—One non-Art History course in the College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts, selected in consulation with a faculty advisor, that reflects the student's research interests. See Specialization requirement below. | ||
| Internship, Study Abroad, or Collaborative Research Project with Faculty Member | 3 | |
| All Art History majors must complete one of the following: | ||
An internship approved and advised by a faculty advisor (AH 483). | ||
A minimum of one Art History or Museum and Exhibition Studies course at an institution outside of the U.S. approved by a faculty advisor (AH 491). | ||
A collaborative research project with a faculty member (AH 399). The internship, study abroad, or collaborative research should be consistent with student's specialization area, larger study interests, or prospective career path. See Specialization requirement below. | ||
| Total Hours | 37-39 | |
- a
This course is approved for the Understanding the Creative Arts General Education category.
- b
This course is approved for the Understanding the Individual and Society General Education category.
- c
This course is approved for the Understanding the Past General Education category.
- d
This course is approved for the Exploring the World Cultures General Education category.
Distribution Requirement
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Course Requirements | ||
| All courses offered through the Art History department, except for courses that satisfy the requirements for Broad Surveys (AH 100, AH 101, AH 110, AH 111), Methods and Writing in Art History (AH 301, AH 303), and the optional courses for Graduation with Distinction (AH 492, AH 490), fall under one of the three categories and eleven topical distribution areas listed below, and are devoted at least 50 percent to that area. | ||
| Students should select one course from two different topical distribution areas (A, B, C, or D) in each category (I, II, and III). For example, in Category I, a student may select one course in IA and one in IB, but not two in IA. The Distribution requirement may be met with courses from the Focused Surveys, Electives, and Seminar requirements described above. a | ||
| Category I | ||
A. Ancient Mediterranean/Ancient Near Eastern | ||
B. Medieval/Islamic | ||
C. Asian/Africa and Its Diaspora | ||
D. Indigenous Art of the Americas | ||
| Category II | ||
A. European and Colonial, 1350–1700 | ||
B. European, America and Colonial, 1700–1950 | ||
C. Design/Photography | ||
| Category III | ||
A. Performance Art/Contemporary Art/Contemporary Architecture | ||
B. Film, Media, Visual Culture | ||
C. Theory, Methodology, Historiography, Aesthetics | ||
D. Museum Studies | ||
| Courses within Each Distribution Requirement | ||
| Distribution area designations are listed for most courses on the department website and indicated for all courses offered in any given term in course booklets made available at registration time. Booklets are available from academic advisors, in the department office, and on the department website. | ||
- a
Broad Surveys courses (AH 100, AH 101, AH 110, AH 111), courses that satisfy the Methods and Writing in Art History requirements (AH 301, AH 303), and the optional courses for Graduation with Distinction (AH 492, AH 490) do not satisfy the Distribution requirement.
Specialization Requirement
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Requirements | ||
| The Specialization Requirement is for four additional courses drawn from other requirements and has four parts. Each should conform to the student's chosen specialization area selected from the topical distribution areas included in the Courses within each Distribution Area grid above. a | ||
Art History Course | ||
Select one additional Art History course in any one of the topical distribution areas (such as IA Ancient Mediterranean or IA Ancient Near Eastern, but not IA Ancient Mediterranean/Ancient Near Eastern). This is the student's specialization area and the requirements below should conform to it. This course should be drawn from those used to fulfill the Electives or Seminar requirement. | ||
LAS Course | ||
Select one course in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences related to the topical distribution area chosen to fulfill the first specialization requirement in consultation with and approved by a faculty advisor. Art History courses cross-listed with LAS do not count for this requirement. LAS courses that are cross-listed with Art History do count but can only fulfill one requiremenet. See External Study requirement above. | ||
Non-Art History Course | ||
Select one non-Art History (studio) course in the College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts in consultation with and approved by a faculty advisor that reflects research interests. See External Study requirement above. | ||
Internship, Study Abroad, or Collaborative Research Project | ||
Students should select an internship, study abroad, or collaborative research project with a faculty member option in consultation with a faculty advisor that reflects their specialization area, larger study interests, or prospective career path. See Internship, Study Abroad or Collaborative Research with Faculty Member requirement above. | ||
- a
Broad Surveys courses (AH 100, AH 101, AH 110, AH 111), courses that satisfy the Methods and Writing in Art History requirements (AH 301, AH 303), and the optional courses for Graduation with Distinction (AH 492, AH 490) do not satisfy the Specialization requirements. Focused Survey courses do satisfy the Specialization requirements.
Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Electives | ||
| Electives to reach total hours a | 40-59 | |
| Total Hours | 40-59 | |
- a
New freshmen are required to complete DLG 120 for one hour. These students will complete 40–58 hours of electives for the BA in Art History. All other students complete 41–59 hours of electives for the BA in Art History.
UIC First Year Dialogue Seminar
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Course | ||
| DLG 120 | UIC First-Year Dialogue Seminar (Required of new freshmen only) | 1 |
| Total Hours | 1 | |
Sample Course Schedule
| Freshman Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| ENGL 160 | Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts | 3 |
| Broad Survey | 3-4 | |
| Foreign language | 4 | |
| General Education Core course | 3 | |
| Hours | 13-14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ENGL 161 | Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research | 3 |
| DLG 120 | UIC First-Year Dialogue Seminar (Required of new freshmen only) | 1 |
| Focused Survey | 3 | |
| Foreign language | 4 | |
| General Education Core course | 3 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| AH 301 | Theories and Methods in Art History | 3 |
| AH 303 | Writing in Art History | 1 |
| Elective that meets Distribution and Specialization requirement | 3 | |
| Foreign language | 4 | |
| General Education Core course | 4 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Elective that meets Distribution and Specialization requirement in the major | 3 | |
| Elective that meets Distribution and Specialization requirement in the major | 3 | |
| Foreign language | 4 | |
| General Education Core courses | 6 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Junior Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Elective that meets Distribution and Specialization requirement in the major | 3 | |
| Internship, Study Abroad, or Collaborative Research Project | 3 | |
| Art History 400 level (Seminar requirement) | 3 | |
| External Study requirement: CADA (Studio) course | 4 | |
| General Education Core course | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Art History 400 level (Seminar requirement) | 3 | |
| Electives | 13 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| External Study requirement: LAS course | 3 | |
| Electives | 12 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Electives | 15 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |