BFA in Art

Degree Requirements

To earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art degree from UIC, students need to complete university, college, and school degree requirements. The Art 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.

A portfolio review is required upon completion of the Art Foundations course work.

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Summary of Requirements
First Year Program		24
General Education and Foundation Courses		33
Art Major Requirements		61
Electives outside the Department of Art		10-11
DLG 120	UIC First-Year Dialogue Seminar (Required of new freshmen only) ^a	1
Total Hours		129

New freshmen are required to complete DLG 120 for one hour. These students will complete 10 hours of electives for the BFA in Art. All other students complete 11 hours of electives for the BFA in Art.

First Year Program

Students are required to take ART 101 and choose five 100-level, studio-based courses from the six that are offered for a total of 24 hours.

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses
ART 101	Signifying Practices: Art and Visual Culture	4
Select five of the following:		20
ART 112	Introduction to Drawing
ART 130	Introduction to Painting + Color
ART 140	Introduction to Sculpture
ART 150	Introduction to New Media Arts
ART 160	Introduction to Digital Photography
ART 170	Introduction to Filmmaking
Total Hours		24

General Education and Foundation Courses

Course List
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
Understanding the Individual and Society course ^a		3
Understanding U.S. Society course ^a		3
Analyzing the Natural World course ^a,b		4
Understanding the Past course ^a		3
Exploring World Cultures course ^a		3
AH 110	World History of Art and the Built Environment I ^c	4
AH 111	World History of Art and the Built Environment II ^c	4
AH 160	Trends in International Contemporary Art Since 1960 ^c	3
Total Hours		33

Students should consult the General Education section of the catalog for a list of approved courses in this category. Students may choose a General Education course that falls below the recommended semester hour value for a particular category as long as the student reaches a total of 24 hours of General Education distributed across the six categories.

Students who select a course worth less than 4 hours from the Analyzing the Natural World list will need to take an additional General Education Core course as part of their electives.

This course is approved for the Understanding the Creative Arts General Education category.

Art Major Requirements

Students must consult with faculty advisors for approval of concentration and elective courses each semester.

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses
Art Concentration in one discipline (chosen from ART courses at 200-300 level)		16
Art Electives (chosen from ART courses at 200-300 level)		24
ART 401	Senior Projects: Critique	6
ART 402	Senior Projects: Thesis	6
AH 201	Reading and Writing Art Criticism	3
Art History— Chosen from AH courses at 200-level and above		6
Total Hours		61

Electives outside the Department of Art

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Electives
Electives outside the Department of Art ^a		10-11
Total Hours		10-11

UIC First Year Dialogue Seminar

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Required Course
DLG 120	UIC First-Year Dialogue Seminar	1
Total Hours		1

Sample Course Schedule

Plan of Study Grid
Freshman Year
Fall Semester		Hours
ENGL 160	Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts	3
ART 112	Introduction to Drawing	4
ART 170	Introduction to Filmmaking	4
ART 101	Signifying Practices: Art and Visual Culture	4
	Hours	15
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
ART 160	Introduction to Digital Photography	4
ART 130	Introduction to Painting + Color	4
ART 150	Introduction to New Media Arts	4
	Hours	15-16
Sophomore Year
Fall Semester
AH 110	World History of Art and the Built Environment I	4
Concentration Course		4
Concentration Course		4
Understanding U.S. Society course		3
Exploring World Cultures course		3
	Hours	18
Spring Semester
AH 111	World History of Art and the Built Environment II	4
Art Elective		4
Concentration Course		4
Understanding the Individual and Society course		3
Understanding the Past course		3
	Hours	18
Junior Year
Fall Semester
AH 160	Trends in International Contemporary Art Since 1960	3
Concentration Course		4
Art Elective		4
General Elective		3
General Elective		3
	Hours	17
Spring Semester
AH 201	Reading and Writing Art Criticism	3
Art Elective		4
Art Elective		4
Analyzing Natural World course		4
	Hours	15
Senior Year
Fall Semester
ART 401	Senior Projects: Critique	6
AH Elective		3
General Elective		3
General Elective		2
	Hours	14
Spring Semester
ART 402	Senior Projects: Thesis	6
AH Elective		3
Art Elective		4
Art Elective		4
	Hours	17
	Total Hours	129

Academic Catalog

2021-2023 Undergraduate Catalog