Converse with mountains and text overlay with academic year and Undergraduate Catalog

Art Program Requirements



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Faculty

  • David Baddley
  • Matthew Kruback

View Art Courses

Program Goals

  • Students will be exposed to, and gain experience in, a wide variety of fine art disciplines and ideas.
  • Students will learn and develop the skills required to produce artwork of technical quality.
  • Students will develop the sensitivity, understanding, and insight to produce artwork which is personally meaningful and creatively expressive.
  • Students will develop the ability to write and speak articulately about their own and other’s artwork.
  • Students will learn skills needed for preparing, publicizing, and hanging art exhibits.
  • Students will learn to produce materials for professional presentation of their art for the purposes of gaining acceptance into exhibits, finding gallery representation, applying for grants, seeking publication and applying for graduate school.

Objectives

The Art Program offers an academic major leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. It also offers an academic major leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree, as well as an academic minor, and it provides courses for students planning to pursue graduate studies in art, students wishing to concentrate in teaching or practicing art, and those with an avocational interest in the visual arts.

The program is designed to give students the skills and confidence in their abilities needed to produce works of art. To this end, students are given general knowledge about art and art history and are schooled in a variety of techniques, including drawing, painting, photography, and ceramics. Students are encouraged to use and expand their imagination and to express their ideas creatively.

Program Requirements

Students must maintain a minimum 2.3 GPA in courses required for BA and BFA Art majors. With the approval of the instructor, students may repeat specified studio courses for additional credit. Students must meet the university-wide graduation requirements in addition to the Art major:

  • 124 total hours
  • 30 upper division hours
  • WCore or Honors College requirements

Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (BFA) in Visual Art

After completing the Lower Division Art Courses, students apply for acceptance into the Bachelor of Fine Arts program by submitting a portfolio during Spring semester of the sophomore year. The portfolio should contain 8–12 examples of artwork that the student has produced while at Westminster University. The portfolio is due by the Friday before spring break in the main office of the College of Arts and Sciences. The BFA admissions committee will review the portfolios and notify students prior to registration for the Fall semester. Students who are not accepted may continue working as art majors in the BA track, and are encouraged to reapply again the following year. Transfer students will follow this same process for acceptance to the BFA track, except that the portfolio may contain artwork produced while studying at other institutions of higher education.

Requirement Description Credit Hours Prerequisites
I. World Language Requirement 8  
Fine Arts majors must complete eight credit hours in a single world language.    
II. Core Art Courses 28  
These courses should be completed before or during the fourth semester (spring of second year), during which students submit their portfolios for acceptance into the BFA program.
ART 106 Drawing, Inquiry, and Expression 4  
ART 111 Paint, Perception, and Alchemy 4  
ART 148 Ceramics I: Material Studies 4  
ART 180 Photography 4  
ART 203 Ceramic Sculpture 4 ART 148
ART 209 Composition and Design 4  
ART 320 Digital Imaging 4 ART 180
III. Elective Studio Art Courses 30  
In addition to the Core Art Courses listed above, take thirty credit hours of ART courses with a minimum of ten credit hours from upper division courses. These courses should be chosen in consultation with student’s advisor. All ART courses are eligible for consideration.    
IV. Art History Courses 12  
Take twelve credit hours of art history courses    
ART 310 Art History: Emergence to the Renaissance 4 WCore course with Writing Emphasis
ART 311 Art History: Renaissance to Modern Art 4 WCore course with Writing Emphasis
ART 312 History of Contemporary Art 4 WCore course with Writing Emphasis
ART 313 Environmental Art 4  
ART 318 History of Photography 4 WCore course with Writing Emphasis
V. Capstone Experience Courses 4  
ART 475 Studio Seminar -- This course should be taken during Spring semester of student’s last year. 4 Instructor permission
Total Hours for Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Art 82  

Recommended Plan of Study for BFA in Visual Art

Bachelor of Arts Degree (BA) in Art

Requirement Description Credit Hours Prerequisites
I. World Language Requirement 8  
Art majors must complete eight credit hours in a single world language.    
II. Core Art Courses 28  
These courses should be completed before or during the fourth semester (spring of second year).
ART 106 Drawing, Inquiry, and Expression 4  
ART 111 Paint, Perception, and Alchemy 4  
ART 148 Ceramics I: Material Studies 4  
ART 180 Photography 4  
ART 203 Ceramic Sculpture 4 ART 148
ART 209 Composition and Design 4  
ART 320 Digital Imaging 4 ART 180
III. Upper Division Art Courses 16  
ART 310 Art History: Emergence to the Renaissance - offered fall 4 WCore course with Writing Emphasis
ART 311 Art History: Renaissance to Modern Art - offered spring 4 WCore course with Writing Emphasis
ART 475 Studio Seminar 4 Instructor permission
Choose one additional Art History course from the following list:    
ART 312 History of Contemporary Art - offered fall 4 WCore course with Writing Emphasis
ART 318 History of Photography - offered even years in spring 4 WCore course with Writing Emphasis
IV. Elective Art Courses 10  
Additional hours of ART coursework 10  
Total Hours for Art Major 62  

Recommended Plan of Study for Art Major

Art Minor

Requirement Description Credit Hours Prerequisites
I. Required Courses 12  
Choose two of the following courses:    
ART 106 Drawing, Inquiry, and Expression 4  
ART 111 Paint, Perception, and Alchemy 4  
ART 148 Ceramics I: Material Studies 4  
ART 180 Photography 4  
Choose one of the following courses:    
ART 310 Art History: Emergence to the Renaissance 4 WCore course with Writing Emphasis
ART 311 Art History: Renaissance to Modern Art 4 WCore course with Writing Emphasis
ART 312 History of Contemporary Art 4 WCore course with Writing Emphasis
II. Electives 11  
Additional hours of ART coursework 11  
Total Hours for Art Minor 23